Here’s another story about the growing popularity of used books due to the recession. At least, that’s what the headline suggests. If you really dig into the story, it’s bad news. New sellers are further slicing and dicing the market. Brick-and-mortar stores are throwing inventory online so they can pay the rent, but they’re just treading water.
Here’s another item to deepen your depression: Sales of electronic books on Apple’s iPhone are blowing the doors off Amazon’s Kindle. Look in the comments section, and you’ll see lots of arguing about which is better — iPhone or Kindle eBooks. What many people are probably overlooking: Most of the downloads for iPhone book applications are for Amazon’s iPhone Kindle application itself, which is free.
Besides, real books don’t need batteries, right?
If you’re a bookseller on eBay, you probably slit your wrists a while ago. For the rest of you, eBay traffic is tanking and Amazon is picking up the slack.
On a lighter note, You might have seen the news item about Hugo Chavez giving President Obama a book when they met in Trinidad. The author must be one happy dude because the book was the #2 bestseller on Amazon yesterday, despite being out of stock. Buyers are also overlooking the book’s reviews — I have never seen a book so thoroughly trashed. Lots of people find a reason to hate it — it’s alternately dismissed as a “leftist favorite” and “right-wing garbage.”
One piece of good news, if you’re an author: You can get an Amazon Author Store for free.
Related posts:
- Why are people unlike the books they buy?
- How other people unload books
Used books, eBooks, and books people love to hate
Here’s another item to deepen your depression: Sales of electronic books on Apple’s iPhone are blowing the doors off Amazon’s Kindle. Look in the comments section, and you’ll see lots of arguing about which is better — iPhone or Kindle eBooks. What many people are probably overlooking: Most of the downloads for iPhone book applications are for Amazon’s iPhone Kindle application itself, which is free.
Besides, real books don’t need batteries, right?
If you’re a bookseller on eBay, you probably slit your wrists a while ago. For the rest of you, eBay traffic is tanking and Amazon is picking up the slack.
On a lighter note, You might have seen the news item about Hugo Chavez giving President Obama a book when they met in Trinidad. The author must be one happy dude because the book was the #2 bestseller on Amazon yesterday, despite being out of stock. Buyers are also overlooking the book’s reviews — I have never seen a book so thoroughly trashed. Lots of people find a reason to hate it — it’s alternately dismissed as a “leftist favorite” and “right-wing garbage.”
One piece of good news, if you’re an author: You can get an Amazon Author Store for free.
Related posts: