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We're a small independent ebook retailer and we're pushing for DRM-free content with publishers. We've added a DRM-free section to the site: https://www.ebooks.
by tren 8y ago
We're a small independent ebook retailer and we're pushing for DRM-free content with publishers. We've added a DRM-free section to the site: https://www.ebooks.com/drm-free https://www.ebooks.com/drm-free and any search that run you can filter by DRM-free content.
We also offer DRM-free PDFs that are correctly formatted, unlike what you'd get from the Google Bookstore (they convert from ePub). This is particularly important for publishers like O'Reilly who no longer sell copies outside a subscription from their site. Some authors help us out a lot by linking to us directly: https://dataintensive.net/buy.html https://dataintensive.net/buy.html
It's a slow process getting publishers on board, but more are moving across to DRM-free or social DRM (watermarking) which is a step in the right direction.
- benj111 8y ago"We're a small independent ebook retailer" How does that work? Independent in a physical sense, generally translates to 1 or very few outlets. Online is only ever going to be 1 outlet. Plus none of the independent bookstore features seem amenable to translating to the internet. So is it ownership structure? 'vibe'?
- rootlocus 8y agoI don't understand the question. All online shops have one outlet. That doesn't mean the distinction between small and large doesn't exist anymore.
- benj111 8y agoI was picking up on the independent aspect, not the size aspect, although independent bookshops don't tend to be national chains. Independent in this context includes many different things, most of which I'm not sure are particularly relevant to an online business. You don't get a knowledgeable enthusiastic shop owner to talk to, it isn't a gathering space, it doesn't keep money in the local community. So I'm asking what independent actually means in an online context.
- oarsinsync 8y ago> "We're a small independent ebook retailer" > How does that work? Small: They're not operating at Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Amazon, or any other major book retailer level. Measuring by revenue seems reasonable in this sense. Pick arbitrary numbers to define small/medium/large. Independent: They're not affiliated with any one single publisher.
- benj111 8y agoYes, I possess a dictionary too :P Independent suggests more than just being independent, and very little of that seems to be compatible with being an internet company (local, passionate knowledgeable owner, community hub).
- oarsinsync 8y agoI think I may have been wrong regarding independent. Given the context of the thread, it sounds more like platform-independent, rather than publisher-independent. The previous comments are about platform-specific stores.
- benj111 8y agoDo you think I'm reading too much into the word then? If some one told me about a small independent record store, or small independent coffee shop, I would have certain expectations. Platform independent seems reasonable given the context though.