Comments on: Stop dreaming, publishers! The Book Depository is a long, long shot against Amazon

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:00:18 +0000

They’re in a dangerous business. Shipping to some of those destinations costs more than the profit they’re making on the book. This is OK as long as they get a mix of orders, and larger orders; but if everyone in the UK buys from Amazon and everyone on Ascension Island buys from The Book Depository, one book at a time…

I’ve put a link to them on the Snow Cow site, and I’ll see if any orders come through that way. And if they do, whether they pay us for the books!

By: Mike Perry

Mike Perry — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:15:29 +0000

Those with websites that include affiliate links to Amazon books might want to also sign up as a Book Depository affiliate. It pays a bit more, 5% rather than 4%. Even more important:

* It ships to some 90 countries via Royal Post priority mail. (Yes, people on Ascension Island can now order your books and get free shipping.) That makes it less hassle than patching together on your webpage a series of links to Amazon stores in a mere seven countries.

* The Book Depository pays affiliates on all sales. Signing up to get payments from Amazon stores outside the U.S. was so complicated, I gave up in despair. I’m so tired of giving Amazon a free ride on those links, I may just drop them and refer those outside the U.S. to The Book Depository.

* Their web pages are far less cluttered and confusing than Amazon’s.

Also The Book Depository seems to draw from the same book sources as Amazon as well as others. Some Adobe PDF books of mine that Amazon yanked several years ago when they bought BookSurge are displayed at The Book Depository. Given time, perhaps they will prove a more reliable and flexible source of ebooks than Amazon.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:54:54 +0000

Hey David. I don’t think anyone seriously believes that The Book Depository is going to suddenly topple Amazon At least not in the foreseeable future. But I think we should all be happy that an award-winning independent bookseller is growing. How often have we been able to say that in the last year (longer even)? And of course, a few years ago, nobody thought that a small online retailer in Seattle would be in the position it is now did they?

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:56:15 +0000

Liviu. Thanks for your impressions of The Book Depository, which are consistent with my impressions based on a tour of the site. David

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:53:26 +0000

Not to worry, Alex. As noted, we don’t toe the Google line, and in fact I’ve also criticized Google on other issues—such as the possibility of the cloud concept displacing the local file concept.

I want people to be able to own books for real! It’s the same problem I’ve had with DRM, which leaves you SOL if a company goes out of business or changes strategies.

That said, it’s good to remind people of my little Google involvement so they can make up their own minds.

Thanks,
David

By: Liviu

Liviu — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:48:04 +0000

Book Depository is a great bookseller – have bought more than 40 books from the UK from them (free sh is hard to beat and the prices are competitive with Amazon.uk so for US customers it’s the best deal usually) since their inception in 06 and they came within 10 days usually – though living in a NYC suburb may help with shipping times so ship time could be different for others

Waterstones and WHSmith already sell tons of ebooks (epub some drm, some not)so there is some competition though Amazon is still the big kahuna and far away from its rivals

By: alex s

alex s — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:15:51 +0000

“I’m a small Google shareholder for retirement investment purposes…”

I wonder how that influences your pro google stance in this piece? I for one could care less about publishers in a free market consumers should seek out the lowest cost product period. If it can happen with drm then so be it. I am not enthralled with the masters redrawing the lines to recreate the same old model of overpriced books that leave millions of Americans out of the loop when it comes to new, groundbreaking tomes. go 9.99 under books!!