Comments on: Macmillan settles with DOJ, leaving Apple last defendant standing in ebook pricing case

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:56:55 +0000

that should say throw us under the bus… stupid auto correct.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:55:23 +0000

Sad day. Wish the DOJ would remember that there are many of us consumers that care very much about the survival of real books and bookstores – I would be absolutely devastated and heartbroken if bookstores and print books were gone, they mean so much to me. I am terrified about possibly losing Barnes & Noble because it’s the only local bookstore left with a decent selection. The DOJ seems to have forgotten that many book consumers don’t want e-books or to buy from Amazon, but apparently thinks it is perfectly just to throw us under the boss to give in to the greedy, entitled demands of e-book readers who were spoiled by Amazon’s predatory scorched earth tactics and feel they deserve below-cost e-books. It disgusts me that the DOJ is helping Amazon to destroy an entire category of physical stores to benefit a bunch of whiny, entitled e-book readers and a would-be monopolist. I wish Macmillan had kept on fighting. SOMEONE needs to stand up to Amazon for what they are doing to readers who love bookstores and real books!

By: kayarkay

kayarkay — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:03:54 +0000

I think Amazon having egged on DoJ in this anti-trust action to further its own quest to dominate the ebook space as it has done with the physical version might wish it left well enough alone. The “Agency” racket might in the fullness time appear a sweet deal compared to what they may end up being – merely an advertising and referral affiliate for the publishers and authors.

The logistics for eBook distribution is much easier than for the physical version where Amazon managed to smother its B&M competitors. And now the publishers seem to have caught on and only this past week three of the big pissed off publishers banded together to roll out their own collaborative review, discovery and distribution platform, BOOKISH.COM. Even though its CEO protested rather too loudly that it is “not trying to steal sales from Amazon and other retailers”, I think it is exactly that and is a clear effort to “disintermediate” book retailers, especially for ebooks. Why bother with agency model, wholesale model etc. when all that is needed is a platform to host the content, manage DRM, process payment and advertise/promote etc. In time they might seek to reset their relationship with platforms like Amazon, B&N, Google etc. as merely advertising and referral affiliates. And another logical next step would be to offer a subsidized generic eInk reader supporting something like a Webkit open browser and break themselves and their readers out of the Apple, Kindle and Nook walled gardens.