LOL no

[quivo]

Via Mobileread: Amazon applying for in-book ad patent for kindle.

Oh Amazon. The only reason I buy from them nowadays is the fact that I don't own a Kindle. Why are they so determined to drive me to ditching it for something else?

I mean, realistically, if they started putting ads in books, they would probably still have a sizeable chunk of the market, especially if they used that to lower their ebook prices even more. And I can't imagine that I would go so far as to stop buying ebooks if ad-infested versions were all that was available. However, I can definitely imagine just downloading the non-ad-infested version and rolling on. I don't buy books to read someone else's ad content, no matter how 'targeted' it may be.

Even more annoying is the fact that there exist methods RIGHT NOW in most semi-advanced ebook formats that would allow retailers like Amazon and so forth to cross-sell books by the same author or publisher or whatnot. Why the idea of the back pages promoting this book or that sequel haven't made the jump into current ebooks is beyond me.

Comments

[elf]

They'll be giving the competition a wedge for claiming to offer something Amazon doesn't: ad-free content.

Right now, the public is too confused about DRM to notice that DRM-free ebooks are more stable and often higher quality, and besides, few ebook stores have them, and those aren't the mainstream publishers. I'm sure BooksOnBoard would love to be able to say, "yeah, our books are a couple of bucks more... but HAVE NO ADS!"

Knowing how lucrative clickthrough ads are on websites, I have some idea how much an ad in an ebook is worth. Full-page ad when you first open the book? Is that worth twenty-five cents per copy of the book sold--especially since Kindlebooks are sold with the concept that only one person will ever read it?

They might be working on more dynamic ads--a page of Whispernet-fed ads that load every time you open the book, and have clickable links in them. But it seems that'd quickly annoy most customers, and they'd actively seek other sources for the books they want to read. (Oh, and in the process, notice the DRM issues that prevent them from buying from most other ebook stores.) Anything less dynamic & invasive isn't worth advertiser's money (advertisers are not going to think 1 purchase=1 reader is an advantage); anything that customers have to notice, will drive them away. At least some of them.

I think Amazon's exploring financing options, which is a good move, and setting itself up to shoot itself in the foot, which is not.

[stormcloude]

Wow, another reason I'll never own a Kindle. :/

[havocthecat]

Ew. Ads in my ebooks? Dude. First, have they not yet learned that people just stop seeing ads? Second, I don't buy books for ads. I buy books for actual content. I'll just, um, start buying my books places that don't have ads.

[willow]

So... are prose books supposed to be comic floppies now? Then again the comic industry won't even try to have comics people pay for so they can -download them-.

I cannot imagine getting all excited to have an e-reader, and then opening it up to see ads. And really, how soon after they do that? Than someone cracks the program and offers a download that erases the ads from view.

Not everyone is going to be worried about voiding their warranty.

And if it's something only available to newer models, I can see a sudden heavy trade for the older models and people just not buying the new stuff. Amazon is not the only egg in the basket, even if it thinks so.