Amazon has been the game-changer for most parts in the online retail industry. Their real forte is e-books besides other products and services like music and hardware. They have also pushed for their supremacy in the e-book segment by introducing various Kindle’s over the years with latest one being Kindle Fire.
Amazon had recently introduced a e-book lending program which is roughly like the Netflix model. The e-books can be acquired through a public library lending program for free by paying a minimum subscription or by being a premium member. It seems like a sweet deal but the major publishers don’t think so. Over concerns of piracy, publishers like Penguin have recently pulled out all their titles from the program. The program allows users with prime subscription accounts to borrow one e-book a month from a pool of 5000 books. But none of the six big publishers are too keen to get into the program. The only publishers who are still in the program are Random House and Harper Collin. Harper Collins also specifies that if a lending library gives out more than 25 copies and a new e-book should be ordered by the same library.
This antagonistic relationship between Amazon and the major publishing houses stems from the fact that Amazon is signing up new talent to their own in-house publishing imprint. This represents a conflict of interest between both the parties. Book authors are also boycotting this lending library program because they think it is unfair that Amazon would put their books into a lending library pool without their consent and making money out of it.
Whatever happens, the bottomline remains the same: Everyone digs e-books! They are simple, easy to read, environmentally helpful and save a lot of physical space. Technology rockets forward and it is not wise to stay back with outdated practices and processes. Moving on with the times is important and it would be better if the publishing houses understood that. Yes there are piracy concerns but aren’t pirated books (physical copies) easily available too? Fixing the loophole is more important than denouncing the tech!
What do you think about this situation? Do let us know!
