Amazon se convierte en editor

Amazon se convierte en editor de Auto-Edición.
Muchos siguen pensando que es sólo una moda y que no tiene mucho que ver con la "edición profesional", pero lo que lulu.com comenzó, es una clara tendencia en Internet.

en Thebookseller leemos:

Amazon makes move into publishing
30.08.07 Tom Tivnan

Amazon has made its first foray into publishing with a new print-on-demand service for would-be authors. But the launch has prompted a storm of comment across the internet, with Timo Hannay, Nature Publishing Group's director of web publishing, suggesting that the move could be "the publishing news of the decade".

CreateSpace, currently available only through the US site Amazon.com, is a self-publishing service that enables authors to upload content from a PDF directly onto the internet retailer's site. The books are printed on demand and shipped within 24 hours from when they are ordered.

The service will compete with print-on-demand companies such as Lightning Source and Antony Rowe, as well as self-publishing companies Lulu and AuthorHouse, and enables authors to set the price for the book. Amazon charges authors a flat $3.15 (£1.57) per copy, plus a 2-cent (1p) charge per page and a percentage of the list price (30% for sales through Amazon.com).
The service has had teething problems thus far with some potential authors complaining of long upload times of up to 21 days before being listed on the site.

The pricing has also raised concerns: Macmillan c.e.o. Richard Charkin pointed out on his blog that charging $10 (£4.98) for a 200-page paperback means the author would actually owe Amazon $0.15 (£0.07).

Comment online has suggested that the move could knock publishers and other literary third parties out of the equation. Hannay wrote on his Nature blog: "Amazon becomes the ultimate clearing house for books of all kinds (and much else besides), with none of the traditional middlemen getting a look in. Genius. If you're an agent, publisher, wholesaler, or retailer of books and you haven't just soiled your undies, then you don't understand what's going on."

Dan Penny, director and lead analyst at publishing consultants Outsell, believes that CreateSpace could ultimately have a positive impact on trade publishers. "I think it will be a hurry-up call to upgrade their own online systems. I would love to see HarperCollins or Random House produce their own CreateSpace-type programmes."

Lightning Source c.e.o. and president J Kirby Best said the added competition in the sector would "only make the industry stronger and publishers more successful". He added: "As the on-demand market continues to grow, additional solutions will continue to evolve and develop for all types of publishers." Amazon.co.uk said it had "no immediate plans" to introduce the service in the UK.