I generally find the mobipocket site easier to 'browse' so tend to choose selections there and then pop over to Fictionwise and so far I have purchased no books at all from Mobi direct and all from Fictionwise (or Books on Board) .. the price difference is huge on most books and I've been lucky a few times and actually have wanted a few of the 100% micro-rebate books which has given me lots of $ to spend on other books ..

Fictionwise have a great system .. I'm now trying to do the math and work out if i should become a member which costs but has added perks .. very glad I stumbled on Fictionwise!

Loopy

It's well worth becoming a "club" member at Fictionwise. You get a free book download, plus discounts on everything you buy. It soon repays itself.

I agree. I've been a member since a few days after getting the iLiad. The multi format books work very well downloaded as a .pdf, and on DRM's books, prices are typical below the current edition at the bookstore once you consider the discounts. A typical paperback edition in the US is now around $8. If you are a member at a chain bookstore you can get a discount to around $7.20. At Fictionwise, without a special sale, the same book for a member would be $5.50 - $6 most of the time, and they run author & other special sales that allow you to reduce this further.

Today they just announced and book released in the last 3 months that was above $10 is at $9.99 - normal member discounts probably apply. Sounds like the Kindle factor is working in our favor.

The "Kindle" factor: just what I was thinking! ;)

I'm also a member of Fictionwise Buywise club and I concur, it's very quickly worth it to get a membership.

Do Fictionwise source all their DRM'd mobi files from Mobipocket or do they have their own agreement with publishers? That is, is their catalogue of mobi files larger (a superset of) Mobipocket's catalogue?

-Wayne

It's well worth becoming a "club" member at Fictionwise. You get a free book download, plus discounts on everything you buy. It soon repays itself.
Actually, I don't think it's worth becoming a club member. You can go to BooksOnBoard or PaperBackDigital for Mobi format books without the need for being a Fictionwise club member. Check the prices and you'll see what I mean.

But I don't just buy Mobi DRM books at Fictionwise; I buy things like monthly magazines too, DRM-free - Asimov's, F&SF, ELMM, etc. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that those other stores you mention have Fictionwise's large range of "multiformat" content such as these. Being a club member gets you discount off everything, not just the Mobi DRM books.

I've only had my Reader for a short time, but have already found the club to be worth it to me (it's already paid for itself & then some). I guess it really depends on how much buying you think you'll do. If you'll only be buying 10 books a year it might not be worth it.

Do Fictionwise source all their DRM'd mobi files from Mobipocket or do they have their own agreement with publishers? That is, is their catalogue of mobi files larger (a superset of) Mobipocket's catalogue?

-Wayne

I think they source from Mobipocket. There was a book I was looking at recently that was not available in the Mobipocket format at Fictionwise, only e-reader and another (can't recall which one). I questioned why it wasn't in Mobipocket and they said it was because Mobipocket hadn't dropped the price yet - as soon as they matched e-reader, etc. the book would be available in .prc format

Originally Posted by wmaurer
Do Fictionwise source all their DRM'd mobi files from Mobipocket or do they have their own agreement with publishers? That is, is their catalogue of mobi files larger (a superset of) Mobipocket's catalogue?

-Wayne

not entirely sure but i do remember that earlier this year when mobipocket went offline for almost a week fictionwise hardly had any titles available. Since then tho i think i remember them announcing that they were going to have things on a separate server to avoid a repeat

Loopy

I also joined the Fictionwise club. Between the free book offer and the emagazine subscriptions I have already saved more than the cost of the club membership. It is a pleasure reading Analog and the others on the Sony Reader.

How much is a fee to join the club?

See:

http://www.fictionwise.com/help/buywisefaq.htm

Thanks.

It would not benefit me. I read no more than 12 -17 books per year.

But I don't just buy Mobi DRM books at Fictionwise; I buy things like monthly magazines too, DRM-free - Asimov's, F&SF, ELMM, etc. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that those other stores you mention have Fictionwise's large range of "multiformat" content such as these. Being a club member gets you discount off everything, not just the Mobi DRM books.

Yup, that's what I did. Subscriptions to Asimov's, F&SF, and Analog plus one book put my club membership on the plus side. Now it's all gravy.

Also, FW's prices are dropping across the board in response to the AZW pricing. In that respect, Amazon's already given a bonus to the e-book world in general. Now if Sony would just drop the price on the Reader, we'd see some real fireworks.

Now if Sony would just drop the price on the Reader, we'd see some real fireworks.

With the value of the US$ falling through the floor, the cost of the Reader has fallen pretty dramatically for people outside the US in the last year. Not so long about you got US$1.60 for £1; now it's US$2.10 and still falling.

It's well worth becoming a "club" member at Fictionwise. You get a free book download, plus discounts on everything you buy. It soon repays itself.

That is not the only benifit. I gather you all know about the micro pay. Where you bank a bit of money and at odd times when you just need a fix or you see a book or story for under a dollar you just use the micro pay.

Now about two or three weeks ago they had a very good bargain, you become a member for 5 years, I had one for 4 so I just added an additional year. If you bought anything up to $300 on your credit card, they would credit it to your micro pay. I am now sitting with another bundle of books I wanted to read, plus $300 extra in my micro pay.

It was a great deal for people like me who read a lot, I go through about 3 to 5 books a week.
Lee

Yes indeed - they often have "micropay rebates" on selected books too - buy the book with "real money" and you get 50% or even 100% of its cost credited to your micropay account. An excellent deal!