All Purpose E-Book Thread

[Praxis]

I thought it might to nice to have a general Ebook thread were people can ask questions about devices, post deals they have found or just ask questions.


Today B&N announced their new ereader device (http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/24/barnes-and-noble-announces-new-nook/) and I have to say it looks pretty nice. Its a sucesor the nook, but not the nookcolor. They dropped the small LCD touchscreen at the bottom which was a total battery hog and made the whole thing a e-ink touchscreen. Improved the screen quality to match the kindle 3, which I am very happy about, and revamped the interface in general. All much needed improvements. I own a nook, but I had to admit the kindle 3 had the better screen and battery life. If you didn't mind selling your soul to amazon it was the better choice. Now it looks like B&N might have pushed just ahead of the kindle 3 in terms of specs, though just barely.

Small note, even though B&N seems to be marketing this as only having one button and touting the touchscreen interface. It still has hardware page turn buttons in the bezel. So despite marketings lies it does have more than one button.

I'm not sure I'm going to be rushing out to get one though, I like it, but my nook I got during christmas still works and I don't like abandoning my gadgets so soon if it still works fine. Maybe if I can unload my original for a decent price I will upgrade otherwise I'm staying for a while.

[boyhangover]

I think If I ever got one I would still own the hardback versions of what ever i had on it.

[Praxis]

I wish some publisher would come out with combo pack deal of some kind, buy the book and for a small amount more get the ebook version as well. It would be easy to implement through one of the online stores. And you wouldn't have to choose between formats.

[MKTerra]

Ironically, the new Nook is nearly identical to the Kobo Touch (http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/23/dnp-kobo-unbuttons-for-129-ereader-touch-edition-we-go-hands/) which came out a day earlier. IMO B&N shot themselves in the foot by stripping out all the fancier functions found in the current Nooks like 3G, web-browsing and audio, which would've helped distinguish the new model from the Kobo.

I've been pretty satisfied with my current-gen Kobo, which I picked up for $60 from a closing Borders. (In fairness, the steep discount bought it alot of leeway.) The new touch function looks like a vast improvement for everything from page-seeking to PDF-viewing, such that it's tempting even at full-price this time.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

I wish some publisher would come out with combo pack deal of some kind, buy the book and for a small amount more get the ebook version as well. It would be easy to implement through one of the online stores. And you wouldn't have to choose between formats.

There are some of these available, not as many as I'd like, but a few. For example:

Partners in Crime (http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=90983&affiliate_id=22713) by CJ Henderson
Alibi Jones (http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=89354&affiliate_id=22713) by Mike Luoma
Harlan County Horrors (http://horror.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=65083&affiliate_id=22713) by Mari Adkins (Editor)
Close Encounters of the Urban Kind (http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=80601&affiliate_id=22713) by Jennifer Brozek (Editor)
Manifesto: The Tao of Jiba Molei Anderson (http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=12274&affiliate_id=22713) by Jiba Molei Anderson

-Matt

[Tadhg]

Gollancz is launching what they call the largest digital science fiction and fantasy digital library later this summer. http://www.sfgateway.com/

[RolandJP]

Amazon has classics for free downloads. All you need is an Amazon Kindle or similar device and an Amazon account.

Also E-comics can download on the Kindle 3g. Just In Black and White. Tho i prefer my Ipad for comics. The Kindle is good for text books.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

Amazon has classics for free downloads. All you need is an Amazon Kindle or similar device and an Amazon account.

iBooks and the B&N Nook also have a ton of free eBooks. Most of them are classic titles, but not all of them.


Also E-comics can download on the Kindle 3g. Just In Black and White. Tho i prefer my Ipad for comics. The Kindle is good for text books.

I definitely prefer my iPad for comics, but I have a few on the Nook currently.

-Matt

[Tadhg]

Gollancz is launching what they call the largest digital science fiction and fantasy digital library later this summer. http://www.sfgateway.com/

The initial set of books they're releasing through ebook sellers at the end of this month:

Empire of Two Worlds by Barrington J. Bayley
The Fall of Chronopolis by Barrington J. Bayley
The Garments of Caean by Barrington J. Bayley
The Grand Wheel by Barrington J. Bayley
The Knights of the Limits by Barrington J. Bayley
The Pillars of Eternity by Barrington J. Bayley
The Rod of Light by Barrington J. Bayley
The Star Virus by Barrington J. Bayley
Star Winds by Barrington J. Bayley

Under Heaven's Bridge by Michael Bishop and Ian Watson

The Lights in the Sky are Stars by Fredric Brown
Martians, Go Home by Fredric Brown
The Mind Thing by Fredric Brown
What Mad Universe by Fredric Brown

Bedlam Planet by John Brunner
Born Under Mars by John Brunner
Double, Double by John Brunner
Manshape by John Brunner
A Planet of Your Own by John Brunner
Polymath by John Brunner
The Shift Key by John Brunner
The Stone That Never Came Down by John Brunner
The Super Barbarians by John Brunner
Total Eclipse by John Brunner

The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell
Cloak of Aesir by John W. Campbell
Invaders from the Infinite by John W. Campbell
Islands of Space by John W. Campbell
The Mightiest Machine by John W. Campbell
The Moon is Hell by John W. Campbell
The Planeteers by John W. Campbell
The Space Beyond by John W. Campbell
The Ultimate Weapon by John W. Campbell

The Bones of Zora by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp
The Carnelian Cube by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt
The Castle of Iron by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt
The Clocks of Iraz by L. Sprague de Camp
The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens by L. Sprague de Camp
Dark Valley Destiny: The Life of Robert E. Howard by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp
Divide and Rule by L. Sprague de Camp
The Fallible Fiend by L. Sprague de Camp
Genus Homo by L. Sprague de Camp and P. Schuyler Miller
The Glory That Was by L. Sprague de Camp
The Goblin Tower by L. Sprague de Camp
The Great Fetish by L. Sprague de Camp
The Hand of Zei by L. Sprague de Camp
The Honourable Barbarian by L. Sprague de Camp
The Hostage of Zir by L. Sprague de Camp
The Incomplete Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt
The Incorporated Knight by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp
Land of Unreason by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt
Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp
Lovecraft: A Biography by L. Sprague de Camp
The Pixilated Peeress by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp
The Prisoner of Zhamanak by L. Sprague de Camp
The Purple Pterodactyls by L. Sprague de Camp
The Queen of Zamba by L. Sprague de Camp
The Reluctant Shaman and Other Fantastic Tales by L. Sprague de Camp
Rogue Queen by L. Sprague de Camp
The Stones of Nomuru by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp
The Swords of Zinjaban by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp
Time and Chance: An Autobiography by L. Sprague de Camp
The Tower of Zanid by L. Sprague de Camp
The Tritonian Ring and Other Pasudian Tales by L. Sprague de Camp
The Unbeheaded King by L. Sprague de Camp
The Undesired Princess by L. Sprague de Camp
The Virgin & the Wheels by L. Sprague de Camp
The Virgin of Zesh by L. Sprague de Camp
Wall of Serpents by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt

Invasion from 2500 by Terry Carr and Ted White
Warlord of Kor by Terry Carr

Close to Critical by Hal Clement
Cycle of Fire by Hal Clement
Iceworld by Hal Clement
Needle by Hal Clement
Small Changes by Hal Clement
Star Light by Hal Clement
Still River by Hal Clement

Chronocules by D.G. Compton
Farewell, Earth's Bliss by D.G. Compton
The Silent Multitude by D.G. Compton
A Usual Lunacy by D.G. Compton

The Cloud Walker by Edmund Cooper
The Expendables: The Deathworms of Kratos: The Deathworms of Kratos by Edmund Cooper
The Expendables: The Rings of Tantalus: The Rings of Tantalus by Edmund Cooper
The Expendables: The Venom of Argus: The Venom of Argus by Edmund Cooper
A Far Sunset by Edmund Cooper
Five to Twelve by Edmund Cooper
Jupiter Laughs by Edmund Cooper
The Last Continent by Edmund Cooper
The Overman Culture by Edmund Cooper
Seahorse in the Sky by Edmund Cooper
The Slaves of Heaven by Edmund Cooper
Transit by Edmund Cooper
Uncertain Midnight by Edmund Cooper
Voices in the Dark by Edmund Cooper

Clone by Richard Cowper
A Dream of Kinship by Richard Cowper
Kuldesak by Richard Cowper
Phoenix by Richard Cowper
Profundis by Richard Cowper
The Road to Corlay by Richard Cowper
A Tapestry of Time by Richard Cowper

Capella's Golden Eyes by Christopher Evans
Chimeras by Christopher Evans
Ice Tower by Christopher Evans
In Limbo by Christopher Evans
The Insider by Christopher Evans
Omega by Christopher Evans
The Twilight Realm by Christopher Evans

The Day Star by Mark S. Geston
Lords of the Starship by Mark S. Geston
Mirror to the Sky by Mark S. Geston
Out of the Mouth of the Dragon by Mark S. Geston
The Siege of Wonder by Mark S. Geston

Getaway World by Stephen Goldin and E.E. 'Doc' Smith
Imperial Stars by Stephen Goldin and E.E. 'Doc' Smith
Stranglers' Moon by Stephen Goldin and E.E. 'Doc' Smith

Conscience Interplanetary by Joseph Green
Gold the Man by Joseph Green
The Horde by Joseph Green
Star Probe by Joseph Green

The Best of Philip E. High by Philip E. High
Blindfold from the Stars by Philip E. High
Butterfly Planet by Philip E. High
Come, Hunt an Earthman by Philip E. High
Fugitive from Time by Philip E. High
Invader on My Back by Philip E. High
The Mad Metropolis by Philip E. High
No Truce With Terra by Philip E. High
The Prodigal Sun by Philip E. High
Reality Forbidden by Philip E. High
Sold - For a Spaceship by Philip E. High
Speaking of Dinosaurs by Philip E. High
Step to the Stars by Philip E. High
These Savage Futurians by Philip E. High
The Time Mercenaries by Philip E. High
Twin Planets by Philip E. High

The Journal of Nicholas the American by Leigh Kennedy

In the Country of Tattooed Men by Garry Kilworth
A Midsummer's Nightmare by Garry Kilworth
The Night of Kadar by Garry Kilworth
The Roof of Voyaging by Garry Kilworth
Shadow Hawk by Garry Kilworth
Split Second by Garry Kilworth
A Theatre of Timesmiths by Garry Kilworth

The Day of the Burning by Barry N. Malzberg
The Destruction of the Temple by Barry N. Malzberg
Dwellers of the Deep by Barry N. Malzberg
The Falling Astronauts by Barry N. Malzberg
Galaxies by Barry N. Malzberg
The Gamesman by Barry N. Malzberg
Guernica Night by Barry N. Malzberg
In the Enclosure by Barry N. Malzberg
The Last Transaction by Barry N. Malzberg
The Men Inside by Barry N. Malzberg
On A Planet Alien by Barry N. Malzberg
Overlay by Barry N. Malzberg
The Remaking of Sigmund Freud by Barry N. Malzberg
Revelations by Barry N. Malzberg
Scop by Barry N. Malzberg
The Sodom and Gomorrah Business by Barry N. Malzberg
Tactics of Conquest by Barry N. Malzberg
Universe Day by Barry N. Malzberg

The Burning Forest: A Land Fit For Heroes 3 by Phillip Mann
Escape to the Wild Wood: A Land Fit For Heroes 1 by Phillip Mann
The Eye of the Queen (GollanczF.) by Phillip Mann
The Fall of the Families by Phillip Mann
Master of Paxwax: Part One of the Story of the Gardener by Phillip Mann
Pioneers by Phillip Mann
Stand Alone Stan: A Land Fit for Heroes 2 by Phillip Mann
Wulfsyarn by Phillip Mann

The Caltraps of Time (S.F. Masterworks) by David I. Masson

Ability Quotient by Mack Reynolds
After Some Tomorrow by Mack Reynolds
After Utopia by Mack Reynolds
The Best Ye Breed by Mack Reynolds
Code Duello by Mack Reynolds
Computer War by Mack Reynolds
Computer World by Mack Reynolds
The Cosmic Eye by Mack Reynolds
Day After Tomorrow by Mack Reynolds
The Five-Way Secret Agent by Mack Reynolds
The Fracas Factor by Mack Reynolds
Galactic Medal of Honour by Mack Reynolds
Lagrange Five by Mack Reynolds
Looking Backward From the Year 2000 by Mack Reynolds
Mercenary From Tomorrow by Mack Reynolds
Of Godlike Power by Mack Reynolds
Perchance to Dream by Mack Reynolds
Planetary Agent X by Mack Reynolds
Police Patrol by Mack Reynolds
The Rival Rigelians by Mack Reynolds
Satellite City by Mack Reynolds
Section G: United Planets: United Planets by Mack Reynolds
Space Pioneer by Mack Reynolds
Space Visitor by Mack Reynolds
Time Gladiator by Mack Reynolds
Tomorrow Might Be Different by Mack Reynolds

The Chalk Giants by Keith Roberts
The Furies by Keith Roberts
The Grain Kings by Keith Roberts
The Inner Wheel by Keith Roberts
Kiteworld by Keith Roberts
Pavane (Sf Masterworks 35) by Keith Roberts

The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith by Josephine Saxton

A Better Mantrap by Bob Shaw
Cosmic Kaleidoscope by Bob Shaw
Fire Pattern by Bob Shaw
Medusa's Children by Bob Shaw
Night Walk by Bob Shaw
One Million Tomorrows by Bob Shaw
Orbitsville (Gollancz Sf Collector's Edition) by Bob Shaw
Orbitsville Departure by Bob Shaw
The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw
The Peace Machine by Bob Shaw
The Ragged Astronauts by Bob Shaw
The Shadow of Heaven by Bob Shaw
Ship of Strangers by Bob Shaw
Tomorrow Lies in Ambush by Bob Shaw
The Two Timers by Bob Shaw
Vertigo by Bob Shaw
Who Goes Here? by Bob Shaw
A Wreath of Stars (Gollancz Sf S.) by Bob Shaw

Alien Accounts by John Sladek
Bugs by John Sladek
Keep The Giraffe Burning by John Sladek
Maps by John Sladek
The Muller-Fokker Effect (GollanczF.) by John Sladek
The Reproductive System (Sf Collector's) by John Sladek
The Steam-Driven Boy by John Sladek
Wholly Smokes by John Sladek

Skylark DuQuesne by E.E. 'Doc' Smith

[Tadhg]

Alien Dust by E.C. Tubb
Angado: The Dumarest Saga Book 29 by E.C. Tubb
Beyond the Galactic Lens: Cap Kennedy Book 16 by E.C. Tubb
Child of Earth: The Dumarest Saga Book 33 by E.C. Tubb
City of No Return by E.C. Tubb
The Coming Event: The Dumarest Saga Book 26 by E.C. Tubb
Death God's Doom by E.C. Tubb
Death is a Dream by E.C. Tubb
Derai: The Dumarest Saga Book 2 by E.C. Tubb
Dynasty of Doom by E.C. Tubb
Earth Enslaved: Cap Kennedy Book 9 by E.C. Tubb
Earth is Heaven: The Dumarest Saga Book 27 by E.C. Tubb
The Eater of Worlds: Cap Kennedy Book 8 by E.C. Tubb
Eloise: The Dumarest Saga Book 12 by E.C. Tubb
Enemy Within the Skull: Cap Kennedy Book 4 by E.C. Tubb
Escape into Space by E.C. Tubb
The Extra Man by E.C. Tubb
Eye of the Zodiac: The Dumarest Saga Book 13 by E.C. Tubb
Footsteps of Angels by E.C. Tubb
The Galactiad: Cap Kennedy Book 17 by E.C. Tubb
Galaxy of the Lost: Cap Kennedy Book 1 by E.C. Tubb
The Genetic Buccaneer: Cap Kennedy Book 12 by E.C. Tubb
The Gholan Gate: Cap Kennedy Book 7 by E.C. Tubb
The Ghosts of Epidoris: Cap Kennedy Book 14 by E.C. Tubb
Haven of Darkness: The Dumarest Saga Book 16 by E.C. Tubb
Iduna's Universe: The Dumarest Saga Book 21 by E.C. Tubb
Incident on Ath: The Dumarest Saga Book 18 by E.C. Tubb
Jack of Swords: The Dumarest Saga Book 14 by E.C. Tubb
The Jester at Scar: The Dumarest Saga Book 5 by E.C. Tubb
Jewel of Jarhen: Cap Kennedy Book 5 by E.C. Tubb
Jondelle: The Dumarest Saga Book 10 by E.C. Tubb
Journey to Mars by E.C. Tubb
Kalin: The Dumarest Saga Book 4 by E.C. Tubb
Lallia: The Dumarest Saga Book 6 by E.C. Tubb
The Luck Machine by E.C. Tubb
Mayenne: The Dumarest Saga Book 9 by E.C. Tubb
Melome: The Dumarest Saga Book 28 by E.C. Tubb
Mimics of Dephene: Cap Kennedy Book 15 by E.C. Tubb
Monster of Metelaze: Cap Kennedy Book 3 by E.C. Tubb
Moon Base by E.C. Tubb
Nectar of Heaven: The Dumarest Saga Book 24 by E.C. Tubb
Pawn of the Omphalos by E.C. Tubb
Planet of Dread: Cap Kennedy Book 10 by E.C. Tubb
The Primitive by E.C. Tubb
Prison of Night: The Dumarest Saga Book 17 by E.C. Tubb
The Quillian Sector: The Dumarest Saga Book 19 by E.C. Tubb
The Return: The Dumarest Saga Book 32 by E.C. Tubb
S.T.A.R. Flight by E.C. Tubb
Seetee Alert!: Cap Kennedy Book 6 by E.C. Tubb
Slave Ship from Sergan: Cap Kennedy Book 2 by E.C. Tubb
The Sleeping City by E.C. Tubb
Spawn of Laban: Cap Kennedy Book 11 by E.C. Tubb
Spectrum of a Forgotten Sun: The Dumarest Saga Book 15 by E.C. Tubb
Stellar Assignment by E.C. Tubb
Symbol of Terra: The Dumarest Saga Book 30 by E.C. Tubb
Technos: The Dumarest Saga Book 7 by E.C. Tubb
The Temple of Truth: The Dumarest Saga Book 31 by E.C. Tubb
The Terra Data: The Dumarest Saga Book 22 by E.C. Tubb
The Terridae: The Dumarest Saga Book 25 by E.C. Tubb
Toyman: The Dumarest Saga Book 3 by E.C. Tubb
Veruchia: The Dumarest Saga Book 8 by E.C. Tubb
Web of Sand: The Dumarest Saga Book 20 by E.C. Tubb
The Winds of Gath: The Dumarest Saga Book 1 by E.C. Tubb
A World Aflame: Cap Kennedy Book 13 by E.C. Tubb
World of Promise: The Dumarest Saga Book 23 by E.C. Tubb
Zenya: The Dumarest Saga Book 11 by E.C. Tubb

Alien Embassy by Ian Watson
The Beloved of My Beloved by Ian Watson and Roberto Quaglia
The Book of Being by Ian Watson
The Book of Ian Watson by Ian Watson
The Book of the River by Ian Watson
The Book of the Stars by Ian Watson
The Butterflies of Memory by Ian Watson
Chekhov's Journey by Ian Watson
The Coming of Vertumnus: And Other Stories: And Other Stories by Ian Watson
Converts by Ian Watson
Deathhunter by Ian Watson
The Embedding by Ian Watson
The Fallen Moon (Mana) by Ian Watson
The Fire Worm by Ian Watson
The Flies of Memory by Ian Watson
The Gardens of Delight by Ian Watson
God's World by Ian Watson
The Great Escape by Ian Watson
Hard Questions by Ian Watson
The Jonah Kit (Sf Collector's) by Ian Watson
Lucky's Harvest (Mana, Vol 1) by Ian Watson
The Martian Inca by Ian Watson
Meat by Ian Watson
Miracle Visitors (Sf Collector's) by Ian Watson
Oracle by Ian Watson
Orgasmachine by Ian Watson
The Power by Ian Watson
Queenmagic, Kingmagic by Ian Watson
Salvage Rites: And Other Stories: And Other Stories by Ian Watson
Slow Birds: And Other Stories: And Other Stories by Ian Watson
Stalin's Teardrops: And Other Stories: And Other Stories by Ian Watson
Sunstroke: And Other Stories: And Other Stories by Ian Watson
The Very Slow Time Machine by Ian Watson
Whores of Babylon by Ian Watson

Phoenix Prime by Ted White

[Expletive Deleted]

So Amazon announced three new Kindles today, plus a few variations on each.

The new Kindle (regular version) is basically the same as the previous generation Kindle, but without a keyboard. It's Wi-Fi only. With the "Special Offers" option, it's only $79.

The Kindle Fire is a seven-inch, Android-based tablet. For $199.

There's also the Kindle Touch, which has an e-ink touch screen and comes in both Wi-Fi and 3G flavors, but that's less interesting to me.

[Praxis]

So Amazon announced three new Kindles today, plus a few variations on each.

The new Kindle (regular version) is basically the same as the previous generation Kindle, but without a keyboard. It's Wi-Fi only. With the "Special Offers" option, it's only $79.

The Kindle Fire is a seven-inch, Android-based tablet. For $199.

There's also the Kindle Touch, which has an e-ink touch screen and comes in both Wi-Fi and 3G flavors, but that's less interesting to me.

Still no interested in tablets yet, but the new e-readers are pretty interesting. My current reader still functions well enough so I'm not tempted to buy a new one, but it is cool seeing the direction these things are going. And that direction is down. 79 bucks is pretty cheap. Though that is the prices for the version with ads. It will be interesting to see the B&N response because this just made there stuff look way overpriced.

[RolandJP]

Amazon has the entire Princess of Mars series for free.

Dont know how long it will last.

http://www.amazon.com/A-Princess-of-Mars-ebook/dp/B002RKSDS2/ref=pd_sim_kinc4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

[Beacon]

The Kindle Fire is a seven-inch, Android-based tablet. For $199.

…and it will have comics (though no word on how big the selection will be). And the web browser supports flash so Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited should actually work on this tablet. Y’know, depending on the level of support it gets in the area, we may finally be getting the affordable digital comics reader that a lot of fans have been wanting.

I wish it were a little bigger though. It sounds like the tablet is only roughly manga-sized … which is odd because – aside from Viz dipping its toe in – I don’t see that many manga companies doing anything with digital.

[Expletive Deleted]

Amazon has the entire Princess of Mars series for free.

Dont know how long it will last.

http://www.amazon.com/A-Princess-of-Mars-ebook/dp/B002RKSDS2/ref=pd_sim_kinc4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2Forever. As far as I can tell, those are all public domain and up on Project Gutenberg.

There are a bunch of quasi-publishers who repackage public domain books and try to sell them to you at attractive, but non-free, prices.


…and it will have comics (though no word on how big the selection will be).It's going to be comixology, so I'd assume everything they distribute.

[Beacon]

It's going to be comixology, so I'd assume everything they distribute.

Ah, well that certainly means they’re in better shape than the Nook Color (which was only supported by about three indy publishers and was two arcs behind on Atomic Robo last time I looked)

[Expletive Deleted]

Also, it looks like they've made a deal with DC to sell TPB-like bundles as Kindle books.

http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/09/29/tolja-dc-to-offer-100-graphic-novels-exclusively-on-kindle-fire/

[Tadhg]

Also, it looks like they've made a deal with DC to sell TPB-like bundles as Kindle books.

http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/09/29/tolja-dc-to-offer-100-graphic-novels-exclusively-on-kindle-fire/

It's interesting, but sucks that it's Kindle Fire only.

[Roquefort Raider]

It's an odd marketing ploy. I m definitely not going to consider buying a Kindle Fire (or any other model from any company) just because it has exclusivity on certain titles.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

It's an odd marketing ploy. I m definitely not going to consider buying a Kindle Fire (or any other model from any company) just because it has exclusivity on certain titles.

Agreed. Seems a bit short-sighted to not have it available on more markets/devices.

-Matt

[Beacon]

It's going to be comixology, so I'd assume everything they distribute.

I’m not so sure about that now …

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/10/07/amazon.kindle.fire.app.guidelines.detailed/


Apps also can't require Google Mobile Services (GMS) and in-app purchases and can't require a gyroscope, camera, 3G module, Bluetooth, microphone, GPS or microSD card to function, as none of those exist in hardware.

Isn’t Comixology’s entire business model built around selling in-app content?




Another interesting thing is that the Fire’s price point is already having an effect on the prices of similarly sized tablets.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/10/04/maylong.coby.have.to.slash.prices.to.fight.amazon/




And then there’s B&N’s hissy-fit about DC’s four month exclusive content deal with Amazon.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34815

I can understand being upset over Marvel’s long-term sweetheart deal with Apple but a four month deal (on mostly old material) won’t do much more than slightly effect the sales for ONE holiday season. After that I’m sure you’ll see Watchmen on all sorts of other devices … except the Nook Color because their graphic novel selection is horrible.

[Doug_Brunell]

Ironically enough, though I publish for the Kindle, I don't actually own one. I can't say I've been tempted, either.

[Chris N]

I'm thinking its about time to buy a kindle.

I should stop lugging novels with me when I travel.

And amazon's prime library is enticing.

But the first few books I looked at weren't available in the library and cost $10 each. Which is absurd. Get all their books in the $1-5 range and we'll talk.

[Tadhg]

You should check to see if your local library system has ebook lending. It's super awesome and brings a lot of value to e-readers.

[Sabrina_Fried]

You should check to see if your local library system has ebook lending. It's super awesome and brings a lot of value to e-readers.

Just make sure that if your library has an ebook lending program that whatever ereader you get can support their app.

[Chiasm]

I've bought some of the DC graphic novels for my kindle fire and they are awesome on it. I was a bit wary of it at first but for the price but the viewing quality is excellent and you can't beat getting things like Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns for under $10.00.

[sHayden]

I was browsing through Amazon and I think it is really great you can pick up old Shadowrun and Battletech novels. I thought they were great when I was younger, and I still like a few to this day. The going price of $4.99 just seems a bit high though. They can't really be worth more than .99 cents to anyone right?

[Chiasm]

I was browsing through Amazon and I think it is really great you can pick up old Shadowrun and Battletech novels. I thought they were great when I was younger, and I still like a few to this day. The going price of $4.99 just seems a bit high though. They can't really be worth more than .99 cents to anyone right?

E-books, except for the ones by independent authors, are a rip off. The publishing companies all colluded together and will only allow their books to be sold as e-books at a minimum price threshold. Amazon has no say in E-book pricing at all on e-books from publishers. That leads to the bizarre situation where in many cases e-books cost more than print and hardback versions. Currently there is a department of justice investigation into the price fixing but I haven't heard much lately on how its going.

[Doug_Brunell]

I was browsing through Amazon and I think it is really great you can pick up old Shadowrun and Battletech novels. I thought they were great when I was younger, and I still like a few to this day. The going price of $4.99 just seems a bit high though. They can't really be worth more than .99 cents to anyone right?
As an author who sells on Amazon, I can say that when I decide what to price my work, I take in what I think is fair. I have my novel priced at $4.99. It has sold okay, but not gangbusters. When I put it on sale through Smashwords it didn't move at all, so pricing is kind of a mixed bag. Should those books be .99? I can't say, but I will say that authors need to eat and pay the bills, too.

[Expletive Deleted]

Yeah, I don't think most publishers have figured out how to price their backlist material. They seem to think putting out an old, out of print book in Kindle format is equivalent to publishing a new print edition.

That said, $4.99 isn't bad for this type of thing, all things considered. Whoever's publishing TSR's old portfolio these days is trying to get $7.99 per book for its old Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms stuff.

[Doug_Brunell]

I fretted over the price for a long time, and ultimately I thought, "What would I pay for my book?" I'm not an author of Stephen King levels, but people do know of me. I've been paid for my writing since the 1990s, and I have appeared in countless magazines, etc., and have a "regular" book that can be found in bookstores. But what would I honestly pay? $4.99 seemed the most fair. Two short stories are .99 each (though I only really like one of them -- the other is for people who like their horror very light). It was not an easy decision, and it hasn't made me rich, but I think it is fair.

[sHayden]

As an author who sells on Amazon, I can say that when I decide what to price my work, I take in what I think is fair. I have my novel priced at $4.99. It has sold okay, but not gangbusters. When I put it on sale through Smashwords it didn't move at all, so pricing is kind of a mixed bag. Should those books be .99? I can't say, but I will say that authors need to eat and pay the bills, too.

True, but these books are from the 80's and 90's mostly. And one guy is dead, so he's not eating or paying bills.




That said, $4.99 isn't bad for this type of thing, all things considered. Whoever's publishing TSR's old portfolio these days is trying to get $7.99 per book for its old Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms stuff.

That's absurd! Dragonlance was never that good, and if someone tried to shake me down for $7.99 for an Ed Greenwood book I'd have them jailed in a nuthouse!

Hopefully something comes out of this price fixing scam. Never should a digital copy of a book cost more than a print copy. In fact, I don't think an ebook should ever be allowed to go above $10, and even to hit that high watermark there should be definite criteria for such a price.
I sound cheap, and I realize there is still a human element in the epublishing world who need to pay their rent and eat but the way I look at it, if you offer a book at $3 instead of $15 you may sell way more copies. Doesn't that work out better in the end?

[Chiasm]

Hopefully something comes out of this price fixing scam. Never should a digital copy of a book cost more than a print copy. In fact, I don't think an ebook should ever be allowed to go above $10, and even to hit that high watermark there should be definite criteria for such a price.
I sound cheap, and I realize there is still a human element in the epublishing world who need to pay their rent and eat but the way I look at it, if you offer a book at $3 instead of $15 you may sell way more copies. Doesn't that work out better in the end?

The funny thing is that there are a handful of authors who have gotten rich by selling their books for 99 cents or 1.99 each on Amazon. They are all independent authors who self publish. They get about 30-40% of the price per book sold which is a HUGE percentage compared to what most authors get through a publisher.

Now obviously they have to some talent else their books wouldn't sell but it can work for some of them. I read a story about one author, John Locke, who was the 7th person to ever sell one million books through Amazon. He prices all his books at 99 cents which is part of it but when you see who the other six are you realize its pretty rarified air to sell that many books. I forget the whole list but I know it was all huge names like Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), James Patterson, Stephen King, and the like.

So Locke at his 99 cents per book rate has now made somewhere between $300,000 to $400,000 which is pretty good. I've yet to read any of his books though I mean to try at some point as they sound utterly over the top fun - they are all in a series about a hitman with a heart who fights all kinds of over the top bad guys including a gang of midget terrorists.

[Doug_Brunell]

True, but these books are from the 80's and 90's mostly. And one guy is dead, so he's not eating or paying bills.



That's absurd! Dragonlance was never that good, and if someone tried to shake me down for $7.99 for an Ed Greenwood book I'd have them jailed in a nuthouse!

Hopefully something comes out of this price fixing scam. Never should a digital copy of a book cost more than a print copy. In fact, I don't think an ebook should ever be allowed to go above $10, and even to hit that high watermark there should be definite criteria for such a price.
I sound cheap, and I realize there is still a human element in the epublishing world who need to pay their rent and eat but the way I look at it, if you offer a book at $3 instead of $15 you may sell way more copies. Doesn't that work out better in the end?

For the dead guy, you have to think about who owns the rights to his book. And as for authors selling at .99. That can work, but for every author who does that and makes it work, there are a ton who are never heard of because the market gets flooded. It's a sticky situation, and it's one I thought a lot about before I priced mine. I may even revisit it again in the future. I don't think I priced mine unfairly, which was very important to me. Readers may say otherwise, but nobody has ever complained to me. Once agents and a publishing house get involved, however, there are more people who need to get paid, and hence the price rises.

[Praxis]

For the dead guy, you have to think about who owns the rights to his book. And as for authors selling at .99. That can work, but for every author who does that and makes it work, there are a ton who are never heard of because the market gets flooded. It's a sticky situation, and it's one I thought a lot about before I priced mine. I may even revisit it again in the future. I don't think I priced mine unfairly, which was very important to me. Readers may say otherwise, but nobody has ever complained to me. Once agents and a publishing house get involved, however, there are more people who need to get paid, and hence the price rises.

If you dropped the price of your books and didn't see any upword movement in sales, then I would think you've found a good price point at where you are.

I feel there is a lot of room innovation of pricing with books, and we are just at the beginning of finding out what works best in the market.

[Doug_Brunell]

If you dropped the price of your books and didn't see any upword movement in sales, then I would think you've found a good price point at where you are.

I feel there is a lot of room innovation of pricing with books, and we are just at the beginning of finding out what works best in the market.

What I found weird is that I had no sales at the sale price, but when the price went back to what I had it before, sales picked up! Insane.

[Chiasm]

I imagine the lower sales at 99 cents is because many reflexively do what I do and think "99 cents, that book must suck." Goes along with whole notion in all consumer things that cheaper means lower quality. Its not not always true but its hard to break the notion.

[sHayden]

I got The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie 2 days ago for $2.99, which is a great deal. It's at $9.99 now though.
Still, if you liked his First Law trilogy, this is a good book as well.

I'm also being shown there's a third Tucker Max book! *nausea*

[Doug_Brunell]

I imagine the lower sales at 99 cents is because many reflexively do what I do and think "99 cents, that book must suck." Goes along with whole notion in all consumer things that cheaper means lower quality. Its not not always true but its hard to break the notion.

I kind of agree with that. (When I put mine on sale, it wasn't at .99 cents.) I also think it shows an author may not have much faith in his or her work. I priced my short stories at .99 cents, but the novel is $4.99, and I think that is probably the best price it can be. I also think the thing that helps sales the most is word of mouth and not price.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

E-books, except for the ones by independent authors, are a rip off. The publishing companies all colluded together and will only allow their books to be sold as e-books at a minimum price threshold. Amazon has no say in E-book pricing at all on e-books from publishers. That leads to the bizarre situation where in many cases e-books cost more than print and hardback versions. Currently there is a department of justice investigation into the price fixing but I haven't heard much lately on how its going.

There are publishers using the "Agency Model" for pricing, i.e. where the publisher sets the retail price of their products. The "big 6" publishers do tend to price their eBooks pretty high, but a lot of small press publishers don't.

Amazon does indeed have some control over prices over a lot of Kindle titles and often discounts titles without even checking with the publisher or author. This is especially true of indie authors that have signed exclusively with Amazon (a big mistake if you ask me).

-Matt

[Doug_Brunell]

I do have issues with Amazon doing that, but I can't say I've been treated poorly ... yet. My other publisher was an idiot convention, and I no longer return e-mails.

[sHayden]

I get one free book a month from the Prime list. Anybody have any good recommendations from that list?

[Doug_Brunell]

I get one free book a month from the Prime list. Anybody have any good recommendations from that list?

If my book were on that list, I'd recommend it, but I don't believe it is.

[sHayden]

I've never read any of the Dark Tower novels, so I thought I'd download the sample offering of the first one. It was nothing but the introduction by the author. That is pretty pointless!

[Doug_Brunell]

I've never read any of the Dark Tower novels, so I thought I'd download the sample offering of the first one. It was nothing but the introduction by the author. That is pretty pointless!

Agreed. That is why I like Smashwords, as it let me put a percentage of my novel up for people to read before deciding to buy it. An introduction only is not a good idea ... except perhaps to a nonfiction work.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

Agreed. That is why I like Smashwords, as it let me put a percentage of my novel up for people to read before deciding to buy it. An introduction only is not a good idea ... except perhaps to a nonfiction work.

Over at DriveThruFiction.com (http://www.drivethrufiction.com/index.php?affiliate_id=22713&src=CBRForums) we have the option for authors/publishers to post previews, both a Flash based preview and/or a PDF "full-size" preview. The site will automatically pull a couple of pages from the beginning of the document, but publishers can select any range they like or even upload a separate file if they want to.

What gets me is how many don't make good use of these tools. They either show the table of contents or blank pages...not exactly the best pages to hook a potential reader.

-Matt

[Doug_Brunell]

Over at DriveThruFiction.com (http://www.drivethrufiction.com/index.php?affiliate_id=22713&src=CBRForums) we have the option for authors/publishers to post previews, both a Flash based preview and/or a PDF "full-size" preview. The site will automatically pull a couple of pages from the beginning of the document, but publishers can select any range they like or even upload a separate file if they want to.

What gets me is how many don't make good use of these tools. They either show the table of contents or blank pages...not exactly the best pages to hook a potential reader.

-Matt

Great. One more thing I have to check out on the web. All kidding aside, I will be checking this out. It also amazes me how poorly writers take this sort of thing into account, though it is also a publisher problem, too.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

Great. One more thing I have to check out on the web. All kidding aside, I will be checking this out.

Great! Let me know if you have any questions along the way.


It also amazes me how poorly writers take this sort of thing into account, though it is also a publisher problem, too.

Agreed. There are a number of simple steps for marketing a book and improving a titles exposure to potential readers that seem to get missed or just not done by a lot of authors and publishers.

Perhaps I should write a marketing book for small press...

-Matt

[Doug_Brunell]

Great! Let me know if you have any questions along the way.



Agreed. There are a number of simple steps for marketing a book and improving a titles exposure to potential readers that seem to get missed or just not done by a lot of authors and publishers.

Perhaps I should write a marketing book for small press...

-Matt

You know, I've found the most effective marketing to be word of mouth. Flat out.