the problem isn't Amazon. its the American Author's Guild. Amazon is simply the marketplace. now, Amazon has also done its own little bit when it came to their tablet device (and they were forced to have to deal with us after their contract with ASU popped up a problem with blind students). I am not sure if their latest kindle product (the kindle fire) is accessible. had they bothered to include accessibility in the design from the first drawing board designs, there would be a much larger market for them to sell to. since they discounted us (like a lot of private firms often do) they lost out. most retailers online tend to discount us simply because they think there are a lot less of us than there actually is. the result is that they fail to realize any market potential. I know of several authors (Dianne Duane for instance) who try to include provisions in their publishing contracts that allow production of audio books for the blind (a secondary market separate from commercial audiobooks). I have met several authors over the years at the various conventions held here in the valley. in all cases, they were a lot more receptive to allowing the blind "nearly free" access to their works in audio format. Unfortunately, their publishing agents were not so receptive (one going so far as to ask me why I even bother reading. its not like I can see to read). that particular agent that made that quip managed to lose three authors on that weekend because of what he said. He didn't last long at Random House after that.
The biggest problem I see with the American Author's Guild is that they are trying to lock up the audio book market, regardless of whether or not they actually represent the particular author or not. what is even worse is the fact they even lock down public domain works offered for free through Amazon. They don't own the rights, yet they can control how a work can be presented. I have several such books here from Amazon and because the read-aloud flag is disabled, I cannot read these books. so? what use are they to me then? I would dare say that with the increased use of digital media, we are gradually seeing an end to paper bound books (the latest example of this is the Encyclopedia Britanica). so, the paper publishing industry is trying to hang on to an outdated business model (much like the RIAA and the MPAA). when the market changes, the retailers and producers either better adapt or go out of business. its that simple. with this in mind, it is no wonder that a lot of authors are going the direct publishing route. they get to earn more from their work than assigning to a publisher the rights and getting a pittance for their work. this is the same market model that iTunes uses and it has been very successful, even after the fight that the RIAA put up trying to close them down. This is the digital age and the old business models are no longer effective (or relevant). The authors know this and the publishing industry is painfully aware of this. as an example of what works, look at Glenn Beck. He runs his own publishing house. He publishes in paper and digital formats. the Digital formats are far more profitable than paper (though paper has its own appeal). The man nets $40 million a year from all his ventures. I have his books in audiobook format (and all I had to do was ask, and I got a good discount). He sees which way the wind is blowing. so, here we are. a small market, but not without some power to affect things. all we need to do is use it. Those of us with print disabilities (due to neurological malfunction, blindness, etc.) comprise slightly more than 15% of the general population, with the blind being a large percentage of that (roughly 9% here in the US). that is a non-trivial market figure. 26 million visually impaired/blind people in the US alone. that is not a small market segment. we need to organize like the deaf did back in the 1970's and force the publishing industry to recognize us. we need to be voting with our wallets. that is the only tool they understand. -eric On Mar 23, 2012, at 10:35 PM, David Tanner wrote: > Well, I guess I am not as convinced as you are. The truth is it really is > all about the money, and rich publishers figure they aren't going to make > much money off of blind people anyway, so why should they give in because > they have the money and the control and they would just as soon keep it that > way. > > If blind folks would tell Amazon that the blind are going to start a campeign > to publically advertise the lame way that they have bowed to the publishers > and that every attempt would be made to convince people not to buy from > Amazon until they changed their actions then maybe they might get somewhere. > > But, I know a whole lot of blind people who complain about Kindell and go > right ahead and purchase all kinds of other things from Amazon. So, if they > really want to get the point accross they had better be willing to stop > making any purchases from Amazon until it starts to hurt a little. If you > tell them you want them to change then don't keep giving them any business > until they wise up and change Kindell. > > > David Tanner - Host > MainMenu > Technology from a blindness perspective! > www.mainmenu.acbradio.org > www.twitter.com/mainmenu > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ricardo Walker" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 8:53 PM > Subject: Re: Kindle App on iPhone > > > lol, > > I agree its stupid but, I doubt these people huddled up in a corner and said, > " lets figure out away to steel money from a population base which extremely > small, and has a 70% unemployment rate. I just think their paranoid about > sighted people taking advantage of this, not how to make an extra buck off > blind folks. > > JMO. > > Ricardo Walker > [email protected] > Twitter:@apple2thecore > www.appletothecore.info > > On Mar 22, 2012, at 10:03 PM, Ray Foret Jr <[email protected]> wrote: > >> That's not quite true. It's not because of copy right. The truth is this. >> It's because of the Author's guild. They don't want the blind to be able to >> read their books without extra costs. Their twisted reasoning is that the >> text to speech technology will rob them of sales. Every single organization >> of the blind is fighting this stupid infantile logic. >> >> >> Sincerely, >> The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!! >> >> Now a very proud and happy Mac user!!! >> >> Skype name: >> barefootedray >> >> Facebook: >> facebook.com/ray.foretjr.1 >> >> >> >> On Mar 22, 2012, at 8:39 PM, Hank Smith wrote: >> >>> so because of stupid drm copy write crap the blind can't read the ebooks? >>> On 3/22/2012 6:30 PM, Esther wrote: >>>> Hi Jeff, >>>> >>>> There are a number of ebook apps that specifically disable VoiceOver's >>>> ability to access the content in order to preserve digital rights >>>> management. This is also true if you try to use the Barnes & Noble Nook >>>> app, for example. You'll notice that usually you can access everything >>>> except for the actual content of the text. That's being blocked. You can >>>> verify this by taking a screen capture, and sending the results to an OCR >>>> app like Prizmo or TextGrabber. The OCR app will tell you what the >>>> contents are, but obviously you're not going to read the book by screen >>>> capturing every page and sending it to an OCR app. >>>> >>>> If you want to read another example of this viewpoint, that the ability of >>>> screen readers to access text would promote copyright violation, take a >>>> look at Greg Kearney's posted response from Fictionwise in the archives, >>>> sent in reply to his inquiry about ebook accessibility for their ebook >>>> reading app just a few months after the iPhone 3GS was released >>>> with VoiceOver support: >>>> • Fwd: Response for Support Ticket #102495 >>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries%40googlegroups.com/msg06200.html >>>> Since this is the Mail Archive post, if you're reading on your computer, >>>> you can also use access key shortcuts of Control-N to read down the thread >>>> for other reader comments. >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> >>>> Esther >>>> >>>> On Mar 22, 2012, at 2:59 PM, Ray Foret Jr wrote: >>>> >>>>> Forget it. It ain't gonna happen. >>>>> >>>>> It ain't accessible at all. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Sincerely, >>>>> The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!! >>>>> >>>>> Now a very proud and happy Mac user!!! >>>>> >>>>> Skype name: >>>>> barefootedray >>>>> >>>>> Facebook: >>>>> facebook.com/ray.foretjr.1 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Mar 22, 2012, at 7:38 PM, Jeff Berwick wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Hi All, >>>>>> >>>>>> I downloaded the Kindle app so I can read some of the books that my wife >>>>>> is reading. I can't, however, figure out how to get it to work. Has >>>>>> anybody had success with the Kindle app? Is it accessible? Any tips? >>>>>> >>>>>> It looks like, to me, that it is displaying images instead of rendering >>>>>> the text. >>>>>> >>>>>> Thx, >>>>>> Jeff >>>>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> websites: >>> >>> http://www.fivedollarfreedomplan.com/hs5leap.html >>> http://www.tmiwireless.com/?aid=54868 >>> http://www.tmiwireless.com/affiliate/?aid=54868 >>> >>> personal email: >>> >>> [email protected] >>> >>> facebook: >>> >>> http://www.facebook.com/hanksmith5 >>> >>> Klango: >>> hanksmith >>> Skype: >>> hank.smith966 >>> Amateur radio call sign: >>> ke7ief >>> check out my Youtube video of a song I recorded in Nashville Tennessee! >>> >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqut5Bi3e7A >>> >>> also you can find my youtube channel at: >>> >>> http://www.youtube.com/hanksmith2011 >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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