The cover of Bloomberg’s Businessweek for the week of January 30 depicted a bold move by the publisher, referencing Ray Bradbury’s epic novel Fahrenheit 451, how “Amazon wants to burn the book business,” akin to how in the novel the ironic job of firefighters was to burn the books. And as beloved bookstore chains like Borders go bankrupt, independent booksellers around the world’s inventory increasingly shrinks, and Amazon continues to grow, who is to blame?
While Amazon thinks the “Nazi-iconography” propaganda Bloomberg went with for their cover is highly inaccurate, you can’t really ignore the fact Amazon’s somewhat monopolization of the book biz can make independent booksellers think in these evil terms.
As David Streitfield puts it in the New York Times’ Tech Bits column, “[Amazon] does not [necessarily] want to destroy the book business, but simply [wants] to reinvent it – or, as its opponents would have it, seize control of it.”
A notable Seattle librarian and NPR commentator Nancy Pearl, known for her book promotions and the Book Lust Series, which lists over 1,000 titles for book recommendations, has recently been put under much scrutiny for her latest move to sign a deal with Amazon.
JB Dickley, owner of the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, said Pearl’s move was “turning her back on independents [,] [and] Amazon is absolutely antithetical to independent bookselling, and [for] many of us, truth, justice, and the American way.”
Ultimately it boils down to none other than consumer convenience. People like the 24/7 option of Amazon; there’s often times free shipping or unexpected discounts available, and overall, that beats out any other book-buying option there—not to mention, instant Kindle-ness.
Authors must ask the question: do they want to boycott Amazon to make a point, or do they want their book to be available to an infinite audience that independent bookstores just can’t provide?
(via The NY Times & Bloomberg Businessweek)
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