Kindle Lending Library? Part 2

Here's a response to my blog about Amazon's Kindle Lending library idea. I chose to respond here so I could see the comment in front of me as I respond. ;D


I see your point, Sue, but I'm not sure it is a black and white as you present it.

When I purchase a print book, it's mine to do with as I please. I can lend it to anyone I want, for as long as I want. When money has been tight, friends and I have taken turns buying the next in a series we wanted to read and loaning the books to each other.

How is what Amazon is offering any different? The book will not be readable by the original purchaser during the loan period.

Granted, I'm sure there are issues and unintended results to consider, learn from and avoid, but this is inevitable as we transition from print publishing to digital publishing.

I'm not sure the problem is what Amazon is doing, but rather the possibility that those using it will use it unethically and immorally. Unfortunately, that is also inevitable. But that is a societal issue, not a business one. Although, business-wise, the digital market probably needs to develop the equivalent of those impossible to open blister packs or bulky attachments created to deter thieves.

Just a few of my random thoughts on the issue. It would be an interesting discussion if anyone is interested.

Loaning a book to a friend to save money is one thing. For a distributor of e-books, in this case Amazon's Kindle, to start a lending program without first consulting publishers is another.

Some publishers may actually see an advantage to the program but heaven help you if you don't. The two-week lending period is unbelievable. Most books can be read in two to three days. The chance that the borrower will decide to buy a book they've finished is slim. Very SLIM! If Amazon shortened the borrowing period it might make more since or make the lending program less suspect. As it is it screams only one thing: Amazon wants to sell more Kindle Readers not kindle e-books.

The logic that if there are more readers there will be more kindle e-books sold is slightly skewed. Why would anyone buy a Kindle e-book when they can read it for free? And why debate whether it makes since or not because if you're the publisher of a Kindle e-book your stuck with the program whether you like or not. Very few are allowed to opt-out and from what I've heard, the link to opt-out doesn't even work. And the window of opportunity is short. In most cases that window has passed and the link still doesn't work.

Bottom line is publisher's of a Kindle should have a choice and they don't. I can only guess it's because Amazon knows what will happen if they give publisher's a choice.

As far as loaning books to save money, Kindle's sell most of the time for less than five dollars. They don't cost as much as physical books.

*******added 02/10/11******************

Also, if your gauging your feelings around the Amazon's forced Kindle Lending Library based on how larger publishers react, you might consider this. Larger publishers are treated differently by Amazon. They have the ability to actually hurt Amazon and they use that leverage regularly.

The Kindle Lending library idea probably doesn't bother them all that much because they already fought and won the major battle to control the pricing of Kindle books. Their kindle books sell pretty close to the price of a physical copy, something Amazon wasn't going to allow at first. But of course, money talks.

If Amazon had been able to force larger publishers to sell their kindle books at a more reasonable price then larger publishers would be screaming too. Except part of their threat for not getting their way was to pull their books from Amazon listings (something small press can't do even if they wanted to at least not easily) if Amazon didn't do what they said. So I guess they wouldn't be screaming because if they hadn't gotten their way on pricing, they'd be gone. So big dog publishers win again. Small press sits by and watches the fall out.