DISQUS

DISQUS Hello! Mobile Industry Review is using DISQUS, a powerful comment system, to manage its comments. Learn more.

Community Page

Mobile Industry Review

Daily news and opinion for 250,000 industry executives and mobile fanatics
Jump to original thread »
Author

More and more annoyed at the book industry

Started by Ewan · 9 months ago

I can’t tell you how pissed off I am with the book industry at the moment.
It’s such a shit service, it really is.
The mainstream media does a piss-poor job of getting to me. I can’t believe that publishers put out their books and sit on their hands hoping ... Continue reading »

12 comments

  • Kirk "Grumpy" Bateman

    9 months ago

    I thought the Amazon recommendations stuff did that ? via e-mail ? I'm sure I keep getting mail about more recipe books when new ones from authors I like appear (to add to my ridiculously large collection - WhatleyDude you wanna see this load of books haha).
    reply
  • Ewan

    9 months ago

    I don't get the Amazon mails. Maybe I should, Kirk...
    reply
  • Kirk "Grumpy" Bateman

    9 months ago

    Amazon -> Your Account -> Communications Preferences -> New Products :)

    Cheers

    Kirk
    reply
  • ianvisits

    9 months ago

    The problem with that option is that books can sit around for a very long time, and how would you feel if you picked up a book today in the UK and tried to send a text message, only to get an error message because the UK revamped all its premium rate codes a few years ago?

    I have books at home which exhort me to buy the next edition - for a whole £2.99, which today actually costs more like £8 if I tried to buy it (assuming that the postal address even exists anymore).
    reply
  • Ewan

    9 months ago

    I don't buy that Ian. Use a +44 number. It'll be workable for many years
    to come!

    2008/9/23 Disqus <>
    reply
  • Moof

    9 months ago

    Amazon used to have an "Alerts" service that would let you know when new books by specified authors came out, amongst other things.

    I'm not sure what's happened to it since then.

    But, yes, it's a tad strange that I have to find out about new books by polling rather than being notified
    reply
  • Ewan

    9 months ago

    That's the issue Moof. I don't want to poll or come across stuff. I want to be notified so I can acquire!
    reply
  • TerenceEden

    9 months ago

    I feel the same way. I had no idea that Terry Prattchet had a new book out. I could sign up at various publishers' websites, or rely on word of mouth - but it's a bit hit and miss.

    What I *really* want is an eBook reader. The Sony reader is ~£200. That's the same cost as 100 books from a charity shop or ~20 hardbacks. Waaaaay too much. If an eBook reader came with, say, £200 of vouchers to their store - I'd buy one in an instant.

    I'd have it as
    5 * £10 off
    10 * £5 off
    10 * £5 off when you spend £10 or more
    25 * £2 off when you spend £5 or more.

    Then, the publisher can see what I'm reading - and how I rate it - and push new books to me.

    Or something similar.
    reply
  • juliancooling

    9 months ago

    Has anyone thought of subscribing to the Times Literary Suplement or the London Review of Books. Both are a push service delivered to you regularly and have the added advantage that you can flip down the top edge when your wife speaks to you over the breakfast table (they come with a special foldy bit).

    It also acts as a ultra-geek shield on the train - you can be texting behind it and nobody ever suspects that you might be geeking behind such a non-geeky masthead. A ebook reader won't work nearly as well.
    reply
  • sevendotzero

    9 months ago

    I'm with you here. Every few weeks I do a quick scan of my favourite authors' websites to see what's new. I'd love to be able to subscribe to an update service.
    reply
  • simonmaddox

    9 months ago

    At GoSpoken (http://gospoken.com) this is something we'll be implementing in the coming months ;)
    reply
  • Ewan

    9 months ago

    Bring it on Mr Maddox!

    2008/9/23 Disqus <>
    reply

Add New Comment

Returning? Login