Comments on: Amazon’s publisher lock-ins: Four ways listed by O’Reilly publishing tech expert http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Fri, 16 May 2008 19:18:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Joseph Gray http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/#comment-746574 Joseph Gray Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:56:17 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/#comment-746574 Bryan, I'll let pond clarify what he meant, but I certainly didn't interpret what he said the way you did. Bryan, I’ll let pond clarify what he meant, but I certainly didn’t interpret what he said the way you did.

]]> By: Bryan http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/#comment-746377 Bryan Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:50:04 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/#comment-746377 pond, I don't understand. You seem to be saying that it is a monopolistic practice to serve your customers better than competitors do. So ... what would be the proper reaction to this strategy? Demand poor service and high prices? pond, I don’t understand. You seem to be saying that it is a monopolistic practice to serve your customers better than competitors do.

So … what would be the proper reaction to this strategy? Demand poor service and high prices?

]]> By: pond http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/#comment-746236 pond Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:28:29 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/29/amazons-publisher-lock-ins-four-ways-listed-by-oreilly-publishing-tech-expert/#comment-746236 "Channel lock-in" is the worst, and the ultimate expression of the rest. First you serve the customers' needs, and do it better than your competitors, even sacrificing profitability, until you reach monopoly-mass. Then you turn on the screws (such as channel lock-in). The more I think about what Amazon has been doing, the more I fear it. There is not, nor will there be, any American legal recourse available. We authors and readers and publishers must act on our own. And the best time to make Amazon back off such predatory practices is now, while they are small and hesitant, and before the Kindle is manufactured in such quantities that it becomes the iPod of ebook devices. We can hope that the top brass at Amazon will see reason, and retreat from these monopolistic practices. Since they have tried to sneak this form of channel lock-in over on us, we can conclude that they are themselves aware of how evil and unpopular it is. That indicates they might retreat, if the outcry is loud enough. “Channel lock-in” is the worst, and the ultimate expression of the rest. First you serve the customers’ needs, and do it better than your competitors, even sacrificing profitability, until you reach monopoly-mass. Then you turn on the screws (such as channel lock-in).

The more I think about what Amazon has been doing, the more I fear it. There is not, nor will there be, any American legal recourse available. We authors and readers and publishers must act on our own. And the best time to make Amazon back off such predatory practices is now, while they are small and hesitant, and before the Kindle is manufactured in such quantities that it becomes the iPod of ebook devices.

We can hope that the top brass at Amazon will see reason, and retreat from these monopolistic practices. Since they have tried to sneak this form of channel lock-in over on us, we can conclude that they are themselves aware of how evil and unpopular it is. That indicates they might retreat, if the outcry is loud enough.

]]>