Multi-language bookstore?

hieronymos · 11-16-2011, 05:07 PM

New to physical eReaders (studied litterature and still reading books...), I have a hard time finding books in different languages. The Kobo app seems to be quite useless for this (i.e. a simple search for 'faust deutsch' gave me the french book - plus, there is no information at all, so I have to download the preview and check the language).
I'd actually like to browse - see the image of the new book of John Grisham in the recommendations, tap on it, and then somewhere have a list of the different languages available, so I can decide if I want to read today in English, French, German or Chinese.

Does anybody know of a solution for this?

I know that, at least in Canada, I'm not alone on this one :-)

Cdesja5 · 11-16-2011, 06:09 PM

Well, in French, if you are looking for a bookstore, you can go to Renaud-Bray (http://www.renaud-bray.com/vitrine_livre_numerique.aspx) to purchase ebooks. That's the largest bookstore in Quebec. Only thing is that they are much more expensive (yes even in epub format!) than the same ebook in English...Same thing at Google eBooks
http://books.google.ca/ebooks?hl=fr

That's why I don't read in French much any more

taming · 11-16-2011, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hieronymos

The Kobo app seems to be quite useless for this (i.e. a simple search for 'faust deutsch' gave me the french book - plus, there is no information at all, so I have to download the preview and check the language).

You do have to keep in mind that French language rights and German language rights (for example) are negotiated separately by the publisher/agent/author.

So, for example, a book may not have been made available at all in a given language in a given country. Or it might be available, but from an entirely different publisher than the one that handles the rights in the primary language. It is another permutation of that whole mess that affects what books are available where and for what price.

hieronymos · 11-16-2011, 08:28 PM

Thanks to you both. I do indeed have a few friends in publishing business so I know that it's quite difficult to have everything in different languages. However, in my local bookstore I can point at the book and say "Do you have that in French?". On the other hand, some time after the iTunes explosion there were music stores coming up on the internet like mondomix - they certainly don't have everything, but they maintain a real collection (and highly international at that), pretty much like ye-olde-disc-store, where the owner would just show you the door if you ask for Britney.

Cdesja5 also made me think of FNAC in France - and they sell ebooks as well. So I finally had a look at Calibre and maybe that's what I'll do - keep a central library that I fill with books from wherever on the internet and remove all these individual stores on the Vox.
Also had a closer look at the Kobo Website for the first time - the international, French and German, websites remind me a little of the device. A very rushed work-in-progress. Maybe it will become something...

hieronymos · 11-17-2011, 08:02 PM

For the reference, I wanted to give an update to this.
Calibre does in fact work very well. In the newer versions, you can search books in multiple bookstores, and it is quite easy to find different languages, due to the pure amount of books. It also tells you if the format you are going to download is DRM crippled.
For ye-old-bookstore, try your local Overdrive. This is where real people (librarians) actually still choose books to include in the catalogue, instead of buying bulk packages of licences. National libraries normally do not ask for a membership, but an online registration.

11-16-2011, 05:07 PM	#1
hieronymos Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 45172 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox	Multi-language bookstore? New to physical eReaders (studied litterature and still reading books...), I have a hard time finding books in different languages. The Kobo app seems to be quite useless for this (i.e. a simple search for 'faust deutsch' gave me the french book - plus, there is no information at all, so I have to download the preview and check the language). I'd actually like to browse - see the image of the new book of John Grisham in the recommendations, tap on it, and then somewhere have a list of the different languages available, so I can decide if I want to read today in English, French, German or Chinese. Does anybody know of a solution for this? I know that, at least in Canada, I'm not alone on this one :-)

11-16-2011, 06:09 PM	#2
Cdesja5 Wizard Posts: 1,117 Karma: 2094306 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Lots and lots of electronic gadgets...	Well, in French, if you are looking for a bookstore, you can go to Renaud-Bray (http://www.renaud-bray.com/vitrine_livre_numerique.aspx) to purchase ebooks. That's the largest bookstore in Quebec. Only thing is that they are much more expensive (yes even in epub format!) than the same ebook in English...Same thing at Google eBooks http://books.google.ca/ebooks?hl=fr That's why I don't read in French much any more Last edited by Cdesja5; 11-16-2011 at 06:12 PM.

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11-16-2011, 08:28 PM	#4
hieronymos Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 45172 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox	Thanks to you both. I do indeed have a few friends in publishing business so I know that it's quite difficult to have everything in different languages. However, in my local bookstore I can point at the book and say "Do you have that in French?". On the other hand, some time after the iTunes explosion there were music stores coming up on the internet like mondomix - they certainly don't have everything, but they maintain a real collection (and highly international at that), pretty much like ye-olde-disc-store, where the owner would just show you the door if you ask for Britney. Cdesja5 also made me think of FNAC in France - and they sell ebooks as well. So I finally had a look at Calibre and maybe that's what I'll do - keep a central library that I fill with books from wherever on the internet and remove all these individual stores on the Vox. Also had a closer look at the Kobo Website for the first time - the international, French and German, websites remind me a little of the device. A very rushed work-in-progress. Maybe it will become something...

11-17-2011, 08:02 PM	#5
hieronymos Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 45172 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox	For the reference, I wanted to give an update to this. Calibre does in fact work very well. In the newer versions, you can search books in multiple bookstores, and it is quite easy to find different languages, due to the pure amount of books. It also tells you if the format you are going to download is DRM crippled. For ye-old-bookstore, try your local Overdrive. This is where real people (librarians) actually still choose books to include in the catalogue, instead of buying bulk packages of licences. National libraries normally do not ask for a membership, but an online registration.

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