Why I’m no longer linking to Amazon for books… patrickrhone.net
@patrickrhone I love this change Patrick! When I was putting together my own reading page, I considered linking to Amazon but it felt like an empty gesture. I’d much rather link to the same books on Indiebound even if I’m based outside of the US.
@patrickrhone There might well be but I’m not sure myself. I’ll need to do some digging into it. You’re right though. If there isn’t, big opportunity!
@matthewlang If not, though not perfect I could see linking to Waterstones as a big retailer alternative.
(FWIW, Bethany and I make sure to visit a Waterstones every tome we are in the UK. We kind of love them.)
@patrickrhone I never thought to do that either. We were only in Waterstones last weekend buying a stack of books as well!
@matthewlang @patrickrhone Waterstones is a good idea, although it is sad to see them remain as pretty much the only nationwide bookseller. I recently re-discovered Hive, which appears to be using pretty much the same idea as Indiebound, although I haven't done enough research to solidify that idea into a fact.
@patrickrhone as a side note... I met my wife in Waterstones 🥰 Always brings back good memories when we’re visiting the U.K.
@patrickrhone I wasn’t aware of IndieBound, thanks for sharing! My default has always been to link to the author’s personal landing page for the book in question.
@patrickrhone I commend you for changing and you have me thinking about doing it too. It stikes me that Indiebound.org works well near urban centers which have participating booksellers. Bookshop.org might be better for people in suburbia and the sticks with no participating bookstores nearby.
So many books are now published direct to ebook only. Do you have any thoughts on the whole Amazon and the ebooks question?
@bix Thanks! The Indiebound site is not exactly transparent. Especially on their affiliate program which is a big red flag to me. Whereas, Bookshop's site was very up front in disclosure.
@bradenslen For purchasing, none so far. Personally, I read paper books almost exclusively so I’m less familiar with the options there. Perhaps others will see this exchange and weigh in.
That said, my wife is an avid reader and Kindle user but she almost never buys ebooks via Kindle. Instead, she "checks them out" from the library (ours uses Overdrive for this). She absolutely loves it because she is a very fast reader, reads 100+ books a year, and it means she can get a new one from her list at any hour (she mainly reads before bed).
@bix I ordered a book through Bookshop. I wanted to see the flow of the shopping cart which was fine. Second test, fullfillment speed.
@bix It looks like the big difference is Indiebound let’s individual bookshops sell through their own e-commerce site instead of just getting a portion of the sale that they make? In the former one would be the independent bookstore’s customer, while in the later you are Bookshop.com’s?
If that’s the case, I’d gravitate towards Indiebound; I like having a direct relationship with my local shops. Also, that difference might make Indiebound’s affiliate program more complicated? //@bradenslen
@bix Also interesting: Bookshop charged me for shipping but did not charge sales tax. Standard shipping was not like $3.50 with arrival in 4 - 7 days. Express shipping was more with ETA of 2 - 3 days.
Not complaining but after being an Amazon Prime member for so long it was a bit of a shock. You get spoiled.
@patrickrhone Ebooks are tricky, with the ereader hardware locking the user into one store. That's why I have both a Kindle and Kobo readers because I decided I was becoming too reliant on Amazon.
I did notice Kobo also has an affiliate program.
@bix I just saw that Bookshop intends to partner with an ebook retailer by March 2020. That will be interesting.
@bix My hunch is it will be Kobo. Somehow. B&N as a Big Box bookstore chain was never considered a friend of indie booksellers plus they aren't doing so well in the ebook market. That leaves Kobo, which has held their own and has a broad catalog of both big publishing house books and non-DRM'd books by small publishers.
@bradenslen Yep, it's right a the top of my to-do list for finding and using alternatives to Amazon. They even offer student discounts and the like. This feels much more like what I believe to be a practical route away from the bad monopolies; a focus on local, smaller groups of people working together, much like cooperatives.
@bradenslen Regarding delivery rates and times: I agree, Amazon does spoil you. It's just like the silo social networks, in that they have created this fantasy where we get to have what we want ASAP and there are no obvious consequences to it. It's an insidious addition to our culture. // @bix
