by Jay Hartman
Q: I read recently it’s not possible to buy ebooks through the Amazon app if you’re on Android. Can you explain what that means? How does it affect authors? – T.R., Orlando, Florida
A: Yep, this is true. However, this is something iOS users have experienced for a while.
What’s Going On
Google set a policy for the app developers and publishers that use their Google Play store for distribution. Their policy requires any transactions that happen through a Google Store app must use the Google billing system to ensure Google receives their contractual 15-30 percent cut of the pie. So, if you download the Amazon app for your Android phone through the Google Play app store, any purchases you make through the app requires a cut to go to Google.
Amazon has used ways to go around this policy for a long time. As a result of circumventing the rules with some clever tweaks, Google hasn’t received their cut. Amazon isn’t the only company playing this game, but they are the largest. Barnes and Noble did the same thing with their Android app.
Google decided to stop looking the other way on these violations and start enforcing their policies. Rather than pony up the percentages, Amazon and Barnes and Noble have decided to stop selling ebooks through their apps so they can keep a bigger percentage for themselves. There’s a certain irony there, considering Amazon is the only retailer in the world that charges authors and publishers a fee to deliver an ebook to their reader, in addition to taking anywhere from 30-60% of the sale.
Again, this is new to the Android mobile platform, but not new to mobile. Apple established a similar rule for their platform and has enforced this rule for years. By the first week of June, Android users will see this policy fully implemented.
The Downside
The real downside is for the reader/purchaser, but it could ultimately effect authors and publishers. Until now a user of the Amazon app opened it, found a title they liked and pay for it. Easy peasy. Now readers need to navigate to the Amazon website to make their purchase, then they’ll add it to their Kindle Cloud or send it to a specific device. You can still browse for titles in the app; you just can’t buy them.
This adds steps to a process that used to be a one-click solution. It’s not horrible, as most people use a device that has a web browser built into it. Let’s say you’re at an airport that has no wi-fi and a poor signal. You’re not going to find it easy to buy and load titles before a flight. People with wi-fi-only devices will definitely be impacted on a bigger scale than those with 3G capabilities baked in. Based on sales figures wi-fi-only is the most popular format, so it’s a large user base.
Impulse buying will likely drop off a bit as people have to jump through more hoops than before. Also, if you have timed sales, there’s a higher likelihood people will miss out if they’re not able to sit down at a computer and take advantage of your promotion.
It’s hard to tell the impact this will have, but you should plan to see a decrease of sales in the short term.
The Upside
Wait, there’s good news about making it harder for readers to buy through Amazon? Yup, there sure is.
Publishers and authors have struggled for a long time to get people to buy ebooks directly from their site, thanks to the ease of just clicking a button in an app. Now, the playing field has leveled a bit. This is the time to show readers “look, if you have to go to a website to buy the book and send it to your reader, why don’t you just come to my website and buy the book and email it to your Kindle account?” There may be fewer steps in the process by selling directly to your reader. Plus, you’re keeping a larger percentage of every sale, and you’re not being assessed a fee to deliver your title. There is no shame in telling readers you earn more when someone buys directly from you. You should also tell people about Amazon’s delivery fee, because most readers have no idea that’s going on.
We had stopped selling ebooks from our site, but we now plan to reinstate them. It’s a smart business decision to capture that business for our authors on our own site and get them the highest royalty possible. It’ll require educating readers a bit, but that’s part of the business of publishing.
The Bottom Line
The change in ordering procedures may seem like it’ll have a negative impact, but this is the perfect time to drive more readers to your own site or your publisher’s store and pocket more in royalties. Every app-store policy change comes with a silver lining, so stay positive about bringing those readers to your “home” on the internet.
Looking to get The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@untreedreads.com with TPP in your subject line. If your question is used, we’ll send you a free ebook from Untreed Reads.
Jay A. Hartman, editor-in-chief at Untreed Reads Publishing, founded Untreed Reads to promote ebooks with an emphasis on independent authors and publishers. He’s written about the ebook industry for fifteen years and previously served as content editor for KnowBetter.com, one of the internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing.
