Comments on: Mobipocket for the iPhone/iTouch: Why not? It’s good enough on my Blackberry http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/21/mobipocket-for-the-iphoneitouch-why-not-its-good-enough-on-my-blackberry/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:38:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Brian Carnell http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/21/mobipocket-for-the-iphoneitouch-why-not-its-good-enough-on-my-blackberry/#comment-807773 Brian Carnell Thu, 22 May 2008 13:04:14 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/21/mobipocket-for-the-iphoneitouch-why-not-its-good-enough-on-my-blackberry/#comment-807773 "Secondly, there are the "good enough" and convenience factors. Do I want to read from a computer screen or other non-E Ink display for hours at a time? No way, but what I’m finding with Mobi on the Blackberry is that I’m reading more at unusual times simply because my Blackberry is handy. I wouldn’t think of taking a book or a Kindle to the grocery store, but I’ve read a good chunk of The Last Lecture on my Blackberry there. Ditto for my daughter’s dance recital last night—what else are you supposed to do when your child is in one 2-minute segment of a 2-hour show?!" Absolutely. I find I do a lot more reading in Mobi on my Bberry simply because I have it with me 24/7. “Secondly, there are the “good enough” and convenience factors. Do I want to read from a computer screen or other non-E Ink display for hours at a time? No way, but what I’m finding with Mobi on the Blackberry is that I’m reading more at unusual times simply because my Blackberry is handy. I wouldn’t think of taking a book or a Kindle to the grocery store, but I’ve read a good chunk of The Last Lecture on my Blackberry there. Ditto for my daughter’s dance recital last night—what else are you supposed to do when your child is in one 2-minute segment of a 2-hour show?!”

Absolutely. I find I do a lot more reading in Mobi on my Bberry simply because I have it with me 24/7.

]]> By: Rob Preece http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/21/mobipocket-for-the-iphoneitouch-why-not-its-good-enough-on-my-blackberry/#comment-806616 Rob Preece Wed, 21 May 2008 16:10:01 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/21/mobipocket-for-the-iphoneitouch-why-not-its-good-enough-on-my-blackberry/#comment-806616 From Amazon's perspective, the key is to control distribution. Amazon has got to be worried about disintermediation--i.e., publishers selling directly. Sure they'd love to make a fortune from selling Kindles, but if customers have to come to them to buy eBooks, even if that means going through the Mobipocket store rather than the Kindle store, they still end up ahead. I'm really curious why Amazon hasn't included Mobipocket in the "other editions" section of its own Amazon store. Perhaps the people who manage the Amazon store haven't gotten the word that Mobipocket is an Amazon company. Rob Preece Publisher, www.booksforabuck.com (P.S., like most ePublishers, BooksForABuck.com sells both directly and through distribution (including mobipocket and the kindle store). On a per-book basis, our margins are MUCH higher on direct sales than sales through distribution because distributors tend to charge about 50% as their commission.) From Amazon’s perspective, the key is to control distribution. Amazon has got to be worried about disintermediation–i.e., publishers selling directly. Sure they’d love to make a fortune from selling Kindles, but if customers have to come to them to buy eBooks, even if that means going through the Mobipocket store rather than the Kindle store, they still end up ahead. I’m really curious why Amazon hasn’t included Mobipocket in the “other editions” section of its own Amazon store. Perhaps the people who manage the Amazon store haven’t gotten the word that Mobipocket is an Amazon company.

Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.booksforabuck.com

(P.S., like most ePublishers, BooksForABuck.com sells both directly and through distribution (including mobipocket and the kindle store). On a per-book basis, our margins are MUCH higher on direct sales than sales through distribution because distributors tend to charge about 50% as their commission.)

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