Amazon to Sell Books by Page, Display Books You Own 138
Josuah writes "Forbes is reporting that Amazon plans to sell books by the page, so you could purchase only the excerpt you're interested in. What I found more interesting though was the mention of a program called Amazon Upgrade, which will allow you to view books you own from any web browser. Sounds awfully similar to the MP3.com case. I'm guessing Amazon Upgrade also means you need to purchase all your books from Amazon. Interesting value-add proposition."
Similar to mp3.com? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Similar to mp3.com? (Score:2, Interesting)
not at all (Score:2)
That wasn't the case with mp3.com and the record industry, mp3.com didn't sell any RIAA music.
LOTR (Score:3, Funny)
The gift that keeps on giving (Score:5, Insightful)
Cool for me, rats for the author.
Maybe they could do this with music?
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:4, Insightful)
> Cool for me, rats for the author.
So what? What are the changes you keep going back to a book you already finished anyway? You should give away books after you finish them,.. somebody else might enjoy it.
If the service allows you to go back it actually good for the auther -- he/she has another opportunity to convince you buy that next episode of the series.
I cleaned up my book collection the other day -- nearly all of them I have read about once and then they started gathering dust. Nearly all books out there are read at most once , if they are that lucky. Plenty of books I started to read only to decide half way through that it wasn't worth my time (though that happens most with library books where I tend to pick and choose books beyond my usual favorites )
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:3, Insightful)
If the book was good enough I see no reason why they wouldn't read it again. I'm currently reading HHGG again, and The Elegant Universe, it's pretty much like I'm reading them for the first time simply because theres so muc
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:2, Insightful)
So what? What are the changes you keep going back to a book you already finished anyway? You should give away books after you finish them,.. somebody else might enjoy it.
I've always found my books have a much higher 'repeat' value than any DVD (which many people obssessively collect). While I cleanse the collection of the trash periodically there's no way I'd part with most of them.
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:3, Insightful)
Umm, D00d, there is more, thankfully, to the printed word than "Dragonlance" or "The Wheel of Time."
Sure, one can argue that this program helps the 'unknown' but prolific author who might value promotion over coin at that particular stage in his career, but it hurts an established, "name" author. You may not care that it hurts an established "name" author, you may even derive a certain degree of glee in sticking it to someon
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:2)
?
I re-read my favourite books every 2-5 years. More than half of my main bookshelf I've read at least twice.
A friend of mine once made the same comment as you, and I thought it was totally strange. I see the stories I like as being similar to landmarks - I can come back to them every so often, and see how I perceive them differently as I get older.
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:3, Insightful)
What, do you listen to music only once? Watch movies only once?
[John]
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:2)
Just got Hell's Angels, Motorcycle Adventuring, Harry Turtledove: Victorious Opposition, Web Mapping Illustrated. I'm reading Galactic Empires book 1, Gripping Hand, Year's best SciFi and Year's best Fantasy, and HP Lovecraft (one of the newer compilations since I don't have all
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:2)
Then set them free [bookcrossing.com].
That way they get to be read more than once, by many different people, and fulfill their purpose in life. Release your dusty books into the world and let them live again!
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:The gift that keeps on giving (Score:1)
So basically (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So basically (Score:5, Insightful)
Basically, they're selling you what fair use already allows you to do!
Catch22 (Score:2)
DAMN YOU AMAZON!!1!!one! TRYING TO TRICK US INTO THINKING YOUR BEING REALLY NICE, MAKING THINGS EASIER AND CHEAPER FOR US.
Re:So basically (Score:2)
That however would requires that you already have the book at hand, which most often you don't.
Re:So basically (Score:1)
Re:So basically (Score:2)
Re:So basically (Score:2)
Re:So basically (Score:2)
Isn't the key here that the portion of your library bought from Amazon becomes automatically computer-indexable? It does indeed sound as though Amazon should give it away for free...
Re:So basically (Score:2)
Re:So basically (Score:2)
Re:So basically (Score:2)
Hmmm... (Score:1)
Re:Hmmm... (Score:2)
Economics of Amazon used books (Score:2)
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~hal/people/hal/NYTim es/2005-07-28.html [berkeley.edu]
His collection of articles make for pretty interesting reading about a variety of topics, from the perspective of an economist:
URL:http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/%7Ehal/people/hal
Question... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Question... (Score:1)
Re:Question... (Score:1)
Answer: online databases (Score:1)
and I make extensive use of online databases such as PsycINFO
in order to find journal articles and books that are relevant to
the topic I do research on. Now, there are many edited books out there,
chapters in these books are contributed by different professional researchers,
and these databases tell me which chapter I might be interested in, with
complete chapter titles, abstracts and page numbers.
Normally if I want to get hold of these chapters I would go to the lib
textbooks (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course, this was before I figured out their racket and started buying international textbooks....
Re:textbooks (Score:3, Informative)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Textbooks are such a gouge. I for one believe strongly in the power of the free market economy, so I guess they're not that big of a gouge if people keep buying them. Still, though, I'll continue to import my books from the Netherlands as long as I can - and if Congress does legislate these costs as you say t
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
If there was ever an example illustrating how little free market there is for certain items, textbooks are one of them. It is a mandatory compelled purchase. On campus/off campus bookstores typically 'compete' with books at the same fixed prices.
Here is interesting study about why textbooks are so expensive: http://calpirg.org.nyud.net:8090/r [nyud.net]
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
You must have taken different classes than I am.
Or ... (Score:2)
2. You are wasting your (opt: parents') money. Drop out now.
Re:Or ... (Score:2)
Textbook adoption (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
Some textbook companies already do this (Score:2)
Re:Some textbook companies already do this (Score:2)
Re:Some textbook companies already do this (Score:2)
Re:textbooks (Score:2)
C'mon: to, intermediat, funy, listy & dense, explination, dollers (omfg)...
Did you buy the international edition of the freakin' English book, too?
Re:There is no such thing as spelling or grammar (Score:2)
Nice try.
Cor Blimey (Score:1)
It would get awful messy even if you used the examples given in the article, a recipe on a specific page - it would be a bummer if it then said "gather the same utensils as for the cake on the previous recipe" or something.
silly silly silly.
Re:Cor Blimey (Score:1)
Maybe there's a nice lesbian passage that you want to keep.
typo (Score:2, Funny)
Damn Slashdot editors. Mispelled vendor lock-in.
"Free" books (Score:2)
Re:"Free" books (Score:2)
Handy Stop-gap (Score:1)
SPOILER WARNING!!! (Score:2, Funny)
THE END
Whats the Point? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Whats the Point? (Score:2)
I hated having to hunt down books in the library to find a referenced passage. I'd happily pay a bit to just go to Amazon and say "give me page 502 of this book".
No good for speed readers... (Score:2)
BULLSHIT. (Score:1)
Re:BULLSHIT. (Score:2)
Hah (Score:2)
Also, who'd want to pay by the page when you can read extracts on-line free with Google Print?
terrific idea for academics (Score:4, Insightful)
Nothing to do with mp3.com (Score:4, Informative)
Hmm (Score:2)
Well, we read only a page a time, so I guess that would work.
What I found more interesting though was the mention of a program called Amazon Upgrade, which will allow you to view books you own from any web browser.
What I'd find interesting is having free access to O'Reilly's on-line versions of printed books I've already bought and paid for. Or even better, have the good folks at O'R
But It's Not The Same (Score:1)
I won't deny that it has applications (I bought a textbook, left it at home, need it at school, or simply don't want to carry it), but it is
Libraries, anyone? (Score:2)
2) Find quote(s) you are interested in
3) Photocopy said pages under fair use, or take notes the old fashioned way
4)
5) Save money (profit?)
Re:Libraries, anyone? (Score:2)
Re:Not necessairly the best idea (Score:2)
I don't see how this is going to work (Score:1)
This business plan makes no sense.
A Brainless Assault on Google and Fair Use. (Score:4, Insightful)
Google searches text and gives you relevant quotes. The page itself might be available if it looked like the thing was related to what you were interested in to begin with. This service is mostly useful for finding books that might help your research, like a very good card catalog. If the book's copyright is expired, Google will save you the trip to the library, but not always yet. In my last search, I found a 2004 reprint of a book originally published in 1918. Gutenberg [gutenberg.org] had the text.
The only other case I can think of is that someone might reference a book or a passage of a recent book. That might make me want to look at the book. Hopefully, the author would simply quote enough of the book to get their point across. If I really wanted more I'd go to the library.
Oh wait, these same greed heads have already assaulted the libraries. See here [slashdot.org]. It's always amazing how greedy and stupid people can be. RMS was right again [gnu.org]. How else can you get people deep into debt over school books besides charging per word?
Re:A Brainless Assault on Google and Fair Use. (Score:2)
But why in the world would I want to *buy* a page when I can look at it for free right now?
What Format? (Score:2)
Sold by the page? (Score:2, Funny)
Pay per page view (Score:1)
For users: they will spend more money by printing the pages at home, unless they will read only by screen. Very unconfortable if you like to read while in the bathroom
For the company: I see people trading the book pages in order to gather the whole book and paying just few pages
Later I can also see the rise of issues with the DRM [wikipedia.org] for books and magazines.
Finally, a lot more of wasted paper and empty ink cartrid
Digital Nickels and Dimes (Score:2)
These days, Johny and Susie Happy-Clickers gladly "click to purchase" 99-cents songs, so it seems like a natural progression to click to buy a p
Wake me when ... (Score:2)
Believe me, I won't be holding my breath for this to actually happen.
Re:Wake me when ... (Score:1)
This could hurt conference proceeding (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This could hurt conference proceeding (Score:1)
Bring it on (Score:2)
Conference proceedings and journals are a scam anyway. They cost an arm and a leg, and none of the money goes to the researchers or reviewers. Luckily many researchers route around this damage by posting their papers on the Web.
It's cool to have a row of proceedings on my shelf, but I just get the ones from the conferences I actually go to; I'd never buy proceedings separately.
Re:This could hurt conference proceeding (Score:2)
The first two pages were great, page three sucked (Score:3, Funny)
Me: I dunno...I'll try page 27.
Amazon: Here you go...KA CHING!
Me:Oh man, this page is boring. Let me try page 54.
Amazon: KA CHING!
Me:I read pages 27 and 54 and they were both boring. Could you recommend something?
Amazon: Try page 12. Lots of readers rate page 12 very highly.
Me: Okay, give me page 12.
Amazon: KA CHING!
Me: Hey, this is just part of somebody's foreword. What the hell?!?
Amazon: No refunds!
Half-Measure (Score:2)
Re:Half-Measure (Score:2)
So here's my plan: We offer to sell books by the word, and each word has a different price. For example, "the" costs $0.00040103, or $0.00040104 if it is capitalized. Then we publish a price list:
Moby Dick
word 1: $0.00022790
word 2: $0.00010781
etc., and for comparison shoppers, a per-word price list would be handy:
"Aardvark": $0.00091193
"Call": $0.00022790
"me": $0.00010781
"Zyxel": $0.00000001
Our catalog would include all the published works in the world, and be available fre
This is a great day for the bookwarez scene. (Score:1)
It's a Jungle Out There (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:It's a Jungle Out There (Score:2)
Moreover, I'm hoping Bezos will let me ship my 12,000 volumes to him, and just access them online,
saving me an enormous expense every time I move house, and a lot of dusting in-between.
Re:It's a Jungle Out There (Score:2)
Wait till they sell books by the word... (Score:2)
That'll be $0.86 please.
Succinct Writing - finally! (Score:2)
THIS IS BAD BAD BAD (Score:2, Insightful)
The underlying notion here is that by paying a fee you are then *licensed* to read the book. But books *aren't licensed*... they are *purchased*. You can go to a library right now and read a book for which you have never paid a cent. You can pass along a single book *infinitely* and remain within copyright law. By shifting the definition of "purchase" to "license" we are actually losing something, not gaining something. We're losing the freedom to control that information post-purchase.
Ebooks are easy to copy (Score:1)
OCR (Score:2)
There's really no reason for e-books not to be fully searchable
You can already do this (Score:2)
A few weeks ago I went away to write a paper on Maurice Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception [amazon.com]. Unfortunately I left my copy of the book at home. Enter Amazon.com: I was able to retreive all the quot
Re:Big Mistake. (Score:2)
Sorry, I posted that in the wrong thread. (Score:1)