Amazon's Kindle Alters the Book Publishing Business Landscape

Many professionals engaged in the media business have been asking the question for years: is print dead? As Vivian (2009) notes, "book companies like HarperCollins still produce books" (p. 26), and the print publishing industry still reaches millions of readers via traditional, paper-based means. However, ongoing advances in technology, shifting consumer preferences toward digital delivery, and the introduction of electronic alternatives to print media have forever altered the business landscape for book publishers. Some publishers have jumped on the e-book bandwagon, eagerly embracing the advent of devices such as the Kindle, touted as "Amazon's revolutionary wireless reading device" (Amazon.com, 2010). Other companies have opted for a wait-and-see approach, weighing the perils of adhering to an obsolete business model and the risks of buying into trending, product-driven hype (Stevenson, 2008). Regardless of opposition surrounding the fairness of its distribution agreements or its untested longevity in the marketplace, the Kindle has proven to be a game-changer in terms of making publishers and consumers alike think differently about how their content is delivered.

Described in its product overview (Amazon.com, 2010) as "lighter and thinner than a typical paperback" (11), the Kindle trumps prior e-reading devices in its adoption of electronic-paper display technology. This technology delivers a high-resolution reading screen that is comparable to the experience of reading from paper. According to Amazon.com product descriptions, "the screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically" (8) This technology improves upon the model of earlier e-reading devices in that Kindle users do not experience the eyestrain associated with reading from a typical computer display screen. The Kindle also incorporates a number of additional ergonomic features designed to complement users' typical reading behavior and positional comfort.

Further claiming its position at the top of the user-friendliness meters, according to Amazon.com reviews, the Kindle is a self-containing, self-sufficient device that does not require the use of ancillary power or file transfer connections. The device interfaces with wireless connectivity to connect readers with an online browsing and shopping experience, presenting all-in-one purchase and use functionality. Weighing in at 10.3 ounces, the Kindle can store more than 200 titles, and, with no monthly fees, the device costs substantially less than buying a rotating library of 200 print books. According to McLean (2008), practical applications of the physical Kindle device include reducing the weight load of heavy textbooks or hardcover editions. As McLean notes, "how sixty-pound girls carry eighty-pound backpacks is a science conundrum" (p. 1) and the lightweight, handheld Kindle represents the potential to alleviate such burdens through adoption of the technology.

The most dramatic differentiation of the Kindle versus its predecessors: the Kindle has gained consumer recognition, popularity, and profit. Contrary to the harbingers of the Digital Age, which purported the death of print and the impending victory of e-books, Stevenson (2008) notes that "e-book devices have come and gone and many are now expensive obsolescent curiosities with nothing to read on them" (p. 282). Aided, no doubt, by its affiliation with the household name of Amazon.com, the Kindle held early promise for capitalizing on the hypothesized "i-pod moment" (p. 283) of market acceptance, according to Stevenson. Despite early rumblings of malcontent centered on the Kindle's proprietary licensing, the device has since emerged as one of the only e-readers that are widely known to consumers by name.

However, the market has yet to see whether or not the Kindle's dominance can stand the test of myriad new competitors that are now cropping up in its wake. Of particular concern to book companies has been Amazon's control over the Kindle and its influence over pricing, which, according to Raab (2010), has left publishers "watching digital versions of their titles sell for below what they thought they were worth" (1). Raab notes that new products like Apple's iPad tablet, just unveiled this month, are expected to give the Kindle a run for its money as publishers obtain additional, less restrictive e-book distribution channels. Nearly a decade after publishing industry commentators predicted the rise of the e-book as the new book profit generator, the Kindle has spurred the emergence of appealing, diversified, competing technologies that might finally allow book publishers to successfully monetize that forecast (Stevenson, 2008).

While print books have not vanished from production just yet, publishing companies have long been in dire need of additional revenue sources to keep their print products afloat. Following multiple failed attempts at capitalizing on prior electronic alternatives, many book publishers have grown wary of new e-book delivery methods. However, the introduction of the Kindle has caused an inarguable ripple effect in the e-reading pool, presenting publishers with a device that has shown positive signs of market adoption. As similar products emerge, leveling supply and demand with fairer distribution methods and licensing terms, many print book publishers now cautiously hope to finally profit from that digital revolution of media prophecy.

References

Amazon.com. (2010). Kindle: Amazon's Original Wireless Reading Device (1st generation). Retrieved February 7, 2010, from http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Original-Wireless-generation/dp/B000FI73MA
McLean, C.D. (2008, February). To Kindle or just burst into flame? Young Adult Library Services, 6(3), 9.
Raab, C. (2010). US publishers smile again as Kindle rivals emerge. AFP. Retrieved February 7, 2020, from http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jiV34W5ldIqH7UD-xKFx6Kryflrg
Stevenson, I. (2008, December). Harry Potter, Riding the Bullet and the future of books: key issues in the Anglophone book business. Publishing Research Quarterly, 24(4), 277.
Vivian, J. (2009). The Media of Mass Communication (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.