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Amazon has a new toy. It’s called the Kindle. The tool itself is interesting, and I might even get around to buying one (once they’re in stock again). But the thing that intrigues me more than the device is the possibilities.

As a published author, I know first hand the relationship between author and publisher. It is a love hate relationship, to say the least. Publishers are a necessary evil. You need them to gain an audience, get your work out there, and help with the printing process. But they come at a high price. You sign away all of your rights to your work. Publishers often keep 80-90 percent of the cover price of the book. If you end up with a small publisher (as you most often do), it gets worse. They keep movie rights, audio rights, etc.

I’ve written before about these issues, and I’ve wrung my hands over different models that might replace the current, outdated one. So every time I come across a potential ‘industry shattering’ piece of technology, my fingers start twitching.

Amazon will, of course, have all the big names and big books. There is already a good list of well known authors and books. But the service allows anybody to post their own work. The positive side is that authors will get a whooping 35 percent of the cover price. Unheard of for first time or even long time authors. And what happens if you find a publisher who wants to publish the book? You terminate the service. In the publishing world you don’t get copyright back, at least not for years. With Kindle you get it back immediately. You’re free to take your book somewhere else.

The only thing missing is the marketing side of things. If I post my book, how are people going to hear about it? Will there be reviews? Will others be able to rate my work? Will people who enjoy my style of writing be able to find my books?

Kindle is a cool little piece of technology. I hope it becomes the iPod of content distribution. And I hope authors everywhere realize that it might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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Published on: November 23rd, 2007

Categories: Gadgets, Tech Stories