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E-book pricing

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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Tue July 17th, 2012, 1:53 pm

Thanks, Amanda. I've sent you a PM.

laktor
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Probably getting an e-reader

Post by laktor » Sat November 17th, 2012, 4:59 am

There's an amazing sale going on this weekend for e-readers and I think I'll finally get one. To those of you who already have one, I'd like to ask if they come with absolutely thorough instructions including where and HOW to get books onto the e-reader. I'm one of those rare people who doesn't own any hand held techie devices. That means no smartphones, iPods, iPads...well, you get the picture. And...I've never downloaded music, used iTunes, etc. Should I ask the sales clerk how to use the e-reader or just hope the instructions cover everything I need to know? Will it be easy to use for a non-techie like me?

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Vanessa
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Currently reading: The Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan
Interest in HF: The first historical novel I read was Katherine by Anya Seton and this sparked off my interest in this genre.
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Post by Vanessa » Sat November 17th, 2012, 10:41 am

It depends on the sort of ereader you get. If it's WiFi, when you buy an ebook online it gets downloaded automatically onto your ereader. If it isn't, you have to download it onto your computer/laptop and follow the instructions from there. The ereader will come with a lead to attach to your computer/laptop.
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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Sat November 17th, 2012, 12:02 pm

[quote=""laktor""]There's an amazing sale going on this weekend for e-readers and I think I'll finally get one. To those of you who already have one, I'd like to ask if they come with absolutely thorough instructions including where and HOW to get books onto the e-reader. I'm one of those rare people who doesn't own any hand held techie devices. That means no smartphones, iPods, iPads...well, you get the picture. And...I've never downloaded music, used iTunes, etc. Should I ask the sales clerk how to use the e-reader or just hope the instructions cover everything I need to know? Will it be easy to use for a non-techie like me?[/quote]

Depends on the ereader and where you buy ebooks from. If you buy a Kindle, you'll mostly be buying books from Amazon - as long as the device is connected to the internet, ebooks wirelessly download directly to the device (you literally just click "buy" and it will purchase and download automatically). If it's not connected to the internet, you can still plug the device into a computer and move the books across. Amazon supply full user guides with instructions on how to do this, though be aware that the user guide comes installed ON the Kindle itself, it's NOT a physical book. However, if you're having trouble using it on the Kindle, you can download a PDF from their website instead. Much of the info within the user guide can also be found on the Kindle Support section of their website - for example, here is instructions on how to download and transfers Kindle books via your computer: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/ ... 959620#usb

I imagine most big name brands will come with some kind of manual or user guide and offer tech support. B&N's Nook will probably work similarly. But if you go with some virtually unknown, obscure brand, I can't say what kind of support they offer but typically, the website you buy the books from should have some kind of guide on how to download from their particular website.

laktor
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Post by laktor » Sat November 17th, 2012, 5:06 pm

Thanks everyone. I live in Canada and will be getting a Kobo reader, which I understand is the big ereader here.

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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Sun November 18th, 2012, 2:45 pm

Yeah I believe Kobo comes with a manual and they also have tech support so you should be fine.

laktor
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Post by laktor » Sun November 18th, 2012, 9:43 pm

Doesn't the initial charging via your computer connection take many hours? That's what I was told at the store. I may have to keep my computer on all day, and maybe all night.

And I noticed the strange ebook pricing. Some books are good deals and some are not. Ken Follett's Winter of the World is actually a dollar more for the ebook vs. the hardcover, but Steven Saylor's Seven Wonders and Stephen King's 11/22/63 are good deals. I don't think I'd ever pay the same price for an ebook as it would cost me for the actual printed book.

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Mon November 19th, 2012, 12:30 am

[quote=""laktor""]Doesn't the initial charging via your computer connection take many hours? That's what I was told at the store. I may have to keep my computer on all day, and maybe all night.

And I noticed the strange ebook pricing. Some books are good deals and some are not. Ken Follett's Winter of the World is actually a dollar more for the ebook vs. the hardcover, but Steven Saylor's Seven Wonders and Stephen King's 11/22/63 are good deals. I don't think I'd ever pay the same price for an ebook as it would cost me for the actual printed book.[/quote]

I don't recall the Kindle taking too long to charge before I could fire it up. From what I understand, ebook pricing is mainly set by publishers, but I agree about not wanting to pay the same or more. Does your library offer any ebook lending options? Kindle ebook lending via OverDrive is a snap, and the choices I've had via my library are all kinds of aweomeness.
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laktor
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Post by laktor » Mon November 19th, 2012, 6:34 am

[quote=""Misfit""]I don't recall the Kindle taking too long to charge before I could fire it up. From what I understand, ebook pricing is mainly set by publishers, but I agree about not wanting to pay the same or more. Does your library offer any ebook lending options? Kindle ebook lending via OverDrive is a snap, and the choices I've had via my library are all kinds of aweomeness.[/quote]

I've not yet checked into ebook lending at libraries. But for new books, such as Winter of the World, there's a big waiting list for the hardcover, so I would expect the same for an ebook and you can't renew if someone else is waiting for it. And my kobo reader has been charging for nearly 12 hours. It still says "connected and charging" and why is there no battery symbol like the user's guide says there should be? Guess I'll have to call the help line tomorrow to find out what's going on.
Last edited by laktor on Mon November 19th, 2012, 7:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Mon November 19th, 2012, 9:32 am

[quote=""laktor""]Doesn't the initial charging via your computer connection take many hours? That's what I was told at the store. I may have to keep my computer on all day, and maybe all night.[/quote]

You should be able to buy a wall adapter for it, which will charge it faster.
And I noticed the strange ebook pricing. Some books are good deals and some are not. Ken Follett's Winter of the World is actually a dollar more for the ebook vs. the hardcover, but Steven Saylor's Seven Wonders and Stephen King's 11/22/63 are good deals. I don't think I'd ever pay the same price for an ebook as it would cost me for the actual printed book.
Yeah, that has to do with the agency model pricing - the publishers who still have control over ebook pricing will sell them based off the list price, not caring that retailers usually sell below the suggested retail price. Especially with new releases where only the hardcover is availing in print, the publishers tend to set the ebook price high because they feel a lower price will threaten their ability to sell hardcover for $20+. Ken Follet's books in particular are notoriously overpriced as ebooks but if you wait until the paperback is released, the ebook price typically goes down. So I usually wait unless it's something I really, really can't wait to read. I don't know if Kobo has anything like this but with Kindle, you can use http://www.ereaderiq.com to put ebooks on a "price drop watch list" - it will send you an email when any book you mark to watch drops in price. So when I see ebooks that are more than I'd like to pay for, especially new releases, I just stick them on my price drop watch list and forget about them until I get an email.

The publishers are currently being sued in the US and EU for breaking anti-trust laws and conspiring to raise ebook prices. 3 of the major publishers agreed to settle but two of them and Apple are fighting it. So the ones who have settled are in the process of handing pricing back over to retailers and you will see more logical prices from them. At least, that's the case in the US - there might be something similar going on in Canada.

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