Skip to content

Culture & Religion — September 13, 2011

Amazon & ‘Netflix for Books’

Great for consumers, bad for authors? As Amazon prepares to launch its long-rumored Android-powered tablet, it is also reportedly thinking about an e-book rental service.

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

What’s the Latest Development?

As the company prepares to launch its long-rumored Android-powered tablet, Amazon is developing content initiatives to ensure the device is well-suited to delivering ample digital content to consumers and, in turn, more revenue back to the company’s bottom line. In addition to negotiating with magazines and newspapers to offer a subscription service, Amazon is reportedly also thinking about launching an e-book rental service.

What’s the Big Idea?

The service would make a library of backlist e-books available to Amazon Prime subscribers. News of the service, dubbed by some as a sort of “Netflix for books” has met mixed reactions from publishers, whose traditional business models have already been thoroughly challenged by Amazon and other digital forces. “Great for consumers, very bad for authors,” says one comment on the article.

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Related

Not like Amazon: Why China’s Alibaba has stalled after a meteoric rise

Although it’s often described as the Amazon of China, Alibaba has a radically different business model that does not rely on inventory management.

How Amazon made $200 billion a year in pure profit

Some analysts predict that Amazon’s revenue will double over the next five years.

Pearson’s Strategic Investment in NOOK Media

Back in February I shared my thoughts on Pearson and why I think they should target the market with their own tablet device. Back then the iPad 2 was still […]

Culture & Religion

Amazon’s Fire Tablet Won’t Rival iPad

The Kindle Fire itself isn’t groundbreaking as far as devices go, but it should provide the most convenient platform for accessing Amazon’s many services. It can succeed without killing the iPad.

Collage of geopolitical symbols, featuring a close-up of a man's bald head, China's flag, a globe highlighting Taiwan, and circuit patterns.

Why the USSR and China fell behind the US in the Chip Cold War

Both nations made missteps, but China still has a chance to make up lost ground.

Up Next

Culture & Religion

PR Should Be More Social Media Savvy

Digital fitness–the ability to adapt to changes in the digital environment—is lacking in the PR sector though it was an early adopter of social media. Time to rethink traditional PR tactics.