--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand…" description: "\"Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand: Don't Get iTunesed with your eBooks\" — Cory Doctorow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png" --- # Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand: Don't Get iTunesed… ![“Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand: Don't Get iTunesed with your eBooks” quote by Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png) > “Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand: Don't Get iTunesed with your eBooks” [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Avoid being trapped by restrictive digital platforms for eBooks. **In simple terms:** Don’t let iTunes control your eBooks. Key Takeaway Seek open, user‑friendly distribution channels. Themes digital rights platform control independence Mood cautious informative Type advice technical When to use this quote - publishing - self‑publishing - library acquisition Key Concepts open source consumer autonomy Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives exist for independent authors? - How can readers protect their digital ownership? A Different Perspective Open platforms may have hidden costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Digital Distribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-distribution-406100/) [Distribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distribution/) [Distribution Whip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distribution-whip-1666264/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Whip Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whip-hand-1666265/) [Whips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whips/) ## Related quotes > [The power of digital distribution over physical retail outlets is you have a chance to create a global audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/the-power-of-digital-distribution-over-physical-retail-outlets-is-you/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [People try to read a lot into what 'digital' means. It's just another platform. There are very attractive things that happen if you invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bewkes/people-try-to-read-a-lot-into-what-digital-means-it-s-just-another/) [Jeffrey Bewkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bewkes/) > [Even if there were no illegal copying, the advent of digital distribution will put a lot of stress on the movie and music industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-felten/even-if-there-were-no-illegal-copying-the-advent-of-digital/) [Edward Felten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-felten/) > [“Digital distribution has widened the reading world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/digital-distribution-has-widened-the-reading-world/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“hold out your right hand, palm up. Imagine a 2-inch-tall version of yourself in a military uniform, with a whip in one hand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-n-beck/hold-out-your-right-hand-palm-up-imagine-a-2-inch-tall-version-of/) [Martha N. Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-n-beck/) > [Sad old blokes, I'm told, now dream of me with a whip in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-robinson/sad-old-blokes-i-m-told-now-dream-of-me-with-a-whip-in-hand/) [Anne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-robinson/) > [Digital distribution is a whole other way of communicating with your fans and giving them content at their leisure. It's like, there are people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosario-dawson/digital-distribution-is-a-whole-other-way-of-communicating-with-your/) [Rosario Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosario-dawson/) > [“The stunning thing about a zero-marginal-cost digital distribution system is that we forget that it could allow artists to run a nonprofit distribution cooperative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-taplin/the-stunning-thing-about-a-zero-marginal-cost-digital-distribution/) [Jonathan Taplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-taplin/) > [When DVD disappeared but before digital distribution came on strong, there were a few years where a movie that didn't get theatrical would just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/when-dvd-disappeared-but-before-digital-distribution-came-on-strong/) [Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/) > [At Yahoo, we were one of the early proponents of the power of content showcased through new media. SnagFilms, with its large library and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-semel/at-yahoo-we-were-one-of-the-early-proponents-of-the-power-of-content/) [Terry Semel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-semel/) > [For Sony, owning a studio is a gamble and probably a pretty good one, now that in the broadband era having content is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/for-sony-owning-a-studio-is-a-gamble-and-probably-a-pretty-good-one/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [Movie distribution may very well have migrated fully to digital form by then, making a huge dent in the need to print film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/movie-distribution-may-very-well-have-migrated-fully-to-digital-form/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## More by Cory Doctorow > [“For me -- for pretty much every writer -- the big problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-me-for-pretty-much-every-writer-the-big-problem-isn-t-piracy-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“Kurt smiled a shy smile. "You're just trying to cheer me up," he said. "Course I am," Andy said. "You deserve to be full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/kurt-smiled-a-shy-smile-you-re-just-trying-to-cheer-me-up-he-said/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/right-and-you-point-out-something-important-which-is-that-people-who/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [The other one I did was 'I, Robot.' I take apart Isaac Asimov's Robots world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-other-one-i-did-was-i-robot-i-take-apart-isaac-asimov-s-robots/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“When in problem, or in doubt, run in cirles, scream and shout”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/when-in-problem-or-in-doubt-run-in-cirles-scream-and-shout/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“the problem with reading off a screen isn’t resolution, eyestrain, or compatibility with reading in the bathtub: it’s that computers are seductive, they tempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-problem-with-reading-off-a-screen-isn-t-resolution-eyestrain-or/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“Anything invented before you were eighteen was there all along. Anything invented before you’re thirty is exciting and will change the world forever. Anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/anything-invented-before-you-were-eighteen-was-there-all-along/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Novels for me are how I find out what's going on in my own head. And so that's a really useful and indeed critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/novels-for-me-are-how-i-find-out-what-s-going-on-in-my-own-head-and/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“It’s our version of Christian guilt—it’s impious to feel good about your piety. You have to want to be good, but not feel good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-our-version-of-christian-guilt-it-s-impious-to-feel-good-about/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [The important thing about security systems isn’t how they work, it’s how they fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-important-thing-about-security-systems-isn-t-how-they-work-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [This is why I loved technology: if you used it right, it could give you power and privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/this-is-why-i-loved-technology-if-you-used-it-right-it-could-give-you/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Funny, for all surveillance, Osama bin Laden is still free—and we're not. Guess who's winning the "war on terror?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/funny-for-all-surveillance-osama-bin-laden-is-still-free-and-we-re/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I had this really great amazing thing happen where I almost finished the book and I really needed to come up with an ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-had-this-really-great-amazing-thing-happen-where-i-almost-finished/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [It's the stupid questions that have some of the most surprising and interesting answers. Most people never think to ask the stupid questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-the-stupid-questions-that-have-some-of-the-most-surprising-and/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) [Explore all 195 Cory Doctorow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) ## More Digital quotes > [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [When I went to medical school, the term 'digital' applied only to rectal exams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/when-i-went-to-medical-school-the-term-digital-applied-only-to-rectal/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [I'm not mad at digital media at all; I just see the importance and beauty of physical media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/i-m-not-mad-at-digital-media-at-all-i-just-see-the-importance-and/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [To bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans, the FCC needs to make it easier for companies to build and expand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/to-bring-the-benefits-of-the-digital-age-to-all-americans-the-fcc/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) > [It is very hard to transform your culture and your workforce to be a relevant company in the digital world if all of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/it-is-very-hard-to-transform-your-culture-and-your-workforce-to-be-a/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [But I had never drawn on a tablet before. I've been doing pencil and paper and film for almost 20 years. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hertzfeldt/but-i-had-never-drawn-on-a-tablet-before-i-ve-been-doing-pencil-and/) [Don Hertzfeldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-hertzfeldt/) > [If you want to live a meaningfully better life, you're going to have to make the dangerous choice to dissent. A life lived meaningfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/if-you-want-to-live-a-meaningfully-better-life-you-re-going-to-have/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it's laying out a garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/as-human-beings-we-are-the-only-organisms-that-create-for-the-sheer/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [I do think there's something about the digital age that is increasingly dehumanising us. We're in this very weird place where we're being pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-do-think-there-s-something-about-the-digital-age-that-is/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [A lot of people that buy vinyl today don’t realise that they’re listening to CD masters on vinyl and that’s because the record companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/a-lot-of-people-that-buy-vinyl-today-don-t-realise-that-they-re/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) [Browse all 1,708 Digital quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand: Don't Get iTunesed with your eBooks", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cory Doctorow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-don-t-get-itunesed-with-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Digital" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-don-t-get-itunesed-with-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/cory-doctorow-1928_digital_digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-d_1758042.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand: Don't Get iTunesed with your eBooks” — Cory Doctorow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cory Doctorow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Digital Distribution and the Whip Hand:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-don-t-get-itunesed-with-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/digital-distribution-and-the-whip-hand-don-t-get-itunesed-with-your/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```