In this article, Jane Friedman wrote about Amazon's programs for authors and how it impacts authors, especially those who are self-publishing. I had no idea of all of the writer-focused programs Amazon had at one time, so that was an eye-opener to me. Clearly Amazon had tried different programs to endear itself to writers. The only program that still remains is Kindle Singles and she connects this to a program entitled Kindle Unlimited, which gives readers unlimited access to some of Amazon's content.
Friedman notes that Kindle Unlimited requires that an author give Amazon exclusive rights to their ebook editions (not print) and that is pays those authors based on pages read. By asking for exclusive rights to the ebook editions, Amazon is keeping these digital works out of the hands traditional publishers and thus out of content which libraries might subscribe. This narrows the works that libraries have available for their communities. We might think this is no big deal, but Amazon is a very large company with lots of influence. We don't want them withholding content or limiting access, and we don't need them giving other publishers similar ideas.
We often don't think about what Amazon is doing. We like them or not sometimes based on how they treat their workers. We don't think about how they treat their authors and what that means for the rest of us. What rights do they demand from authors? How long does that agreement last? How does that impact our access?
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