Archive for July 28th, 2008
The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall
Written by John Erianne on July 28, 2008 – 11:32 pm -Over the course of the summer, small pressers have been cheering the David v. Goliah struggle between on-demand publisher, Booklocker.com and Amazon. It was bound to happen after Amazon’s Booksurge gambit. Other, unrelated problems — such as Border’s decision, this past spring, to break ties with Amazon and open up it’s own e-tail bookstore have only fueled the cheers for Amazon’s fall from grace.
While it’s true Amazon has seen better days, I think those of us who’ve jumped on Booklocker’s bandwagon over this antitrust lawsuit (and, admittedly, I’m one of them) are getting a little ahead of ourselves. Despite recent events, Amazon reported that second quarter sales are up. Amazon has very deep pockets and despite damage to it’s brand, it seems to be weathering the storm quite well.
Allow me to play devil’s advocate here and offer this thought: I think Amazon just might win this lawsuit. At least, I think there’s enough wiggle room in the law for them that it’s not a foregone conclusion that they lose. Amazon has successfully defended itself against antitrust actions in the past.
I’ve already pointed-out that other companies own one or more print-on-demand publishers. And some of those same companies are among those cheering on Booklocker and complaining about Amazon. And it’s not because they care so much about the little guy. It’s because Amazon has a bigger share of the online market and Amazon thought of way to screw the little guy first. And while I think what Amazon has done is greedy and short-sighted, I’m not entirely convinced that what they have done is a genuine antitrust violation.
Here’s why: As an online e-tailer, Amazon doesn’t have to allow a small press publisher to sell its books on it’s website. They certainly aren’t obligated to make it fair and easy. Secondly, the ubiquitous nature of on-demand printing technology makes it virtually impossible for any one company to have a monopoly. Remember that early-on one of the selling points of the technology was that it would one day eliminate the middle man — that one day we wouldn’t need to go through traditonal vendors. Instead, consumers would just go up to a kiosk in a mall or other outlet and order the book, have it printed while they were stuffing their faces at the food court and pick it up on the way out. To the extent that all on-demand publishers have their own online bookstores and that Amazon is one of many outlets available to POD authors and publishers, I can’t really see a federal judge siding against Amazon in this matter — and even if Booklocker does win, I sincerely doubt it will substantially change things for small press publishers and writers.
On the other hand, this may be a case of Amazon winning the battle, but ultimately losng the war. They’ve already alienated a significant number of their customer base (those of us in the small press who once thought of Amazon as a friend of the little guy, but who now know better) — people Amazon isn’t likely to win back. Secondly, The Digital Age has already seen it’s share of casualties and technology has a way of outpacing everyone sooner or later. It may only be a matter of time before a new Internet powerhouse rises to slay the Amazon even if it isn’t Booklocker.
LA Police Gear — For Anyone Who Played Cops ‘N’ Robbers as Kids
Written by John Erianne on July 28, 2008 – 11:12 pm -So I was browsing through some web sites the other day, looking for a good sharp knife (because who doesn’t really love a good sharp knife?). I came across a site called LA Police Gear and, not only do they have some nice sharp knives for sale for sale, as well as instruction manuals and DVDs on how to use them (like Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight), but it turns out, they also sell a spiffy line of clothing too. They’re the leading seller of 5.11 Tactical, a line of gear that’s paramilitary chic! They have t-shirts and pants, sunglasses and watches. They even have some school clothes so the littlest members of your strike team can march off to school in style. Whether you’re under fire or just lounging by the pool under a bug lamp 5.11 Tactical has the goods for you. Check it out!
