Amazon and Penguin are bickering, and the Kindle edition of “Changes” has been caught up in the crossfire. Fans around the world are getting email notifications from Amazon that their “Changes” preorders have been canceled.
Jim had no say in this decision, and he’s already received an outpouring of mail from fans perplexed and angered at this chain of events. We know many of you were relying on this being available on release day, and we’re every bit as frustrated as you are. We’re confident the conflict will not be drawn out much longer, but we have no way of knowing if it will be resolved in time for the book’s Tuesday release. We have no doubt that “Changes” will be available for the Kindle at some point, but whether that’s tomorrow, next week, or next month is anyone’s guess.
We hope this doesn’t unduly inconvenience you guys, and we thank you for bearing with us in this exceptionally annoying time.
The book is amazing–by far the best of the series and I would read it any way I could! It’s a page turner-stay up all night kind of read–so you kindle freaks need to beg, borrow or buy a copy.
BUY THE HARDCOVER! It’s a great series and I’ve made sure to purchase each as well as the Alera Codex, the entertainment value is worth far more than their monetary value. I don’t exactly know what part Penguin had in this argument but I do know that Amazon has been ripping off publishers using the Kindle for sometime now. Ripping off the publisher equals ripping off Jim, so to hell with Amazon. The publishing industry is already having a tough enough time without corporations like Amazon trying to take advantage.
For those “fans” who refuse to buy the book because of this little spat, I suggest you grow up.
Welcome to the business of books!
As I understand it (and it would help if you read the thread) Amazon pays the publisher exactly what the publisher asks, it just sells the ebook at a loss to itself. Under the new model, the publisher is trying to dictate at what price the ebook sellers like Amazon MUST sell ebooks, allegedly to prevent a “devalue” the books, but in reality because in order to sell on the iPad, Apple forced the publishers into a deal that says they can’t allow their ebooks to be sold at any price less than for what Apple will sell it through iBooks or iWhatever. The peanut gallery should please correct me if I have this wrong. So Jim gets his cut, and the publisher gets his price, and Amazon tries to undersell other ebook sellers so everyone will buy Kindles, which isn’t so bad – but everyone of course has to be on the iPad, so publishers will agree to anything, since Jobs is god, and everyone wants an 800 dollar dohicky that’s the Next Great Thing. So the only ones getting hurt are those of us that bought a neat little single function device that has an excellent screen for reading (as opposed to the iPad). Not the publishers, not Jim, and not really Amazon. Just us. Maybe Jim’s mailbox fills up a little faster..oh, well.
’nuff said. And I WON’T tell you that your post smacked of ignorance! :=)
BUY A KINDLE or a Nook or a Sony. Once you use an ereader you will get why you won’t buy a hardcover. There is nothing like getting on a plane with 300 books in your purse. Or adjusting the font size when your ahdns are tired. Or looking up a word in the dictionary with a simple touch of a button. Or having access to every book in large font and not just the insanely huge and expensive large print volumes.
You are correct. Amazon was losing money selling books at $9.99 on the Kindle. They paid the publishers based on the price set by the publisher and not the price Amazon sold it for. The publishers have admitted in interviews that they are losing money on the sale of ebooks under the agency model.
Under the old model, the Publisher would set a digital list price of $25 (made up number), Amazon would sell the book for $9.99 when it made it to the best seller list. Amazon paid the Publisher based on the $25 price point.
Under the new model, the Publisher sets the price, $14.99. Amazon distributes the book at that price. The Publisher loses $10 that it could have made profit off of and Amazon makes a larger percentage off of a higher price. Instead of losing money, Amazon is making money at a higher price point.
Again, Publishing houses have stated all of this in many an interview. So the Publishing houses, and Jim, are making less money off of this silly Agency Model. The reader now has to pay taxes on the books, because Amazon is now the distributor and the Publishing Houses all have physical representation in multiple states, is paying a higher price point, and the books that they want are being delayed.
I should buy the hard cover and give Penguin what it wants for what reason?
Not to mention. I don’t read dead tree books any more. I read ebooks. That is my choosen medium. Penguin does not want to sell me their books in my choosen medium. This hurts Penguin and Jim, no sale. It doesn’t hurt me because I am happily reading other books by other authors published by other publishing houses. I get to read great stuff in the same genre. Does it suck that I don’t get to read Changes? Surprisingly not so much. Why? Because there are other authors that write just as well as Jim that I can substitute his books for.
Why do I keep posting here? Because I like Jim. I like his responsiveness to fans. I like what he has written. I like what little I know about him. I would love to support him. But I can’t. (shrugs)
Ah! Thank you very much for enlightening me regarding the Agency model – so it IS even worse than the pre-Agency model. Even more screwy than I thought. Wow! All this strum und drang to get on the iPad I guess. I too am waiting on the Kindle versions.
I just bought Changes for my kindle right now – so something must have happened to make it possible. I’m very happy, as I prefer buying e-books now, no trees need to be killed, and I can carry as many books as I like with me, every day.
@Linda: How did you buy your copy of Changes on the Kindle? I’ve been checking every other day or so, to no avail. After I saw your post, I checked amazon.com again, but seems the same to me.
@Michael, I just went to Amazon.com and searched for Jim Butcher – Changes, and I clicked on the kindle edition. It’s already in my kindle ready to be read 🙂 Good luck
@Linda: Is your Kindle associated to a country that is not the United States?
@Michael, yes, I’m in Switzerland. Usually, it’s the other way around, I have trouble getting books on my kindle because I’m not in the US.
This is why I don’t have an e-reader. Not because I am against the idea, it is a great idea, but because it is not a universal format. I am amazed that people would allow themselves to be anchored to one source for their reading material. Imagine if you could only use Toshiba formated DVDs in your DVD player, that the Sony CD player in your car only player music from Sony, etc.
The great thing about the physical book is that you can get it anywhere that sells books. The version at Target is no different than the one at Wal-Mart or Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I think that if eBooks are to really take off, there needs to be a universal standard. Then, if there was a issue that prevented one source from having the book at least you could still get the book from another eRetailer
@Raymond: Actually, the versions are the same. The issue is whether or not Penguin allows Amazon to sell the ebook in the United States, not whether or not the book can be read by the Kindle.
@Linda: Thanks for your responses. Have fun reading the book! 🙂
@Michael, thanks, I hope it’ll work out soon so that you can get it for your kindle as well.
@Raymond, actually, I even buy e-books in Europe, in pdf format, and I transfer them to my kindle. No problem at all.
@Michael – Changes is available outside the US because it is distributed by a different publisher overseas.
And I asked Amazon if there was any way for a US coded Kindle owner to purchase the UK version of the book and they said “No”…ack! We have to wait for Penguin to get a clue.
@Raymond: eventually the DRM will disappear. As someone who travels and reads a lot, it is great having a way to carry your books without adding weight to your carry on or your suitcase. I read the entire Dresden series when I went to Aruba for a week long vacation. I wish I had my Kindle then because carrying 10 paper backs sucked. And I had to buy a few more books because I made my way through the series pretty easily while lying on a beach for a week.
I spent 2 weeks in Australia and New Zealand this year. I had over 300 books with me and downloaded a few more because my Husband left the house without the travel guides and I got into a new series. I was able to carry my entire library in my purse. That is awesome.
This is the first time I have not been able to buy a book when I wanted to buy a book and I have had my Kindle (named Tavar) for 18 months.
For folks with serious arm or hand issues, an ebook reader is a god send. They are light weight and can be easily held in one hand. For those with vision problems an ebook reader is a godsend. The font is adjustable on all books which means you are no longer restricted to the small number of huge and expensive large font books. For those who travel an ebook reader is a godsend because they can carry their entire libraries in their backpack or purse.
I asked for mine as a birthday gift thinking I would give it a try. I have read two books in dead tree form since getting it. Once was for a class and not available on Kindle and one was with my niece. I am not downloading the Warrior Cat series even though I love my niece.
If someone wants to tell me what the issue is and enlighten me, please feel free to do so. Right now, Penguin is pissing people off with this stupid little war. I know that Amazon has signed other Agency Agreements so I know that Amazon is not bickering over the Agency Agreement. There has to be something else in play here and it has to be something very different then what the others have asked for. So I put this on Penguin.
I’ve just purchased Changes for my Kindle. I changed my address on file to a UK address (just pulled one off the Internet), purchased it for download to my computer, then changed my address back to a US address. Works just fine.
Are Amazon and Penguin still negotiating, or is that dead and we aren’t going to see Kindle books from Penguin until things go into paperback, or some worse situation. Anyone know anything new? Most news appears to be circa April 1st.
btw – I wouldn’t put your Kindle back online until you finish reading Changes – it might get yanked off again! :=)
Drew, I did this previously with another book that isn’t available in the States yet. I rarely turn off my wireless and it’s been about a month. Still there. It also still shows in my Amazon purchases just like any other Kindle purchase.
Wow! OutSTANDing, then!
Dani – I just switched addresses and bought Changes for my Kindle and it worked. Thanks!!