Comments on: Turow on Amazon/Goodreads

By: Violet Graves

Violet Graves — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:35:56 +0000

I originally posted this comment on April 3 (before my coffee had kicked in) and randomly inserted it into another thread. I feel I must correct this error. Again, my coffee has not kicked in so let’s hope I get it right this time:

Wow, these comments here and the comments on the original article were so entertaining! I love it when well-read people bash heads. Fashionably epistolary. I am still surprised when the anti-Amazon folks put their fingers in their ears and sing-song LA LA LA LA LA when a self-published author states the economic truths. I was astonished by the “shut your mouth” and “end of discussion” responses. Those faithful to traditional publishing probably think self-published authors are dabbling in the Dark Arts. They must refuse to listen to the Devil’s tempting lies lest they lose their souls. Hell, with 70% royalties, we can buy a really nice air conditioner if it gets too hot.

By: Elka

Elka — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:56:14 +0000

It seems to me that self-pubbers tend to know a lot about the trad-pub industry, whether by research, previous publishing history, failure to be published, or whatever. But most trad-pub authors know ZIP about self-publishing.
This.
This also made me see that I should probably add in my long ramble above that I learned more about publishing industry (on whole) though KB, and Kris’s, Dean’s and PG’s blogs than I did in ten years working in a corporation with publishing imprints.

By: Dan DeWitt

Dan DeWitt — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:46:21 +0000

I appreciate you having my back over there. It was just a ridiculous stance for trkravtin to take, especially in light of the trad-pubbed writers who were saying the exact same thing as I was.

Good times.

By: Marc Cabot

Marc Cabot — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:05:28 +0000

A co-worker of mine who is an avid reader confirms that she started seeing this happen the last time she updated her Kindle app.

By: Marc Cabot

Marc Cabot — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:04:16 +0000

OTOH, unless said competing e-reader becomes a big enough threat to alleviate the potential problem anyway, encouraging it to continue to provide a consumer alternative looks pretty good on the old corporate resume. Don’t think of it as subsidizing Kobo: think of it as cheap antitrust insurance.

By: Jack Heinlein

Jack Heinlein — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:12:25 +0000

They closed the thread before I and a few of my friends could respond. I have a few trad published friends who I showed this thread too and wanted to comment in defense of Dan. I wonder if they shut down the comments because they were trying to post a response to trkravtin?

They’ve all been burned by trad pubs and laughed heartily when they read trkravtin’s comments against Dan. Once you HAVE been trad published you’ll know the value of indie publishing, not the socalled ever diminishing value of trad publishing. But trkravtin cannot will not and does not want to accept that. For trkravtin the end is nigh with all these dreadful indie folks. oy vey.

By: ABeth

ABeth — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:01:24 +0000

That one is new, I believe. I think it’s on the last page of the books in my Kindle app…?

Either way, I approve. More apps should do that.

By: ABeth

ABeth — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:00:13 +0000

Huh! I don’t see anything like that on any pages I’ve glanced at. Maybe they’re testing out a new approach.

By: Woelf Dietrich

Woelf Dietrich — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:46:17 +0000

“If you ever have the opportunity to be published other than as an ebook on Amazon, perhaps you’ll gain an insight that you otherwise don’t have now.”

This reminded me of law school when I did Jurisprudence: to know Justice, you need to know Injustice.

Seems to me, this comes down to the same thing.

By: Randall Wood

Randall Wood — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:44:32 +0000

And another thing;

Why should an author spend time studying a dying industry? What is important right now is the future. Studying an industry in the middle of disruption puts you behind the wave of change. You don’t see the perpetrators of disruptive innovation looking behind them, they are ALWAYS looking forward.

The fear is building. It’s the same fear that keeps some people in that dead-end job even though they have opportunity to grow elsewhere. They’re afraid to step out of their comfort zone, despite the potential rewards/freedoms.

I could quote a certain speech by William Wallace here but I think I made my point. Some people are just hell-bent on being surfs. I say let um.