Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

The main strategy Kindle competitors have been using so far has been -

1. Band together under the banner of openness.
2. Use Adobe DRMed ePub and PDF as a common format that works across most non-Kindle eReaders.
3. Use free books supplied by Google to claim that their stores have more range than the Kindle Store.

This strategy must not be working very well. 

Perhaps the strategy never got a fair chance - The Kindle’s main competitors, the Nook and the Sony Daily Edition, both were out of stock for most of the Christmas shopping season.

Whatever the reason, some Kindle competitors have been forced to supplement their ‘Adobe DRM openness and banding together against Kindle’ strategy.

If you can’t beat the Kindle, sell eBooks for the Kindle

This is rather amusing. Let’s walk through the arguments -

1. The Kindle is a closed system. It’s not going to survive. 
2. Adobe ePub is the future.
3. The future is multi-purpose devices.
4. Our devices are open and you should pick us.

And then suddenly -

But you know what, the Kindle is doing so well, we are going to forget all our partner devices and sell eBooks for the Kindle.

Scribd, Fictionwise adopt the sell to Kindle strategy

Fictionwise, which is owned by B&N, open a Kindle Store

Fictionwise had 15,000 multi-format eBooks that worked on Kindle – you had to choose the Kindle compatible format (MOBI).

They’ve now decided to start publicizing this more and set up a ‘Kindle eBook Store’.

Teleread have the news on Fictionwise’s new Kindle eBook Store -

You will have to whitelist a Fictionwise email address on your Kindle management page, as the FAQ tells you here.

What the “store” does is email Mobipocket version to your Kindle, and, as the FAQ states, you will be charged by Amazon 10 cents for the transfer.

This is an interesting question and answer from the Fictionwise FAQ page -

Why Doesn’t Fictionwise Sell All Titles for Kindle?

We would love to, but Amazon.com has made a business decision that keeps any other eBook retailer from selling Secure eBooks that require DRM encryption for Kindle. Unless Amazon changes this policy, we can offer our Multiformat eBooks but not our Secure eBooks for Kindle.

It definitely is a business decision. It’s also a good way to ensure Kindle owners buy ebooks from Amazon itself.

Amazon would have to be crazy to let another company make money off of a channel Amazon spent years building up.

Scribd eye Kindle owners

Jay Yarow at Silicon Alley Insider talks about Scribd’s plans to tap into the Kindle market -

1. Scribd don’t like the ‘email to Kindle’ approach they have to currently use.
2. Scribd’s CEO says that next year there will be a seamless experience to get Scribd books on to the Kindle.
3. The CEO wouldn’t comment on whether it would be an official deal -
   

   … couldn’t tell us if his plan was part of an official Scribd-Amazon partnership or not.

   He just said, “I can tell you that we talk to Amazon a lot.”

Given that Scribd only ask Publishers for 20% it’s not impossible that they officially partner up with Amazon. It is, however, unlikely as Amazon has no reason to hand over a share to Scribd.

Scribd added John Wiley and Sons and other Publishers to their list of Publisher Partners a week or so ago. They now have 150 Publishers as partners and are hoping they can take their huge traffic and convert it to book buying customers.

Google moves closer to selling Google Editions for Kindle

Google have said in the past that they would like to partner with Amazon and sell Google Editions eBooks for Kindle. 

If you’re thinking there’s no way Amazon would do that - You’re right. They didn’t take up Google’s offer.

Google are changing what Google Editions is and it won’t be long before they adopt a Scribd style ‘direct to Kindle’ strategy.

For now,

Google to sell downloadable eBooks, make DRM optional

Initially Google had hinted at eBooks living only in Google’s Cloud and needing Internet Access to read them. 

Well, the latest news suggests that Google is moving in the direction of selling eBooks that don’t just live in the cloud. Consider this snippet -

After purchase, the book will live in the consumer’s online bookshelf, available to be accessed and read on most devices with internet access and a web browser; as well as on supported partner devices (to be announced during our public launch).

AppScout covered the news, TeleRead has a good post, and Google have Google Editions tips for publishers.

The second major bit of news, after actual downloadable eBooks, is that Google is making DRM optional. 

1. That suggests it’s only a matter of time before Google again attempts to make its way into Kindles.
2. It’s probably going to do exactly what Scribd and Fictionwise are doing, and offer to email books to users’ Kindles.

Google always tries to turn ISPs and device manufacturers and Operating Systems into dumb pipes and perhaps it has the same outcome in mind for the Kindle.

More on Google Editions

The crux of Google Editions’ new details -

1. It’s international. 
2. List price must be lower than 100% of the lowest print price. The price is set by default at 80% of the lowest print price.
3. Publishers can set bundle pricing for physical and ebook bundles.
4. eBooks can be uploaded with or without DRM.
5. Adobe DRM is the DRM supported. That means Google eBooks ought to work with Nook and Sony Reader right off the bat.
6. You can remove restrictions on copy, paste and print if you like.
7. Defaults are 20% of the book copy-pasted in 60 days, and 20 pages per printing with unlimited printings.

Google said that Editions would launch in the middle 80% of 2010. The cut of 37% for Google and 63% for Publishers remains unchanged.

Why are anti-Kindle companies trying to sell eBooks for the Kindle?

Obviously, they’re realizing that Amazon have captured -

1. A significant lead.
2. Most of the customers of good intent.
3. Most of the association with eReaders and eBooks i.e. people think of Kindle when they hear eReader.

If you want to become a top 3 eBook retailer, the only option left is to sell to Kindle owners.

Are these attempts a threat to the Kindle?

As far as Kindle sales they actually help.

It weakens the whole Kindle Vs The World strategy if most of the World are selling eBooks to the Kindle. 

As far as threatening Amazon’s revenue from Kindle eBook sales –  

1. Scribd and Fictionwise are hardly a threat.
2. Google is a different beast.
3. Links to Google Editions will show up whenever people search for a book, an author, low prices, deals, or book reviews.
4. Google will basically channel search users to its Google Editions eBook Store.

Google has already made various attempts to slow down the Kindle’s march. Google Editions will be the most dangerous.

Filed under: kindle Tagged: | kindle vs google editions, kindle vs scribd