From: Andrew
Date: March 16, 2010 11:52:41 AM MDT
To: Bob Lefsetz
Subject: Re: Money, Power & Fame

Bob –

Interesting note about Lewis’ new book. There is a backlash on Amazon because the publisher has neglected to release a "Kindle version" (currently 24 negative reviews from people who have not read the book – all citing lack of a Kindle version, compared to 20 favorable reviews from people who have).

Customer Reviews
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

It’s amazing how the publisher’s desire for extra profit has precluded Amazon’s most loyal market – Kindle owners. Kindle users are a group of people who are constantly checking Amazon for new releases. The irony of a book discussing Wall Street’s greed is that the greed of the publisher is killing its potential to reach the widest audience possible during a week that has consisted of non-stop promotion for Lewis with appearances on a variety of highly visible media outlets.  

all the best.

Worse is in 2007 Michael Lewis testified about the Kindle:

Michael Lewis discusses Amazon Kindle

Even worse is Lewis’ lionization of derivatives prior to writing "The Big Short".

Kindle Bomb for Michael Lewis and The Big Short

Lessons To Be Learned:

1. Best sellers draw attention to underlying business issues.  In other words, if Palm bans an app, no one cares, it’s a dying platform, but if Apple bans an app, issues of censorship are raised.
2. The book business, supposedly peopled by the best and the brightest, the educated and the erudite, learned absolutely nothing from the music business’ debacle.  The era of media companies dictating to their customers is dead.  First thing you do, make peace, tweet, collect feedback, establish a bond.  Then try and stretch people to where you want them to be.  But to sit in your ivory tower and dictate is a recipe for ridicule and ultimately death.  Talk to a new act today, if it’s peopled by real musicians, they don’t want to be on a major label.  That’s what ten years of the RIAA against the people will do.
3. Your history rides shotgun along with you.  Your entire online life is searchable.  So, if you do a 180, you’d better have a good explanation.
4. Stories are nurtured online these days.  If you think you can manipulate the mainstream press and breathe a sigh of relief, you’re wrong. What you never wanted publicized gets traction online.  Because if you’re wrong, there’s always a watchdog who wants to nail you, and an army behind him or her ready to join the tribe.

This story is still building, note not only the Motley Fool piece, but Peter Kafka’s at AllThingsD, where I found the above YouTube video: Michael Lewis Loves the Kindle. But Not This Week.