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The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

alexerhardt.com

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Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#21

Post by aerhardt »

GeoSys wrote: post #4
jn6118 wrote: post #2

This article really resonates with me and I'm somewhat relieved to see someone else feels the same way. I love physical books for general reading and will often buy both physical and ebook format for technical books to get the best of both worlds. I now cannot stand print-on-demand books and, like the author, I can spot them very quickly. The quality is abysmal, and I might as well be printing them myself at that poi…

Is there a way to filter out such books when you browse Amazon? They should at least tell you it's an "on-demand" printed book before you order?

I haven't found one, like I mention in the article; I'll edit it if someone proves me wrong.

I'm starting to get a feel for a pattern - the books tend to be more expensive, and also take longer on average to deliver (a few weeks, instead of a few days). The latter would be normal for rare editions and some third-party sellers, but if I'm ordering a popular book and it takes longer than usual to deliver I can kinda smell the dead rat. But the only way to know for sure is to open the box in disappointment.

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#22

Post by dgacmu »

nottorp wrote: post #9

Isn't paperback basically dead in the US because most sales are digital now? Tbh i've given up on dead tree books with the lone exception of a few hard covers because ... space the final frontier.

Mass-market paperbacks are definitely dying, but trade paperbacks continue to sell (at rates lower than mass-market, obviously):

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/p...

(trade paperbacks are the larger paperback editions printed on better paper than the mass market paperbacks, but still soft-cover.)

John Scalzi posted about this a few months ago:

"All my recent books went from hardcover to trade paperback and almost all of my backlist in mass market has now migrated to trade. The role of mass market paperbacks is now handled almost entirely by ebooks."

https://bsky.app/profile/scalzi.com/post/3m7xzfxxcg222

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#23

Post by mat0 »

if you appreciate books, you don’t buy them from amazon. that’s been true for a number of years now. of course, if someone is tight on budget and wants to get a book, I wouldn’t go at them for getting the cheapest option available, which in 99% of cases, amazon is. but for people that can afford it? no excuse. I find it to be immoral to buy from amazon. my wife and I have switched years ago: small local libraries > dussmann > amazon

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#24

Post by rleigh »

It's not just Amazon. I bought a copy of an ARM assembly book from a proper bookseller (Blackwells) which was a proper hardback for a high price--something like £80, and I received a print-on-demand mess with a hardcover. The print was there but barely legible, a dotty mess which gave me a headache. I returned it.

I can see print-on-demand working very well, but not until the quality issues are sorted out. Being charged top dollar for something which is substantially inferior is unacceptable.

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#25

Post by g947o »

EddieB wrote: post #7

The last 3 books I’ve purchased from Amazon (UK) have been of questionable quality. The most recent was Designing Data–Intensive Applications (O’Reilly) and I’m still not sure if it’s print on demand, counterfeit- or just a reject. Roller marks, damaged pages, slightly off print. The returns process is inconvenient, one-offs are okay but on multiple purchases it’s fatiguing and so the book stays. This isn’t specific…

Your DDIA book might be an international version. Check if it says the edition is only for sale in India.

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#26

Post by g947o »

Somewhat related:

Amazon has a huge fake ebook problem as well.

I recently spent $2 buying an ebook that is still copyrighted. It is cheaper than the first item in search result that has more reviews. I thought, it's an ebook, what could go wrong.

Upon opening it, I found that the formatting is completely off. Words are concatenated. It was impossible to read.

A few days later, I noticed that the book is gone from Amazon store. I cannot open the link from my order page, and I cannot even ask for a refund. I had to ask customer service to do that. I guess this was a pirated book that was taken down.

It was a shame Amazon did not even notify me of this.

And I hope this doesn't happen on kobo or elsewhere.

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#27

Post by g947o »

zecg wrote: post #6

I gave up, bought a kobo libra2 that never saw an internet connection (you can find updated firmware online to download) and now just borrow epubs in the soulseek library.

I hope the kobo store has rigorous screening of their books, unlike Amazon: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47386280

These days it's hard to even get a proper book to read.

Re: The emergence of print-on-demand Amazon paperback books

#30

Post by nbernard »

liendolucas wrote: post #13

I've experienced this. Actually when I received the book from Amazon I thought it was a counterfeit copy, only to discover that on the very last page it says: "Printed by Amazon Logistica Italia S.r.l". Amazon's business shouldn't be printing books and obviously they should state clearly that the book you are purchasing is printed by them. The current solution? Just return the item.

> The current solution? Just return the item.

Yes, and write a low stars review explaining the problem. Returns alone don't hurt future sales of identical items.

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