Comments on: How the e-book landscape is becoming a walled garden

By: GeekElite

GeekElite — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:44:21 +0000

I don’t see how this is any different than, say, the video game industry. In the video game industry, there are 3 major players: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. None of these platforms are cross-compatible, and if a publisher wants to exist on all three they must put forth the effort to port their games to each platform.

The same is true of e-readers: they’re not books, nor can they be thought of as such. They’re software platforms just like a Playstation, Xbox, or Wii, and books are really nothing but software. Each is compatible with its own system and if a publisher or author wants their content on multiple systems, they have to go through the effort of porting it to each. Each of the 3 major video game companies have their own internal developers that create exclusive content for their platform, and 3rd parties create content that spans all 3.

And I’m on the opposite side of the fence regarding the embedded hyperlink argument: I think Apple has every right to ask an author to take out direct links to an opposing platform, because having those links is not essential to the content of the books. Citing other books in your bibliography is one thing – direct-linking to a competitor is another. Microsoft won’t allow an XBox game to contain ads or links to Playstation, and this isn’t any different.

Amazon, Apple, and B&N aren’t under any obligation to support an open marketplace. If that’s going to happen, it has to be driven by an entity that has no direct stake in the content’s delivery method, but is willing to adapt content to be either openly compatible or ported to all platforms.

By: Bruce Altman

Bruce Altman — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:09:29 +0000

The one with the thickest silo brain wins.

By: Wednesday Lee Friday

Wednesday Lee Friday — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:03:51 +0000

Pretty much any Ebook or graphic novel file can be converted with freeware. Calibre, for example, will convert any mobi, doc, pdf, txt, cbr, and a zillion other files for free in about 5 minutes. If Apple has learned anything from their various content debacles, it’s that if you don’t let consumers buy what they want, when they want, they will pirate. Try typing “Kindle” or “mobi” into a torrent engine. You can get literally thousands of book files in minutes. My point? Patience, grasshopper. Don’t sign any of Amazon’s restrictive E-distribution contracts and give them a little time to get their e-ducks in an e-row.

By: Henry

Henry — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:11:48 +0000

I work in public education; however, the only reason that I know about Seth Godin’s new book, is that it was “banned” by Apple. This almost seems like a publicity stunt to bring awareness to his book. I doubt this was intentional, but it may work out well for Mr. Godin.

I also have one comment that will surely upset many readers. The article mentions public libraries.
“and they won’t allow their books to be loaned to other users, or even in many cases to public libraries”
I have a question. I borrow books from my public library, but why is that even legal. Really, I am serious. We are able to benefit from the authors work without paying the author. If we really think long and hard on that point, we need to see that we are cheating the author. I understand the whole Fair-Use doctrine, but it is still stealing, at least in a tiny way.

By: HenkPoley

HenkPoley — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 07:04:42 +0000

So, what will happen. After buying a book, people will pirate the book to be sure they’ll have access to it in the future. Or they’ll just pirate it, if that’s easier.

Where have we heard this before?

By: DV

DV — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:30:38 +0000

I dont know why Barnes and Noble is in this list? What have they done wrong?

By: Dale Copps

Dale Copps — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:18:34 +0000

A world where any book in eBook format is available from only one vendor to be read on only one device? Inconceivable. If I were an author contemplating such a fate for my work, I would be running around like the proverbial chicken looking for a better way. There is a better way. And it will bring down all the walls around all these gardens. The conduit is the public library, as I describe in Part II of

The End of Libraries
http://alltogethernow.org/showtag.php?currid=85

By: Ted T.

Ted T. — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:48:56 +0000

More to the point, he could sell as an ePub, which would make it appear identically in iBooks to what one would get via the iBooks/iTunes bookstore.

On the more general point, the ball is in the publisher’s court — they just need to get rid of DRM to make all eBooks universal.

By: Zach

Zach — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:27:12 +0000

As Matthew notes, Although the big name players such as Apple, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble are making e-book publishing more and more competitive, there still is a huge, relatively untapped marketplace in self-publishing e-books. I’ve been doing this now for 2.5 years with great success. So, where there’s a will, there’s ALWAYS a way.

By: Edward Steel

Edward Steel — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:14:40 +0000

That’s funny, I came to this article from there, but didn’t get that from his entry. I think bundling is great way for publishers to stay relevant, but what I’m talking about is a way to link to ebooks (even DRMed ones) from other ebooks, without specifying the store. That way Godin isn’t “promoting Apple’s competitors”, he’s just promoting other ebooks.

If the physical books used such a schema to link to digital copies as well, so much the better (but you’d expect them to download for free, not resolve to a store to buy another copy).