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As regular readers of this blog know, I've published a book that contains what I consider to be the best of the Sunday Night Journal, a weekly feature that ran for most of a decade here. Click here for more information.
P.S. At the moment (Sept. 20, 2016) Amazon has it priced at $10 for the paperback and $6 for the Kindle, vs. the list prices of $16/$8. Hurry!
I was going to write an anti-Amazon rant here but since it is not appropriate I will just say that the book is also available on B&N.com for those unwilling to give Amazon $100 a year for the rest of their lives.
You don’t have to do the Prime thing to use Amazon!
In principle I hate Amazon, too, but….
I had a note in this post when I first put it up, which I’ve now taken out so the post wouldn’t take up as much room, in which I mentioned that I get a much larger share of the list price from Amazon than from non-Amazon outlets. I guess the reason for that is summed up in the word “middleman”.
It seems like there is now no way around paying shipping & handling costs unless you are a prime member. In the old days I think it was $25 or so for free shipping, then they upped it to $35 (both per order). Now apparently it is $99 and you get it for a year, plus music & movies of their choice. My $25 membership to B&N each year pays for shipping with the caveat that you must pay state income tax if there is a B&N store in the state (I think). This is a better deal for me since I did not take advantage of music and movies from Amazon.
Oh, I see.
Later today I’m going to go to the enormous trouble of getting in my car and driving a couple of miles to the local bookstore to order a couple of books rather than just sitting here and ordering from Amazon with a few clicks. Just a gesture, I guess.
I think that if your order is all books, it’s still a $25 minimum for free shipping. I noticed that the last time I ordered something. But maybe that’s just a periodic “special.”
There’s a bookshop round here that accepts orders by email – only have to go in to pick the books up when they arrive.
How nice. I should check and see if the local one has anything like that. I’ve just been assuming that they don’t. But it wouldn’t require any elaborate new technology.
People who are retired can drive a couple of miles to the bookstore–people who live a couple of miles from a bookstore.
AMDG
Maybe resistance is futile. Amazon now owns AbeBooks and Book Depository, and maybe other online sites. And Oxfam’s non-profit site, Good Books International, now handles all its sales through Amazon.
I’ve got a customer card so they have my name and address on file. I don’t think they’d order things in from random emails. But if they know you I’d have thought it would be worth asking.
That was meant to be funny, Janet.
I had no idea Amazon owned all those other outfits. I’m sorry to hear about Abebooks. Amazon is just so extremely much more convenient that the impulse to use it is almost overwhelming.
I didn’t think to ask them (local bookstore) about that when I was in there this afternoon, but really, why wouldn’t they do it for regular customers?
So was mine. 😉
AMDG
I must be getting rusty.
AMDG
Or I’m obtuse.
I think we’re just old. Anyway, I don’t think I would say anything that sounded that sneering if were serious about it. 😉
AMDG
Light On Dark Water 
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