Amazon, Kindle, and why e-Books are Off My Agenda

My annoyance regarding Amazon’s dickishness over e-books has rekindled this blog.

So, I’ve got an old version of the Kindle, and Amazon, who are suffering greatly with their finances, have decided that old versions like mine will no longer be supported.

“Affected devices include Kindle 1st and 2nd Generation, Kindle DX and DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle 5, and Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation.

To minimize any disruption, we're offering a promotional code for 20% off select new Kindle devices … as well as a £15 eBook credit … after purchasing a new device (valid through June 20th, 2026, 11:59pm PST - Terms and Conditions apply)”


Now, you might say that technology is brimming with built-in obsolescence (the vileness of smartphones being the most obvious example). But I would counter that the e-book was intended to replace a physical book. I’ve got an old copy of Rebel, by Bernard Cornwell, on my desk right now. The paper hasn’t combusted, the spine hasn’t shattered, and I don’t need a micro-transaction for a code to unlock it. It works just fine. It’s from 1994, a happy time when AI was fictional and nobody was trying to impose digital ID on us.

E-books, to my understanding, were technically just renting a book for life. But as they’re about 50-80% the cost of a proper book, have immediate delivery, and (most importantly for me) zero extra storage space, that’s fine for fiction and the occasional history. 

But here’s the kicker. If you need to replace your e-reader to actually access them or buy more then it critically undercuts the value of the e-book. At the time of writing, Amazon has Kindle devices (e-readers) ranging from £95 to £380. 

How long will the cheapest ones last before being replaced? No idea. Could be 3-4 years, could be a decade.

Meanwhile, my copy of Rebel (nearly finished it, very much enjoying the climax) is perfectly functional.


Why’s the old Kindle now obsolete? Probably for the same reason Amazon disabled downloading e-books via a wired connection, which is how I used to transfer files. For the convenience and financial advantage of the firm. I don’t mind a business making money, I do mind them needlessly turning my e-reader into a brick* so they can gouge cash from me.

*It still works, for now, but any problems won’t be remedied and a factory reset won’t mend it.


The promotional code and an e-book credit (contingent on buying a new device within a short time frame, because you’ve got to milk the Fear Of Missing Out) is up there with the Government’s new plan to ‘improve’ self-employed people’s lives by making tax returns, over a certain threshold, quarterly and require third party software.

Don’t make my life worse then claim it’s somehow an improvement. Don’t make my e-reader unable to download new books because you want more money then pretend a discount or credit makes up for it. Unless you want to give me a 100% e-reader discount, of course.

But, hey, you’ve got to find the money to fund another season of Rings of Power somewhere, right?

The irony here is that this, in a very small way, is just going to cost Amazon. Because I only have a Kindle all my e-books (most of the fiction I bought) was from them. When it comes to physical books I tend to split it between Amazon and Waterstones. And the latter have never screwed me over.

I’m not buying another e-reader for the privilege of being able to buy more e-books in the same way I’m not subscribing to Prime for the privilege of being able to shop at Amazon.

Thaddeus

Journey to Altmortis is now up on Amazon

Yes, the little delay is over and I’m delighted to say that Journey to Altmortis, a tale of plunder and revenge, is now out on Amazon (I believe it’s only the Anglophone sites right now, but non-English sites should follow in the next day or two).

The price tag is an incredibly low $2.99 (£1.98), although I would remind readers that until the 14th if you buy through Smashwords and use the code XK87G you can get it for a positively criminal $1.02.

So, please do buy it, tell your friends, tweet, rate and review it.

I also hope you like the map, which proved a bit fiddly to put in, but next time (well, the time after next, the comedy will probably not have one) it should be much easier. A bigger version can be found on my website under the Artwork tab (http://thaddeuswhite.weebly.com/artwork.html). Click on them for an enormous version. (I did the map almost entirely myself, but I must thank Yoong, my cover artist, who helped out with the background).

Word of mouth and reviewing books really helps authors, both in terms of getting noticed and finding out what people like and didn’t like.

Although I obviously enjoy reading positive reviews more than negative ones, when people raise areas for improvement that hopefully means I’ll be able to take their thoughts on board and make the next book(s) better.

Thaddeus

KDP Select: is it worth it?

Amazon has a feature for authors who publish directly to the retailer called KDP Select. Basically, you must make your work exclusive to Amazon and in return your work gets promoted to increase downloads.

But is it worth it?

Disclaimer: I did not opt-in to the scheme for Bane of Souls (you can buy it on iTunes and elsewhere), but may do so in the future for other work.

To answer that the situation regarding the eBook market needs to be summarised. There are many retailers, such as iTunes (Apple), Kobo (WHSmith), Diesel, Barnes & Noble and so on. If you opt into KDP Select you are definitely restricting the potential customer base you have, because your work will be available only for those with Kindles who buy through Amazon.

The mitigating factor is that Amazon remains the 800lb gorilla of book sales. If you did have to limit yourself to one eBook retailer it's a no-brainer that you'd go for Amazon. Roughly 98-99% of Bane of Souls sales have been through the Amazon sites. In short, if I *had* opted into KDP Select it would've made a small difference through lost non-Amazon sales but would've added promotion which *might have* led to a significant increase (or at least balanced the lost sales).

Some people I've heard of have gained a few hundred downloads, others thousands, and there is the possibility of getting some great reviews which will help the book sell later on. When you release a second book, if prospective buyers can see you've got a highly rated first novel it'll only shorten the odds of them giving your work a shot.

It's also important to note that KDP Select auto-reaffirms, so you have to actively cancel it.

I'm not going to opt into KDP Select for Journey to Altmortis (partly because I want to run a voucher scheme on Smashwords to temporarily cut the price, and don't know if I can do that with Amazon), but I do think it could be a clever idea for a short story. That way, there's promotion but it's of work that takes a few weeks/months rather than a year or more.

So, for me, it's not a clear yes or no, (which is unhelpful but true).

I might consider writing a short story (or a bundle of two), such as Horst's first lessons with spells or the story of how Pierre became Pretty, but don't think I'll be putting a full length novel onto an exclusive programme.

Thaddeus