@VinceBE22
In Belgium we have fixed book prices so it doesn’t matter if you buy at amazon or your local bookstore. The price is the same. This keeps or beloved bookstores alive!
@RichardSkolek
I am a writer and I really want to thank you for this video! I am from a small country and (thankfully) have no dealings with Amazon, but I suspect it is only a matter of time. Anyway, this industry is changing quite rapidly and mainly for the worse, but there are also new opportunities. I have had ten books published and since I am certainly not a well-known writer and Czech (my native tongue) doesnt have many speakers, I make almost nothing in book sales. However, I recorded my books as audiobooks and put them on YouTube for free, and now I am making more than half the amount that I would need to support myself exclusively through writing (the money comes from the automated ads). Considering the circumstances and limitations, I see this both as awesome and completely insane. Sorry for the rant, I just hope that it might spark inspiration in some fellow struggling writers. There are unexplored avenues, just be creative and try to connect with the readers in any way you can.
@katieosborne5203
Libby, Hoopla, and LibroFM are my means for audiobooks. I mostly read in paper however, and purchase my books from B&N, Books-A-Million, half price books, thriftbooks, my local bookstores, and library sales. But also, I love using the library. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.
@360mAN100
thriftbooks is king
@trixjoyce
I'm both a reader and writer and I hate the direction in which the digital climate is "progressing". As it is now, you gain nothing, you just borrow information. A copy is a copy no matter if it's physical or digital. You should have it and read it forever if you want to. Respect the copyright always, but still, you should be able to have access to what you buy with no limits (for personal use).
@josephvlogsdon
As an author myself who publishes on Amazon, I would say it’s a mixed bag. Generally speaking, an author does get more royalties on Amazon than through a traditional publisher. Amazon also allows authors to post almost anything without any barriers. I know many independent authors would love to be in bookstores, but traditional publishing still has a stranglehold on those industries. Some independent authors get lucky, but it’s usually because they know someone in the store. I do have a problem with how Amazon handles reviews. Someone can leave a review on a book even if they haven’t proven that they bought it. The algorithm also tends to disfavor self-published books. I do believe Amazon needs more competition, but it’s still better than most current alternatives in my experience.
@amicaaranearum
5:39 Enterprising grifters have solved writers’ “annoying habit to need food” — they’ve removed the writer from the equation. There are heaps of AI-generated slop being self-published on Amazon. Sometimes this slop is dangerous (in the case of books on foraging for wild edibles). But mostly it just tricks people into wasting money on garbage “books.” (You can’t rely on reviews to warn you about these books; they’re mostly fake.) Grifters are also using AI to generate “summaries” and “workbooks” for real books — capitalizing on the names and efforts of real authors. Some book categories are becoming like the rest of Amazon, where cheap junk sold under gibberish brand names crowds out better products in the Amazon search results.
@aurorasalas2020
love libby through the public library!
@hosein_zare_m
one of the biggest joys of being a reader is being in those spaces Surrounded by books, this whole process takes away a lot from the experience that comes with being a reader.
@peybak
I go to used bookstores. I love browsing the physical books. One can also check the local public library to borrow new books (even digitally), including audiobooks.
@JKSwiftWrites
I self published my first book in 2011 and alternate between wide and exclusive with Amazon. I hate going exclusive but my royalties drop by 80% every time I go wide. The other problem with Audible is they control the list price of the my audiobooks. I'm experimenting right now with putting some of my audiobooks up on YouTube for free but my channel isn't even monetized yet so I'm pretty sure this is not going to be the solution. And Trad is not the answer. I've had two trad offers that I've turned down because the advances were $2500 and $5,000 and I know damn well I'd never see another penny after that because of creative accounting. Whoops, sorry for venting...
@mikesbookreviews
When there is competition, the consumer wins. I do hope someone can eventually compete even if I don't use Audible.
@nicholasburge9594
Should be mentioned in the comments LIBRO FM!! Own your audiobooks!! Edit: i actually need to be explicit. Audible DOES have competition and you readers need to know in order to combat the Amazon ecosystem
@francineh.7825
I do agree with many points here and as a reader in Canada I always try to buy my books from small book stores or Chapters if I want a physical book, and Kobo if I want an e-book. But as someone who is self-publishing this month, and I want to be able to sell paperbacks, I have to go through Amazon because at this point book stores do not carry many Indie Authors. You do not have to be exclusive to Amazon to sell your e-book. There are lots of brick and mortar book stores where I live and many people still love physical books.
@jsmxwll
nice to see you on nebula! i've switched to mostly buying books from local shops when i buy new. used books are a mixed bag of ebay and local shops most of the time.
@bryceemanuel429
ok so hear me out I dont know if anyone’s said this but GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY! i haven’t watched the vid yet but if ur in the US do that! i have audiobooks from my library and can get up to 20 books checked out it’s really helped me with scheduling more efficient reading times as well as focus more on my reading so I can get books back
@kristal2474
Bookshop just launched ebooks last month! Bookshop CEO, Andy Hunter, just did an interview with The Verge all about the launch. They are not in true competition with Amazon scale wise, but any company that is in real danger of being sued by Amazon poses some type of meaningful threat.
@JoelSwagmanReviews
There are less bookstores in my town than there were 30 years ago, and I miss having more physical bookstores. That being said, Amazon makes it much easier to track down special interest books than it used to be.
@aymanbenbaha
The author C.D Reiss is leading a class-action lawsuit against Audible alleging them of charging higher fees for writers who decline to participate in its exclusivity program. The thing is even though agreements like these hurts publishers it's does not amount to an antitrust violation. The real problem lies with competitors who haven't offered an equally broad platform of choices and excellent narrators. And authors could also self-publish direct to consumer but the big audience Audible offers is hard to pass up. Hopefully this changes cause it's silly to give away a valuable market like this to a one company.
@MichaelOBurns