Well, I feel just like Radio Free Monday right now, even if it is Friday…
I asked, a while ago, for resources that could supplant Amazon.com. Most of them are book-oriented, which I think is still Amazon’s stock in trade despite being an online megamart these days. Here were your suggestions!
JJ suggested Book View Cafe, an Author Cooperative: “Book View Café came together in March of 2008 around a group of authors with a simple aim: to use the Internet to bring our work directly to our readers. It was already clear that a revolution was coming to the publishing industry and we wanted to help shape its course. Working with a shoe-string budget and volunteer labor, but drawing on a collective century’s worth of experience in the publishing industry, we created the Book View Café website, a place where readers can browse and discover new authors and titles alongside current favorites. We made sure that fresh fiction appeared on the front page every day, a feat made possible by the extensive list of material available to over twenty professional authors.”
Neverasmith suggested Better World Books, which often has better prices than Amazon, and Mink Rose seconded that recc and added IndieBound as a commonly-linked resource.
Raye suggested Fishpond for Australians, which offers free delivery on orders over $50 and has a record for treating its employees well.
Maggie suggested, for self-publishers, Gumroad.
Mer suggested Half Price Books, which now has an online marketplace (which is yay, because the most frustrating thing was knowing the store had it but not being able to get there). She’s also interested in hearing any advice about how to acquire digital music without using Amazon or iTunes.
And lastly, Seventy has more news about Amazon: they’re collecting data on library ebook use. This might not seem at all strange to some, but most librarians are horrified at the idea of gathering and keeping this kind of data on their users.
extribulum 