Resist Amazon? Danny Caine interviewed by the Ignorant Cynical person (IC) - Part 1 

I'm looking forward to part 2. I'd just like to add that readers tend have a different mindset than the general public when it comes to technology. When the paperback format was first released in the 1950s everyone said it would be the end of hardcovers but a funny thing happened. Hardcover sales actually increased and several mail order companies that sold special hardcover editions sprung up. Book lovers, when told that a format was about to be discontinued, supported that format more than ever before. I think that's why there are more independent bookstores and second-hand bookstores around than there are independent music stores. Readers are more likely to go out of their way to support local business over technological convenience. That certainly applies to me. I prefer to browse the stacks at my local bookstore. There is something restful about it in our fast-paced world.

Disclaimer: I have not read Danny's book. Danny is right on this show. Amazon can sell books below their value because they have the advantage of consuming their venture capital and shareholder investments to sell books below market value (known as dumping), for the sake of growing their market share. Are consumers benefiting from this? Yes, in the short term but in the long term, consumers will lose, not just in book pricing, but availability, convenience and so on, once Amazon's market share allows them to control the book market to the detriment of everyone for the sole benefit of Amazon.

sharing - more people need to hear this - thanks

Thanks. David

I was overjoyed yesterday to find that a tiny independent bookshop that had disappeared from a backstreet, and which I thought had closed, had simply moved premises to a bigger building, and is looking busy and healthy - and they had a copy of Danny’s book prominently displayed! By the way, an ad encouraging us to make easy money as an Amazon re-seller popped up both midway though, and at the end of this video 🤬🤬🤬

Interesting interview, thanks. Supporting independent bookshops is great! Amazon is an agressive company, I would never want to work for them. That being said, I sadly can't find every book I want in bookshops (some of them can't even be ordered by any shop). I have very specific tastes and interests (theology, quantum mechanics, etc.). I live in France and I'm bilingual, there are many books in English that are impossible to find in French bookshops; the same can be said about books in any other language, and books that are either published by small publishers or haven't been printed in many years. Some books are only available on Amazon (they can't even be found on other websites). If I want a really specific book in English (and/or out of print) on science, philosophy or theology, I'll probably never find it in any bookshop; and sometimes I really do need a specific text, an equivalent isn't always satisfactory. Today I was looking for a modern translation in French or English of "The Books of Jeu" (or the "Bruce Codex"); good luck finding that in a bookshop (especially if you don't live in an area with many shops)... I finally found an academic paper from the University of Laval (Quebec) and directly went through their website. Apparently, the only other places where reliable academic translations of those texts can be found (where I live) are on Amazon and Abe Books (which is owned by Amazon). I'd love to get all my books from independent bookshops, but I can't and I'm not going to avoid reading something because indie shops can't have everything I want/need. It's sad and frustrating, but that's how things are right now. There's still work to be done. Things are being done of course, more and more independent shops are online for example; but it takes time and in the meantime if my only "option" when looking for a book is getting it on Amazon, I'll get it there (I'll obviously get it from an independent bookshop if I can). P.S. I have to say that I don't find romanticism appealing; this romantic view that digital technology is somehow inferior to physical books is a bit superficial. Yes, digital technology can be corrupted and have a limited lifespan, but the same thing can be said about physical books and languages (we have lost most ancient Greek plays and many works of Greek philosophy; so many texts have disappeared over time because of rot, fires, floods, war, etc.). Everything is perishable. There's also this romantic idea that the internet is basically bad and indie shops are automatically wonderful (it may seem like I'm exaggerating, but I've worked in bookshops and I know people who think like that)... I've been to many badly managed indie shops and the internet can be a great tool to learn and find books (and digital technology can also help preserve physical media). I personally think that big online companies and indie shops should be complementary; in countries like France (and other European nations), where many people still support independent shops and physical books, it is more or less the case (we have laws protecting publishers and prices, which help a great deal).

thanks for this informative discussion. points well made.