This first book-length analysis of Amazon's Kindle explores the
platform's technological, bibliographical, and social impact on
publishing.
Four Shades of Gray offers the first book-length analysis of Amazon's
Kindle and its impact on publishing. Simon Peter Rowberry recounts how
Amazon built the infrastructure for a new generation of digital
publications, then considers the consequences of having a single company
control the direction of the publishing industry. Exploring the platform
from the perspectives of technology, texts, and uses, he shows how the
Kindle challenges traditional notions of platforms as discrete entities.
He argues that Amazon's influence extends beyond "disruptive technology"
to embed itself in all aspects of the publishing trade; yet despite
industry pushback, he says, the Kindle has had a positive influence on
publishing.
Rowberry documents the first decade of the Kindle with case studies of
Kindle Popular Highlights, an account of the digitization of books
published after 1922, and a discussion of how Amazon's patent filings
reflect a shift in priorities. Rowberry argues that while it was
initially convenient for the book trade to outsource ebook development
to Amazon, doing so has had adverse consequences for publishers in the
mid- and long term, limiting opportunities for developing an inclusive
and forward-thinking digital platform. While it has forced publishers to
embrace digital forms, the Kindle has also empowered some previously
marginalized readerships. Although it is still too early to judge the
long-term impact of ebooks compared with that of the older technologies
of clay tablets, the printing press, and offset printing, the shockwaves
of the Kindle continue to shape publishing.
