Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Toronto, May 9th, 2012 – If the stats are to be believed, our eBook purchases on digital reading devices are fast eclipsing traditional print books. This is not surprising, as there are many benefits such as size, and environmental impact. However, despite these advantages, they are not perfect - far from it.

Putting aside the challenges of sharing books or battery problems, there is the problem of the walled garden. Once you have committed to purchasing an ebook through Amazon, you can only read your book on a Kindle. While you can get a Kindle "App" for your iPad, this would be a different App from Apple's built-in iBooks. Having a plethora of different readers and remembering which book is in which App is nonsensical: consumer behavior will be to choose one and stick to it.

This "App" problem is just one skirmish in a long-brewing war between the ebook distributors. Consumers may not realize that ebook distributors have another weapon - a dirty little secret actually - to use in their fight: censorship. Yes, censorship.

Randall Craig's latest book, Online PR and Social Media for Experts, 5th edition, was just submitted for electronic distribution. He says it was rejected because within the manuscript there were several links to the Amazon web site. Not links to the Amazon store, but to two Amazon services that are important for the target audience - AuthorCentral and Askville. "I was told that if the book was to be sold on a Nook, Kobo, Apple iPad, Sony eReader or others," says Randall Craig "this content would have to go." Randall assures his readers that he chose to keep the content and look for a different publisher.

In the olden days of traditional bookstores, this could never happen. While you may be saddened to see the death of so many independent bookstores, and some large ones, you should be more disturbed by the inappropriate use of the monopoly power by these new centurions. Is what they are doing unlawful? Only a lawyer could say. Imagine where this slippery slope might take us: Will Amazon only agree to carry a product if the publisher adds only-for-Amazon extras? Will Apple or Kobo only carry the product if an author changes the political angle of their manuscript?

"I do support the right of ebook distributors to choose what they wish to carry," says Craig. "But their behavior imposes yet another burden on a beleaguered publishing industry. It is an attack on the editorial freedom of writers." Why should it fall to publishers, authors, and ultimately consumers, to be the pawns in their high-stakes world of ebook poker? Let the competition be on an even playing field, without eCensorship.



Since 1994, Randall Craig has been advising on web and social media strategy. He is the author of six books including the Online PR and Social Media series. For more information about Randall Craig visit www.randallcraig.com.

For more information contact:

Randall Craig

416.256.7773 x101 / Randall@ptadvisors.com

Carolyn Bergshoeff

416.256.7773 x 103 / Carolyn@ptadvisors.com