By Jenny Geyer |
If you’ve been following the highly publicized Hatchett v. Amazon dispute, then you’ve probably heard of the retail giant’s decree of keeping ebook prices—even those published by major publishing houses with substantial overhead costs—hovering around the magical consumer-friendly number of $9.99. You may also be aware of the mixed feedback from both publishers and authors. Having established itself as the biggest ebook seller in the game, Amazon has thrown its weight around in setting expectations for pricing standards putting major pressure on publishers to find ways to reduce their production costs. A big concern is that these cost-cuts could potentially result in cutting corners when it comes to upholding time-tested editorial processes which have historically ensured the quality of published works, including extensive proofreading and copyediting. The question is not whether quality will be compromised if such budget constraints become the norm, but how much.
How will this decline affect book consumers?
Without a doubt, publishing a book has become exponentially simpler with the advent of the internet, actually selling books is another story. Self-publishing has seen a significant upward trend amongst amateur authors and writers who aren’t afraid to skip the middleman and put in their fair share of elbow grease to get their books in front of audiences. But then they face the challenge of making their work distinguishable from the millions of other self-published titles, an increasingly difficult task in an infinitely sprawling hyperspace market.
And these authors aren’t just competing against other books. Big internet retailers like Amazon are gobbling up markets left and right for all kinds of products, and more and more consumers are flocking to stock up on everything from home goods, clothing, to groceries. Amazon employs intricate data tracking systems and algorithms which generate customer-specific ads on a person’s Amazon homepage. When a customer logs into their Amazon account with the innocent intention to simply browse books, but many can’t help but succumb to the slew of distracting product listings and ads they are immediately bombarded with. This sensory assault is a collage of product suggestions compiled from data on their previous purchases and browsing history.
What does it mean for a culture when books are laid out side by side with bulk toilet paper, toothpaste, laundry detergent and cheap office furniture?
It’s no surprise that brick and mortar stores have struggled to keep up with the often significantly lower prices offered through online retailers. These days, even big box stores like Best Buy and K-mart have been left in the dust as online retailers are able to be in the hands and pockets of potential customers 24/7. The incredibly invasive (but effective) use of data tracking utilized by online retailers, tailoring advertisements specifically to match the interests of each individual, has turned shopping into a science. Consumers have grown accustomed to having access to the best of everything, at the lowest possible price. Amazon even has a feature for members to purchase an item with the click of a single button. Maybe next is you simply think hard enough about a product and find out later when you see your credit card statement and a brown cardboard box on your doorstep that you indeed made a purchase!
Buying stuff has never been easier, and finding the lowest possible price takes minimal effort thanks to sophisticated price comparison features offered on search engines like Yahoo and Google, which do all the dirty work for you. Retailers can’t complain since after all, during your search for the best price on a pair of Adidas cross-trainers, your search engine may slyly suggest a pair of Pumas instead that you like even more. A buyer’s decision making process has become a complex and highly manipulated operation thanks to shady (yet legal) third-party tracking capabilities.
Sure, in some ways it can be seen as in the best interest of a consumer (and the market overall) to be exposed to more products they are likely to have an interest in, but with the sheer quantity of merchandise available for purchase online a customer can only possibly view a fraction of those options. When a customer goes to the store and is confronted with one thousand different varieties of toilet paper, and consequently on thousand different decisions to make, how will they choose? It’s an easy guess to say it’s likely to boil down to price relative to perceivable quality (the customer may not actually have any experience with the brand but may read reviews or make judgements based on the product label and packaging), but an even more influential factor is often familiarity. Even if a customer’s preferred brand of toilet paper isn’t the best or the cheapest, they may simply purchase it out of ritual. For many people, this factor may be the most important of all.
Back to books.
For the average reader, it’s probably not crucial who published the book they’re reading. It’s a safe bet that most readers, if asked who original publishers of even their favorite titles are, would have no idea off the top of their heads. For most readers, the familiarity factor when deciding on the next title to purchase is the author and perhaps to a lesser degree, the cover design. When readers are bombarded with a hundred different book titles that are considered “related” to the last one they read based on the logistics of a complex algorithm designed by a retailer, price is sure to be a major factor, and one whose importance I predict will grow as the number of viable options grows.
Internet shopping is faster and cheaper, and more book-buyers are making their purchases online. Publishing houses have struggled to keep with the times, but cutting print production is not the answer, as print books surprisingly continue to outsell e-books by a large margin. If publishers embrace the move to digital consumption by developing more efficient, straight-to-ebook editorial processes, they may save some time and money, but they stand to lose valuable print-buying customers. Another solution for publishers may be to find a way to focus on branding themselves that speaks to readers directly, and perhaps better justify their prices by providing content of a quality that clearly sets their books apart from the sludge of cheaply produced, low-cost self-published products.
One thing is clear, Amazon is calling the shots and if publishers want to survive they must choose to conform, or to rebel by working together and offering a clever and convenient method for purchasing the books which could compete against the giant e-tailer.
How will this decline affect book consumers?
Without a doubt, publishing a book has become exponentially simpler with the advent of the internet, actually selling books is another story. Self-publishing has seen a significant upward trend amongst amateur authors and writers who aren’t afraid to skip the middleman and put in their fair share of elbow grease to get their books in front of audiences. But then they face the challenge of making their work distinguishable from the millions of other self-published titles, an increasingly difficult task in an infinitely sprawling hyperspace market.
And these authors aren’t just competing against other books. Big internet retailers like Amazon are gobbling up markets left and right for all kinds of products, and more and more consumers are flocking to stock up on everything from home goods, clothing, to groceries. Amazon employs intricate data tracking systems and algorithms which generate customer-specific ads on a person’s Amazon homepage. When a customer logs into their Amazon account with the innocent intention to simply browse books, but many can’t help but succumb to the slew of distracting product listings and ads they are immediately bombarded with. This sensory assault is a collage of product suggestions compiled from data on their previous purchases and browsing history.
What does it mean for a culture when books are laid out side by side with bulk toilet paper, toothpaste, laundry detergent and cheap office furniture?
It’s no surprise that brick and mortar stores have struggled to keep up with the often significantly lower prices offered through online retailers. These days, even big box stores like Best Buy and K-mart have been left in the dust as online retailers are able to be in the hands and pockets of potential customers 24/7. The incredibly invasive (but effective) use of data tracking utilized by online retailers, tailoring advertisements specifically to match the interests of each individual, has turned shopping into a science. Consumers have grown accustomed to having access to the best of everything, at the lowest possible price. Amazon even has a feature for members to purchase an item with the click of a single button. Maybe next is you simply think hard enough about a product and find out later when you see your credit card statement and a brown cardboard box on your doorstep that you indeed made a purchase!
Buying stuff has never been easier, and finding the lowest possible price takes minimal effort thanks to sophisticated price comparison features offered on search engines like Yahoo and Google, which do all the dirty work for you. Retailers can’t complain since after all, during your search for the best price on a pair of Adidas cross-trainers, your search engine may slyly suggest a pair of Pumas instead that you like even more. A buyer’s decision making process has become a complex and highly manipulated operation thanks to shady (yet legal) third-party tracking capabilities.
Sure, in some ways it can be seen as in the best interest of a consumer (and the market overall) to be exposed to more products they are likely to have an interest in, but with the sheer quantity of merchandise available for purchase online a customer can only possibly view a fraction of those options. When a customer goes to the store and is confronted with one thousand different varieties of toilet paper, and consequently on thousand different decisions to make, how will they choose? It’s an easy guess to say it’s likely to boil down to price relative to perceivable quality (the customer may not actually have any experience with the brand but may read reviews or make judgements based on the product label and packaging), but an even more influential factor is often familiarity. Even if a customer’s preferred brand of toilet paper isn’t the best or the cheapest, they may simply purchase it out of ritual. For many people, this factor may be the most important of all.
Back to books.
For the average reader, it’s probably not crucial who published the book they’re reading. It’s a safe bet that most readers, if asked who original publishers of even their favorite titles are, would have no idea off the top of their heads. For most readers, the familiarity factor when deciding on the next title to purchase is the author and perhaps to a lesser degree, the cover design. When readers are bombarded with a hundred different book titles that are considered “related” to the last one they read based on the logistics of a complex algorithm designed by a retailer, price is sure to be a major factor, and one whose importance I predict will grow as the number of viable options grows.
Internet shopping is faster and cheaper, and more book-buyers are making their purchases online. Publishing houses have struggled to keep with the times, but cutting print production is not the answer, as print books surprisingly continue to outsell e-books by a large margin. If publishers embrace the move to digital consumption by developing more efficient, straight-to-ebook editorial processes, they may save some time and money, but they stand to lose valuable print-buying customers. Another solution for publishers may be to find a way to focus on branding themselves that speaks to readers directly, and perhaps better justify their prices by providing content of a quality that clearly sets their books apart from the sludge of cheaply produced, low-cost self-published products.
One thing is clear, Amazon is calling the shots and if publishers want to survive they must choose to conform, or to rebel by working together and offering a clever and convenient method for purchasing the books which could compete against the giant e-tailer.