[bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
- From: "Kim Friedman" <kimfri11@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:16:01 -0800
Hi, Gary, you're probably right about amazon owning audible. Still you can
get stuff through audible's web site. I haven't attempted getting audible
downloads from amazon.com. The offer still stands. Regards, Kim.
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Gary Petraccaro
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 9:08 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
Thanks for the offer. I said what I said because I was under the impression
that Amazon owned Audible.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Friedman" <kimfri11@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 6:53 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
> Hi, Gary, if you get a subscription to audible.com, you won't be
> downloading
> your books from Amazon.com but rather from the audible.com web site.
> Amazon.com is fine if you wish to pay for your books on CD, but if you go
> to
> the audible.com web site and join a plan, you'll be charged a certain
> amount
> per month plus you'll have credits (depending on the plan you choose)
> which
> you can apply to purchase your audio book for download. Granted the site
> is
> frustrating at first (or at least I found it so), but if you need a hand,
> I'd be glad to help you out. One thing you'll definitely need and that's
> the
> audible manager software downloaded to your computer. Also, it helps to
> register your device (if any) and save your settings. What screen reader
> are
> you running? Also, if you have a VR Stream, you can register and activate
> your device by connecting it to your computer. Also, the customer service
> people at audible.com are very helpful. When I first started downloading
> books from audible.com, they did it for me by connecting to my computer,
> but
> now I know how to download and transfer books, thanks to somebody on the
> VR
> Stream users list who let me know what keystrokes should be used. Again,
> I'd
> be happy to help you out. Regards, Kim Friedman.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Gary Petraccaro
> Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 1:54 AM
> To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
>
> Nicely done. I'm thinking about getting an Audible subscription, but
> hesitate precisely because of Amazon's behavior vis a vis the Kindle
> access.
>
> I have not made up my mind.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Monica Willyard" <rhyami@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 2:35 PM
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
>
>
>> Denise, you're right. I see the logic in your point in that Bookshare
>> doesn't work like a local public library. There is an inequity here. Yet
>> Bookshare's existence was created by another inequity that publishers
>> knowingly chose not to rectify. Bookshare stands in the gap, providing a
>> service we cannot get elsewhere, even if we are prepared to pay for it.
>>
>> It costs us over $1,000 for equipment to scan and read a book for
>> ourselves,
>> not even counting the cost of the book and the time taken to scan it. Yet
>> any person who can read normally can walk into a library, get a book,
>> read
>> it, and return it with ease. All they have to pay for is the gas to get
>> there or for someone to drive them. My dad has read 54 novels this year,
>> all
>> bestsellers, without paying a dime. The library is 10 minutes from our
>> house, near our grocery store. He pops in for a book, and he's happy as a
>> clam.
>>
>> We generally don't have that option, except for the small amount of books
>> available with NLS. There are over 35 million books out there, and the
>> NLS
>> only has around 65,000 of them, half of which have been retired due to
>> age.
>> The NLS has destroyed thousands of our books, against our will, because
>> they
>> were supposedly too old or not recorded well enough. We actually have a
>> total catalog now of about 40,000 books through the NLS. Out of 35
>> million!
>>
>> Is Bookshare totally fair to publishers? Probably not. Then again, is it
>> fair that we have to pay dearly for a scanner and software just to read
>> one
>> book when they already have that book in electronic form? I'd say no. So
>> there is unfairness on both sides. I think the person with the deeper
>> pockets, greater muscle, and the clout to act should be the party to take
>> a
>> step forward. Then I'm ready to meet them halfway.
>>
>> This is an issue where I feel a lot of frustration. To me, this whole
>> thing
>> boils down to one issue, business 101. You sell what customers want to
>> buy,
>> and they pay you for it. Your customers show you what they want by their
>> spending actions and feedback. That's not happening here, and it's not
>> Bookshare or any of us causing it. The publishers will not sell us what
>> we
>> want to buy. And when Amazon started making it possible on the Kindle,
>> the
>> publishers stepped on us like we were little black ants under their
>> boots.
>> If I treated my customers that way, I'd go out of business right now.
>>
>> I'd be happy to pay for books if publishers would make fully accessible
>> versions of their books available. My Audible account reflects this in
>> abundance. All publishers need to do is give us access to TTS on the
>> Kindle
>> and a secure Braille converter for their e-pub format. Both actions are
>> simple to do at a very low cost to the book industry as a whole. They can
>> still use DRM, and they would find that print disabled people read a
>> great
>> deal more than the general public. Since they're not willing to address
>> this
>> issue, I'm not willing to give up Bookshare to possibly prevent them from
>> losing money. When they treat me like a customer worth something, I'll
>> become one, and a loyal one at that.
>>
>> Publishers don't seem to remember that their customer matters and that if
>> you treat a person like a non-customer, you will lose money. This is
>> economics 101, what every kid learns in high school. Action comes first,
>> than comes the reward of a sale.
>>
>> Finally, since I need to buy and scan books for Bookshare if I want to
>> read
>> them, I am annoyed that I have to find a home for the print book when I'm
>> done with it. It's of no use to me since I can't see it or read its
>> contents
>> myself. I use a free site to swap it for something else, and the
>> publishers
>> scream bloody murder for not getting a royalty from that swap. If they
>> want
>> me to stop doing this, they need to treat me like a customer, let me buy
>> books I can read, and enjoy their profits. I'll enjoy not needing to scan
>> and can spend that time doing something with my family.
>>
>> Ok, climbing off my soap box now. (smile)
>>
>> Monica Willyard
>> "The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker
>>
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