Huge developments in the eBook world over the course of last month. First, Amazon opened up their 'Digital Text Platform' service (ie. publishing Kindle books) to international publishers. Next, they announced a reversal of their previous profit distribution percentage from 30% publisher/70% Amazon to 70% publisher/30% Amazon (though with a number of rules attached, including that the book be priced below $10), beginning after June 30. A week later, Apple dominated news headlines with the announcement of their would-be Kindle-killer, the iPad, and the news that they would offer their own 'iBook' store with a 70/30 split of income as well. Then, to finish the month, Amazon and MacMillan (one of the 'big six' publishers) got into a spat over the sub-$10 pricing of eBooks, with Amazon removing MacMillan's books from sale, until later 'capitulating' with a passive-aggressive letter to consumers (in which Amazon hilariously described MacMillan as having a 'monopoly' over their titles).
And during all of this, archive.org began offering Beta versions of ePub and Kindle files of the books they have available for free download, and new eBook readers such as the Entourage Edge were announced. Interesting times ahead.
Some further reading on the above:
- Three reasons the iPad won't kill Amazon's Kindle.
- Three reasons why the iPad will kill Amazon's Kindle.
- UK publishers hail the iBook moment.
- Apple takes on Amazon.
- Video of the iPad release.
- The iPad is the gadget we never knew we needed.
- Apple iPad a threat to publishers
- Author Charles Stross gives his view on the Amazon-MacMillan showdown
- Author John Scalzi also comments.