tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post6712240890078128350..comments2023-10-28T15:08:24.354+01:00Comments on Rae Gee: A Wee Rant on the Cult of the KindleRae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-6924467002326635882012-07-01T17:11:06.382+01:002012-07-01T17:11:06.382+01:00I was wondering how much Amazon would push an Amaz...I was wondering how much Amazon would push an Amazon exclusive release. For me, a lot of it is aimed at the self publishing authors who only release through Amazon. I don't know if they have to sign an exclusive contract with Amazon or whether it's the man hours which have to be put in for converting everything over to the different formats. A universal format would be great but I doubt it'll ever happen! (The same as we'll never have universal mobile phone or laptop chargers!)<br /><br />Hadn't heard about Calibre so I'll definitely give it a go!<br /><br />I've found that some PDF's on the Kobo are fine but, as you've said, most of them are too tiny (even if you do have glasses!) and won't resize.Rae Geehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-21452983641101536562012-07-01T15:14:53.728+01:002012-07-01T15:14:53.728+01:00One reason is that both Amazon and Barnes and Nobl...One reason is that both Amazon and Barnes and Noble are pushing marketing programs where the book is exclusive to their device for a period of time (3 months for Amazon, and I think the same for Barnes and Noble.) One of my other publishers went the Amazon Exclusive route. I think the other formats will be out in August,or may be September, because I wouldn't be surprised if this particular publisher hasn't actually done the formatting for other devices yet. I hear people saying this approach gives them better sales because Amazon/B&N promote their exclusives. <br /><br />As long at the book doesn't have DRM, generally Calibre does a nice job of converting the Kindle books to Epub and PDF. (I was a little surprised to hear you say you read PDF on your Kobo - mine won't resize the text on a PDF, and most of them are too hard to read with without it. I'm much happier with EPUB formatted books). <br /><br />Once past that 3-month limit,I suspect most big publishers are being lazy. The numbers are pretty fluffy, but poking around the internet, reports seem to agree that Amazon Kindle has somewhere between 40-50 percent of the ebook sales. The big 2 after that are Ipads and Nooks. But they're all different formats, so you need to put man hours into setting up the book for each one. <br /><br />If the publisher is trying to cut corners, they may figure being on the biggest player is good enough. Or if they're traditionally a paper publisher, they may be testing the water before they decide to invest in people who can do the other formats. Or they may just have drunk the Amazon kool-aid.Kathryn Scannellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00717480772265142293noreply@blogger.com