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The rise and rise of Amazon

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    The rise and rise of Amazon

    I have occasion sometimes to buy books on Amazon and I am amazed at the range and depth of the books on offer. What is incredible is that they have out of the way books from fairly mainstream authors and historians, like Hugh Trevor Roper, which I didn't even know existed.
    How has Amazon managed to do this?
    That is they seem to have acquired the copyright or joint copyright with the authors on literally millions of books.
    I haven't read anything anywhere on how they have managed to pull this one off, but is it because they have done deals with governments or international bodies, because they couldn't have approached individual copyright holders. I noticed that they are now actually printing books themselves under the Amazon imprint.
    I tend to think it is a good thing that we have all these books in the public domain and that they can be downloaded on Kindle etc. But I suppose there is also a darker side to it, in that it means Amazon have also acquired immense power.
    Presumably they paid for this privilege in that they are now getting royalties or joint royalties with the authors.



    .
    ‘Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.’

    #2
    I think Amazon is a wonderful resource - I buy all my books, dvds and cds there - don't forget that Amazon also acts as an agent for lots of private bookstores.
    'Man know thyself'

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      #3
      Don't forget the Gutenberg project of making available public domain books: http://www.gutenberg.org/

      A lot of what I've read on my Kindle reader has come from this source. The books there are available in several formats, as well.

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        #4
        It's been great for CDs. I have found so many rare and out of print CDs thanks to Amazon resellers.

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          #5
          There are many, many other types of products that can be purchased from them, as well as numerous different outlets that sell through them in addition to the resellers. Then if you subscribe to their Prime Subscription you get free shipping, 2 days (at least in the U.S.).

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            #6
            The darker side Megan pondered upon is the way they treat thier employees at the packing centres.I read that their German employees went on strike!

            http://www.theguardian.com/business/...ees-strike-pay
            Ludwig van Beethoven
            Den Sie wenn Sie wollten
            Doch nicht vergessen sollten

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              #7
              Originally posted by AeolianHarp View Post
              The darker side Megan pondered upon is the way they treat thier employees at the packing centres.I read that their German employees went on strike!

              http://www.theguardian.com/business/...ees-strike-pay
              Indeed, but this is true of many other retail outlets, especially where imported clothes are concerned.
              'Man know thyself'

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                #8
                Sad but true Peter.
                Ludwig van Beethoven
                Den Sie wenn Sie wollten
                Doch nicht vergessen sollten

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