I hate territoriality rules.

[conuly]

I can get Fly By Night on Kindle, but not the sequel, Fly Trap, unless I'm in the UK. I can get books 1 and 2 of the Ash Mistry books, but I can't get book 3 in the US. I can get The Hero and the Crown, but not The Blue Sword. I can get Heroes of the Valley in English in England, but only in German in the US.

Why do they not want me to send them money?

Ugh!

Can't even freaking pirate them because none of the books I want to have Kindle copies of (to backup my dead tree copies) are so overwhelmingly popular. Well, if they were I'd be able to buy them here, wouldn't I?

You know, when I was a kid, I just kinda assumed that America got everything first, and that anyway, we certainly got everything. Was that ever even true? With digital media especially, why can't we all get everything at the same time? Wouldn't that be the most sensible way to manage things?

Rant, rant, rant, rant.

Comments

[nicki]

I think we never got all the UK kids books at least. I know I have UK copies of Noel Streatfield books (the Shoes books) that I never saw in a US store.

[conuly]

You're right about that, I guess. But we didn't know it then.

[st_aurafina]

With digital media especially, why can't we all get everything at the same time? Wouldn't that be the most sensible way to manage things.

Seriously.

[zhelana]

that does seem weird. Why would they make a digital product and then restrict it from the US? Is it because of copyright laws here?

[conuly]

I have no idea what the heck is up with regional territory rules. My guess is that there are different publishers who own the rights to these books in different regions, and they don't all agree to put their books for sale.

Google supports this interpretation: http://bit.ly/1kE8trf

So a book might be available with Publisher A in England, but Publisher B might only want to print it in, well, print in America, and Publisher C in Canada might not want to carry it at all.

This is fucking bullshit for so many reasons.

[zhelana]

I agree - this is fucking bullshit.

[lucie-p.livejournal.com]

Try being German, living in Germany and wanting to read most of your books in English.
It'll lead you to using mobilism.org in no time flat.