Comments on: News I Should Have Posted But Was too Busy at RWA to Attend to the Computer

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:45:48 +0000

I too was initially dismayed about what Amazon did – then I realized they deleted pirated copies. Seriously, most of us on here are writers, either published or want to be. If a copy of our story was stolen and sold on a device ~ like the Kindle ~ what would we want to happen?

Your darn right I would want that story removed! That is money coming out of my pocket. It’s not Amazon who is eating those profits, I AM! I want people to buy the AUTHORIZED copy.

Amazon is doing nothing except protecting authors and our properties – then the community turns around and gives them s**t?

I would urge everybody to think this through before starting to call Amazon the great evil over this.

By: Stumbling Over Chaos :: Secret Kitty Hideout, exposed!

Stumbling Over Chaos :: Secret Kitty Hideout, exposed! — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:04:03 +0000

[...] world), but the sweeping unannounced delete was probably not Amazon’s finest moment. Also, apparently there’s a class action lawsuit in the works over the fragility of [...]

By: Sandia

Sandia — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:47:47 +0000

I’m curious – how does Amazon’s terms of service on digital rights to their Kindle editions differ from the Sony Store’s terms of service? I would think they wouldn’t differ all that much since you never outright own the “product” like a dead tree book, you’re buying to license to read it on your electronic device?

By: Miki

Miki — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:28:10 +0000

@Moriah Jovan: In some ways, it’s true that we only “rent” ebooks. Unlike physical items we purchase, we don’t the right to resell or give away the books after we finish them. And if Sony or Amazon stopped making their devices, eventually as our old ones died out, we’d no longer be able to access the books we bougt from their sites, either*.

Oh, I’m not saying it’s right, by any means, but you don’t “own” your digital books the same way you do your physical ones.

*Assuming you haven’t discovered a way to liberate your books from the DRM that infects them, that is. ;)

By: Robin

Robin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:57:56 +0000

@Seressia: I was just wondering today what you were up to (was thinking about No Commitment Required to rec to someone) and your comment prompted me to your website. I am *really* looking forward to your Juno UF Shadowchasers series. And congrats on the sale! ** sorry for the digression **

By: Seressia

Seressia — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:43:01 +0000

yep. won’t be buying a Kindle. Looks like Sony will get my money when I decide to purchase. Right now, content with reading on the laptop. No worries of a reach-around there!

By: just a little bit o’ controversy with a dash of irony thrown in « Collection Developments @ Sno-Isle

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:49:13 +0000

[...] numerous sources like Dear Author, Shelf Awareness, and [...]

By: DS

DS — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:58:09 +0000

Good reminder to update my back up of my Kindle books. I download to my computer and then burn the books to CD or DVD. I need to schedule a time for this like I schedule my iTunes library back up.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:13:03 +0000

Sigh. Yet another Amazon PR failure. I hate to use the “i” word, but the stealth deletion was a pretty idiotic move.

By: hapax

hapax — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:08:49 +0000

@4 — I disagree about Scott Simon. I don’t think he redeemed himself at all. I think he made the whole piece about *him* and his lame “satire” of a romance piece.

Nora Roberts was fabulous, of course, but Simon could have used the time devoted to his own ineptitude to interviews with other authors, fans, statistics about the publishing industry, or, heck, a pretty bit of music.

By: Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:25:46 +0000

Re WaPo–I do look like someone’s mother as I am someone’s mother. I don’t, however, smell of yeast–nor did I notice anyone else at the conference who did.

I found the article annoying and pretty condescending. However, if we give reporters ammo by speaking on the record about orgasms per chapter or comments and statements of that sort, it’s pretty hard to bitch about not getting the respect we deserve from the media.

By: Chrissy

Chrissy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:20:32 +0000

My mom has never worn stilleto heels or goth anything, and if she smelled yeasty I’d make her shower.

I wish people would stop supporting Kindle.

By: ASable

ASable — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:40:52 +0000

I’m a Kindle user, but for how long? The more I read, the more I’m annoyed. If I had purchased an unauthorized paper copy of 1984, would Amazon come to my door to retrieve it because of their error? As far as I’m concerned, I’m a bona fide purchaser and it’s Amazon’s mistake. They should just eat their shorts and make nice directly with the Orwell heirs or whoever has the copyright.

And they should advertise the truth–Kindle is really a leasing device.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:01:55 +0000

For every reasonable point the Washington Post made, they had to follow it up with something really snarky. Romance writers are hard workers and they don’t whine like artistes (good), followed by the adjectives chesty, pumping, glistening, heavy (snarky). Maybe they were trying to be funny, but she didn’t admit to her own biases.

I listened to the Scott Simon story on NPR (Nora’s interview was awesome), and his commentary afterward. For a moment, I wanted to throw my shoe at him and then he redeemed himself by admitting he couldn’t write a romance and he was being judgmental. Thank you Scott, for admitting your faults.

By: Moriah Jovan

Moriah Jovan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:59:41 +0000

It’s unfortunate and problematic that “ebooks” is coming to be defined by and synonymous with “Kindle.” Because of that, most casual of ebook consumers (read: non-techie types) may come to believe all ebooks from all vendors (if they even get that far) are rented and not owned, thus stunting ebook growth.

By: ReacherFan

ReacherFan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:55:02 +0000

And yet ANOTHER reason to not buy a Kindle! I’ll stick with ebooks on my laptop.

By: Randi

Randi — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:08:52 +0000

The Wash Post article wasn’t terrible, in it’s entirety. But for sure that paragraph you pulled out makes me cringe. I wonder if they’re trying to make up for that patronizing review of Black Hills…