Paper Tiger | This is bad news for self-published authors & small businesses @PaperTigerProductions | Uploaded December 2021 | Updated October 2024, 46 minutes ago.
This new 23-page report says Amazon is ripping off small businesses to fund its monopoly. Here's what it means for self-published authors.
!!! SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR SURVEY:
Are you wide or exclusive to Amazon KDP (i.e. enrolled in Kindle Select so your ebooks are only available on the Kindle store and in Kindle Unlimited)? Fill out the survey here, so we can get some actual data on this question → airtable.com/shrDN4xYqLmX7QXlk
The whole report from the Institute of Local Self-Reliance is worth reading in full here: ilsr.org/amazons-toll-road
H/T to @AllianceofIndependentAuthors for the tip via Twitter (follow them on Twitter @IndieAuthorALLI) and weekly blog round up → selfpublishingadvice.org/self-publishing-news-how-much-does-amazon-really-make-from-its-sellers
// JUMP TO
0:00 In the near future...
0:38 What is Amazon up to?
1:28 Amazon's secret plan
4:59 How Amazon makes money
7:19 Distribution & retail: exclusive VS wide
10:54 Alternatives to Amazon's KDP
11:38 Impact on self-pub authors
#authortube #selfpublishing #amazonkdp
// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Given Amazon's plans, you should probably sort out your mailing list ASAP → youtu.be/WPm_npkImEs
// REFERENCES
NYTimes article on why monopolies are bad:
→ nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html
Amazon's market dominance:
1. Joint letter dated 17 Aug 2020 to the House Judiciary Committee → publishingperspectives.com/2020/08/us-publishers-authors-booksellers-call-out-amazons-concentrated-power-in-the-book-market
2. Analyst Ben Evans on Amazon's market share → ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2019/12/amazons-market-share19
3. Book Sliced's estimates → booksliced.com/books/the-exact-ebook-market-shares-of-the-major-players-in-the-industry-are-rather-difficult-to-come-by-but-here-are-some-esitmates
4. Amazon's SEC filings → ir.aboutamazon.com/sec-filings/default.aspx
Amazon's secret plan:
1. Business Insider, on what investors don't understand → businessinsider.com/amazon-third-party-seller-business-bigger-more-profitable-than-aws-2020-1?r=AU&IR=T
2. CNBC, Amazon competing with FedEx & UPS → cnbc.com/2021/09/04/how-amazon-is-shipping-for-third-parties-to-compete-with-fedex-and-ups.html
Breaking up big tech:
1. Vox explains why → vox.com/recode/2019/5/3/18520703/big-tech-break-up-explained
2. AFR on why it won't happen → afr.com/technology/why-no-one-s-going-to-break-up-big-tech-20210407-p57h1p
3. New Yorker on what's next → newyorker.com/business/currency/whats-next-for-the-campaign-to-break-up-big-tech
4. Amnesty International says Google & Facebook's data collection models threaten human rights → https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-21/google-facebook-privacy-amnesty-international-human-rights/11724696
Amazon's infrastructure:
1. AWS goes down and takes large parts of the internet with it
Tech Radar → techradar.com/news/aws-is-down-and-taken-whole-chunks-of-the-internet-with-it
CNBC → cnbc.com/2021/12/09/how-the-aws-outage-wreaked-havoc-across-the-us.html
2. Forbes, on the number of small businesses relying on FBA → forbes.com/sites/kirimasters/2021/10/20/the-most-surprising-stats-from-amazons-2021-small-business-empowerment-report
3. The Verge, on growth in Amazon Prime subscribers → theverge.com/2021/4/15/22385370/amazon-prime-subscription-jeff-bezos-2020-shareholders-letter
4. Growth in Kindle Unlimited subscriptions
→ writtenwordmedia.com/kindle-unlimited-royalties
→ rogerpacker.com/kindle-unlimited-kenp-rate-for-october-2021-stays-steady
5. Audiobook growth → vulture.com/2018/09/audiobooks-are-booming-but-how-long-will-that-last.html
AI capabilities today:
1. Art
→ twitter.com/UrsulaV/status/1467652391059214337
2. Writing
→ blog.theliteracysite.greatergood.com/ai-novel
→ electricliterature.com/i-got-an-artificial-intelligence-to-write-my-novel
→ wired.com/story/ai-text-generator-gpt-3-learning-language-fitfully
2. Music
→ aiva.ai
→ time.com/5774723/ai-music
→ openai.com/blog/musenet
// DAILY WRITING LIVESTREAMS!
120 min long sprints of pure productivity. Come join me in getting words on the page. Check out my channel page for the next livestream: → youtube.com/c/PaperTigerProductions
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/deborahlau
// CHECK OUT
My Cantonese/English bilingual rhyming picture story book for kids aged 2-6:
→ bit.ly/birthdaycantobook
This new 23-page report says Amazon is ripping off small businesses to fund its monopoly. Here's what it means for self-published authors.
!!! SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR SURVEY:
Are you wide or exclusive to Amazon KDP (i.e. enrolled in Kindle Select so your ebooks are only available on the Kindle store and in Kindle Unlimited)? Fill out the survey here, so we can get some actual data on this question → airtable.com/shrDN4xYqLmX7QXlk
The whole report from the Institute of Local Self-Reliance is worth reading in full here: ilsr.org/amazons-toll-road
H/T to @AllianceofIndependentAuthors for the tip via Twitter (follow them on Twitter @IndieAuthorALLI) and weekly blog round up → selfpublishingadvice.org/self-publishing-news-how-much-does-amazon-really-make-from-its-sellers
// JUMP TO
0:00 In the near future...
0:38 What is Amazon up to?
1:28 Amazon's secret plan
4:59 How Amazon makes money
7:19 Distribution & retail: exclusive VS wide
10:54 Alternatives to Amazon's KDP
11:38 Impact on self-pub authors
#authortube #selfpublishing #amazonkdp
// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Given Amazon's plans, you should probably sort out your mailing list ASAP → youtu.be/WPm_npkImEs
// REFERENCES
NYTimes article on why monopolies are bad:
→ nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html
Amazon's market dominance:
1. Joint letter dated 17 Aug 2020 to the House Judiciary Committee → publishingperspectives.com/2020/08/us-publishers-authors-booksellers-call-out-amazons-concentrated-power-in-the-book-market
2. Analyst Ben Evans on Amazon's market share → ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2019/12/amazons-market-share19
3. Book Sliced's estimates → booksliced.com/books/the-exact-ebook-market-shares-of-the-major-players-in-the-industry-are-rather-difficult-to-come-by-but-here-are-some-esitmates
4. Amazon's SEC filings → ir.aboutamazon.com/sec-filings/default.aspx
Amazon's secret plan:
1. Business Insider, on what investors don't understand → businessinsider.com/amazon-third-party-seller-business-bigger-more-profitable-than-aws-2020-1?r=AU&IR=T
2. CNBC, Amazon competing with FedEx & UPS → cnbc.com/2021/09/04/how-amazon-is-shipping-for-third-parties-to-compete-with-fedex-and-ups.html
Breaking up big tech:
1. Vox explains why → vox.com/recode/2019/5/3/18520703/big-tech-break-up-explained
2. AFR on why it won't happen → afr.com/technology/why-no-one-s-going-to-break-up-big-tech-20210407-p57h1p
3. New Yorker on what's next → newyorker.com/business/currency/whats-next-for-the-campaign-to-break-up-big-tech
4. Amnesty International says Google & Facebook's data collection models threaten human rights → https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-21/google-facebook-privacy-amnesty-international-human-rights/11724696
Amazon's infrastructure:
1. AWS goes down and takes large parts of the internet with it
Tech Radar → techradar.com/news/aws-is-down-and-taken-whole-chunks-of-the-internet-with-it
CNBC → cnbc.com/2021/12/09/how-the-aws-outage-wreaked-havoc-across-the-us.html
2. Forbes, on the number of small businesses relying on FBA → forbes.com/sites/kirimasters/2021/10/20/the-most-surprising-stats-from-amazons-2021-small-business-empowerment-report
3. The Verge, on growth in Amazon Prime subscribers → theverge.com/2021/4/15/22385370/amazon-prime-subscription-jeff-bezos-2020-shareholders-letter
4. Growth in Kindle Unlimited subscriptions
→ writtenwordmedia.com/kindle-unlimited-royalties
→ rogerpacker.com/kindle-unlimited-kenp-rate-for-october-2021-stays-steady
5. Audiobook growth → vulture.com/2018/09/audiobooks-are-booming-but-how-long-will-that-last.html
AI capabilities today:
1. Art
→ twitter.com/UrsulaV/status/1467652391059214337
2. Writing
→ blog.theliteracysite.greatergood.com/ai-novel
→ electricliterature.com/i-got-an-artificial-intelligence-to-write-my-novel
→ wired.com/story/ai-text-generator-gpt-3-learning-language-fitfully
2. Music
→ aiva.ai
→ time.com/5774723/ai-music
→ openai.com/blog/musenet
// DAILY WRITING LIVESTREAMS!
120 min long sprints of pure productivity. Come join me in getting words on the page. Check out my channel page for the next livestream: → youtube.com/c/PaperTigerProductions
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/deborahlau
// CHECK OUT
My Cantonese/English bilingual rhyming picture story book for kids aged 2-6:
→ bit.ly/birthdaycantobook
