Dear friend:
Last week, my new book came out. It's called "The Big Disconnect: Why the Internet Hasn't Transformed Politics (Yet)." I hope you'll check it out.
But that's not why I'm writing you this email. A number of folks have been asking me why The Big Disconnect isn't available on Amazon (yet). Here's why:
I want to support independent publishing, which isn't an easy thing to do in the Age of Amazon. My publisher, OR Books, is a small but successful four-year-old press that works closely with each of its authors. Since it isn't publishing hundreds of books a year, it can give each book real attention. An OR book is like a artisanal tomato from a nearby farm, rather than a homogenized product from a giant agribusiness.
OR Books is also working hard to support and sustain a community of engaged readers. So each time OR publishes a new book, it starts by only selling it from its website, direct to you the reader. That way, when you buy a book from them, they can get to know you. (Amazon keeps all of that kind of customer data to itself, by contrast.)
I also like that OR has been developing a rich and diverse line of books on technology and politics. How many other publishers treat "The Internet" as a key part of their catalog? People like Julian Assange, Jacob Applebaum, Jeremie Zimmerman, Douglas Rushkoff, Laura Flanders, David Moon, Patrick Ruffini, and David Segal have also done books with them.
So, right now, my new book is only available online from OR Books. I get that Amazon is really convenient, but it's just as easy to get books directly from OR. (They also sell DRM-free e-book versions that will happily work with your Kindle, iPad, Nook or Sony reader.) Eventually, we'll put The Big Disconnect up on Amazon. But just not yet.
All best,
Micah Sifry
Editorial director and curator
Personal Democracy Media
