What impatient folk we are. While publishers are delaying the release of a book’s Kindle edition to give the hardcover edition a chance to sell, Kindle readers (kindlers?) despair over the wait.
Case in point: the much buzzed about new book “Game Change,” which spills secrets about the 2008 presidential election. The book has been deluged with one-star, negative reviews from apparent Kindle fans who are protesting publisher HarperCollins’ decision to delay the Kindle version to Feb. 23. Those one-star reviews have contributed to a ho-hum average customer review rating of a 2.5 stars (out of 5). Customer reviews are an important factor for book sales on Amazon, and it will be interesting to see if the Kindle protests spread.
Here’s one example of a customer’s review of “Game Change”: “This is time-sensitive material. No one is going to care in 6 weeks when it is released for the kindle. People want it now. The publisher is shooting themselves in the foot. They’d have made more money overall by offering the kindle version now.”
Buy a used paper copy in a month
Kindle readers. Buy a used paper copy in a month. With shipping I bet you can get a copy for $9.99. So you can still pay the $9.99 Kindle price and by buying a used paper copy you will give the author and publisher zero dollars. Opps. Should have sold me a digital copy.
A Kindle user does not want
A Kindle user does not want a paper copy.
time-sensitive?
“”This is time-sensitive material. No one is going to care in 6 weeks when it is released for the kindle.”
is this person still living in October 2008? somehow waiting to be persuaded to vote for Obama or McCain? why are these secrets important right now?
and Amazon reviewers… I have never taken your advice for any purchase. except maybe the Harry Potter Nimbus 2000 “vibrating” broomstick. I bought two.
Bit over the top but shows weakness in Amazon
If nothing else this shows that Amazon need to sort out their ratings system.
It’s been an issue for ages. A book or dvd or game marked down because someone doesn’t like a certain actor, thinks a certain politician is an idiot or that someone has sold out, and they haven’t even bought the item in question!
Amazon would be within their rights to just delete these ratings. I’m not saying you must have to buy something to review it, such as you now do with Apps in ITunes, although not such a bad idea, although thats too far for some things. But these ratings have nothing to do with the content of the book, whether it’s a good buy, whether it’s as good as it sounds etc.
Amazon should just delete any rating that is not actually relevent to someones decision to buy the item or not.
relevent to someones decision to buy
>Amazon should just delete any rating that is not actually relevent to someones decision to buy the item or not.
Not having the book in Kindle format when first released is part of my decision to buy
Does it matter?
I’m wondering if it would matter if they released it at the same time – Wouldnt those who read in paper still want the paper copy, and the Kindle readers only the electronic? I’m wondering how much crossover there is – once you’ve gone Kindle, do you just not go back? Hm.
I agree. If you are
I agree. If you are primarily using one format, few books are going to push you to switch formats. Publishers are misjudging user habits here.
What worries me is that
What worries me is that someday there will be NO paper edition. I work on a computer all day long. When I get home at night, I want to read A BOOK, not more data on a screen of any shape or size.