My theme this year is about the steps I'll be taking to advance my career as a full time writer now that I'm retiring from my teaching career. Sometimes I'll be giving advice but lots of times I'll be asking for advice and opinions.
A: Amazon rules the world! Well, the writing world or so it seems. With the latest news of Amazon purchasing Goodreads, the giant expands its grasping reach. Is the purchase a good thing or a bad? Not sure and perhaps only time will tell.
Amazon sells nearly everything not just books. But many writers judge their success on how many books they sell on Amazon. If you self-publish, the process is very quick and relatively painless on Amazon. You can watch your books rank, read your reviews and see what books Amazon compares you to. If you a writer, you need to use Amazon. Agree?
Does Amazon rule the writing world? Is the purchase of Goodreads a good thing for writers? Visit Arlee yet?
36 comments:
In the end I think it will be a battle between Amazon and Google, with Apple sneaking around in the background.
It's kind of weird how the web is dominated by just a few huge companies.
mood
Moody Writing
I can't decide how I feel about the purchase of Goodreads, but I do agree that Amazon is an important tool for indie writers
Lx
I like the fact that you can self-publish through Amazon.
Of course, their ultimate goal is to capture the entire free market of everything for themselves. But who am I to judge if they give me a whole penny for every hundred paying customers I send their way? ;-)
I wrote a post about Amazon for A too!
Not too worried about the buyout of goodreads. I was concerned when Amazon bought Book Depository, but it hasn't changed, so I'm hoping that bodes well for GoodReads staying the same too.
Rinelle Grey
I like Amazon, although I am a little uneasy that they've taken over Goodreads. I'm hoping it'll stay the same.
I think the people who are worrying that Amazon is going to change or "ruin" Goodreads are ignoring that fact that Amazon bought Goodreads because it is useful to them as it is NOW. If they turned it into an all Amazon all the time site, as some people seem to fear, it wouldn't be useful to them at all. They're in it for the data, after all.
Well Amazon is responsible for over 75% of book sales so they wield so much power. Not a good thing buying Goodreads. Too much power.
All I know is - it seems like Amazon's tentacles reach far and wide...
And I have a love-hate relationship with them... a long story!
I, too, am a little worried about the purchase. I am a big fan of Goodreads and the layout. I like Amazon too, but Goodreads is one of my favorite sites.
Amazon does have EVERYTHING. I use it mostly for books and music.
I think it's a scary thing. Authors may love Amazon now, but when they are the only game in town, will the deal be so sweet? I doubt it.
I like Amazon for their diversity in products.
Also, their customer service is second to none!
I do enjoy watching my books' rankings. Not so sure about the Goodreads purchase though.
Lots of good points. I bet I could have a share Amazon story day. They do have good customer service though as Mark said.
I honestly have no idea what the Amazon/Goodreads thing will bring. All I know is that my Twitter feed practically exploded the day it happened.
I love amazon and I love goodreads so I'm glad they're together. I hope together it's not worse.
Amazon has a longer, more dependable record, so it will be very difficult to break into their market.
I think I don't have an opinion on goodreads being purchased by Amazon. All the more power to them I guess.
I fear Amazon rules too much of our world. That sort of power scares the crap out of me.
It does appear that TRUE NORTH in the publishing world does point to Amazon! :)
I've visited with Arlee already this morning. :) As for Amazon, I think they'll suck up everything, and more woo to the struggling writer for it.
I visited Arlee this morning, and I agree that time will tell about the Goodreads buyout. If Amazon doesn't rule, it's certainly among the group that does.
Amazon does offer a brilliant service to indie authors but I worry about it taking over everything. I hope Goodreads doesn't change too much cos I like how it is now.
i can't really add too much to this---as i don't know much about it---very interesting though--i will have to look into it!
Hi,
Firstly good luck with your transition to full time writer - that sounds both lovely and challenging.
As long as Goodreads still allows me to review how I want to and doesn't stop blocking writers being allowed to review books then I will be OK with the takeover. It would be great to see some kindle integration (but with the option to keep some things private still).
Good luck with the rest of the challenge.
I guess we'll all have to wait and see how it plays out.
I just keep smiling today. Thank you for the nice words.
Amazon has been a blessing for writers of all kinds. Talk about making things accessible! I'm not sure about the Goodreads purchase yet. I guess time will tell, but it starts getting a little scary as all these entities keep getting bigger.
You've got a great theme for this year.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog
Amazon is taking over. Maybe we will be able to purchase books right from Goodreads on our tbr shelf in the future. Won't that be something?
I suppose it was inevitable that Goodreads would be gobbled up by someone. It seems a shame in principle, but I like the idea of being able to buy directly from the Goodreads site if that's what they have in mind.
I think only time will tell as far as the Goodreads situation goes.
Love your theme! I'll be back to visit. ☺
I'm pretty sure that Amazon is taking over the world. Hopefully they don't alter Goodreads too much. I'll be sad.
KC @ The Occasional Adventures of a Hermit & Oh Frog It
Interesting, Susan. I'm not ready for self-publishing, but I think it's a great option for established authors that want to break away from the constraints the publishing industry imposes.
Thanks for your earlier visit to my blog :)
I can't see why it's good, but I could be wrong. Monopolies aren't usually a good thing, though.
Shannon at The Warrior Muse
I must live under a rock. I love both Goodreads and Amazon and haven't heard a thing about it. I guess I'll have to do a little research and see what all the fuss is about!
I'm of two minds when it comes to the Goodreads purchase. On the one hand, it'll allow for better integration between the two and so we'll get more features to help us as readers.
On the other hand, another big company is eating up more of an online presence, meaning all of our eggs are going into one corporate basket :(
Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom
www.mithrilwisdom.com
yep, watching those book rankings on Amazon can be addictive ;)
I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing. I don't yet use GoodReads as an author, just as a reader, so it probably won't affect me till that changes. I hope, anyway, 'cause I love GR!
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