Episode 104: Amazon.com

This week, we're joined by author Beth Terrell to discuss the behemoth that is Amazon. Love them or hate them, sometimes both at once, there's no denying the massive influence that Amazon has had on the publishing landscape. From providing readers a voice for both good and ill, to undercutting chain bookstores, to revolutions in self-publishing, and now to the iconic Kindle, Amazon has sent tremors through a century-old industry, and redefined how we buy, select, and even read our books. In addition, Josh discusses one of the most bizarre books he's read (involving a malevolent refrigerator), Dietrich tackles a massive epic by Brandon Sanderson, and Beth introduces us to a pair of authors we haven't read before. You can send questions or comments to questions@thelibrarypolice.com.
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0:00 - 28:57
E-mails, News, and What We've Been Reading:
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28:57 - 1:13:27
How Amazon Changed Everything: Along with frequent guest and bestselling author Beth "Jaden" Terrell, we take a look this week at Amazon, the website whose humble beginnings gave no real clue of how it would change bookselling forever - and not always for the better. From concerns about eBook ownership rights to changes in the bestseller list, from the Kindle to loss-leads and more, we take a look at Amazon and try to discuss how it changed the book industry forever, and why not all of that is always a good thing.
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1:13:27 - 1:32:51
Off the Bookshelves: Beth catches up on a couple of big superhero films; meanwhile, Dietrich keeps moving on through Sons of Anarchy and is still feeling good about it. Also, he goes to see the show Patton Oswalt once called "catnip for old people," and we'll leave it at that. And I wrap things up with an iPhone version of a classic board game, an award-winning foreign film, and a brilliant new Cold War spy drama from FX.
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