Amazon

This is 'Bookstore Amazon' as opposed to 'River Amazon'!

Here, in Malaysia, we do not get some of the advantages from ‘Amazon’ that others enjoy.

We do not, for example, have the pleasure of purchasing ‘Kindle’ books. This is even to the point of not being able to ‘buy’ a ‘Kindle’ reader, which is, to be honest, a free download.

For some reason ‘Amazon’ has decided that the risk of piracy in Malaysia is too high to risk sending e-books here.

One wonders if the powers-that-be at ‘Amazon’ have not considered that someone might visit UK or the USA with their tablet, download an e-book while they are there and return to Malaysia with it.

What, then, would be the difference between buying a ‘Kindle’ publication here and buying it elsewhere?

On my old computer I had a ‘Kindle’ reader along with several e-books that were purchased here in Malaysia. This inability to buy them now is a relatively new decision.

What is it that has turned the tables?

We are also confused by the ability of other ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) to buy from ‘Amazon’ but not Malaysia.

Are Malaysians really so wicked? Is piracy really so great here that we cannot be trusted with e-books?

Some years ago I learnt that my book, ‘A Simple Guide To Understanding Jet Engines’ (ASGTUJE), had been pirated.

In Poland.

This guy was selling photocopied versions of it. The quality was not so good, you understand, but it seemed to be selling.

Poland. Not Malaysia.

We decided that the answer to this was to ignore it. Let him put rice on his table if he was so desperate, by selling my handiwork. We should regard it as marketing. People might buy his product and then decide to purchase the real thing in search of (much) higher quality.

The problem arises in that this book was written with students who have English as a Second Language (ESL) in mind. Many of them live here in Malaysia – where they cannot buy the electronic version*.

Fortunately there is now a platform here called e-Sentral where e-books can be published. The publisher seems to be formatting ASGTUJE into a form that e-Sentral will accept.

ASGTUJE E-Book

Perhaps, in time, Malaysians will also be able to access other e-book titles from e-Sentral that they cannot read from ‘Amazon’.

This would be ‘Amazon’s’ loss. Perhaps they will not notice given their vast Worldwide coverage and sales.

*NB: For those who live in Malaysia there are still a number of physical ASGTUJE books available.

The Publisher tells me that a discount is available for Colleges and bona fide students of aviation subjects.

SGTUJE Physical Book

Available everywhere at RM81 + Post & Packing