introduction

steve g · 06-20-2009, 06:02 PM

I may have mis used the thread, if so forgive an oldbi. My kids purchased a Sony 505 for me for d-day so this is my first shot into e-books. my interest is general fiction and I have been totally let down by the cost of e-books. something is very wrong with the business model. The author must be compensated but $12 is not going to the author. there is no way that the cost of distribution is anywhere near that. if anyone has a different view I welcome it, maybe I'm missing something.
Steve

desertgrandma · 06-20-2009, 06:05 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, Steve

Your concern is an old one here. We all feel about the same.

The Kindle would have been a better choice if you intend to buy all your books..........that being said, check out your local library, because the Sony is great for downloading library ebooks.

Be sure and check out all the great freebies here, formatted by our own members, and don't hesitate to ask questions.

You'll find lots of friendly people.

Bilbo1967 · 06-20-2009, 06:07 PM

Welcome steve, hope you enjoy your e-reader.

Why not have a look at the free books here on mobileread - there's so many, I'm sure you'll find something you like and they're all free, so nothing to lose by just trying some

MickeyC · 06-20-2009, 06:58 PM

Hi Steve and welcome to MobileRead. You'll find most of us in violent agreement with over the price of eBooks. It's like cinemas adding the 'convenience' charge to tickets you buy on the internet. IOW, they are charging you for saving them money.

Verencat · 06-20-2009, 08:12 PM

Hi Steve G, and welcome to Mobile Read!

I'm sure you'll find great comfort in discovering all the free books available for your Sony here!

Enjoy your new device - your kids gave you a really nice new toy!

Elsi · 06-20-2009, 08:42 PM

Hello Steve and welcome to MobileRead. There have been any number of discussions about the price of electronic books. Most of us feel that they certainly should not cost more than paperbacks, and -- given the perception that it costs less to maintain servers than it does to use paper, ink, and trucks to deliver the books -- the "fair" price point is probably a bit lower.

Some authors have voiced similar opinions, and have even gone so far as to sell electronic versions of books from their own servers.

With that said, there are thousands of books formatted for the Sony reader which you can download for free from this site and others. Our June 2009 Reading Group is reading and discussing King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. It's the first book in the first volume of H. Rider Haggard's works. You can download it as BBeB/lrf or ePub format.

Also, if you like Science Fiction and Fantasy, you can start with the Baen Free Library and continue with Webscription.net where the SF/F books are DRM-free and usually no more than $6.00 apiece. Fictionwise.com offers numerous books as "Multi-format", DRM-free editions. Many of these are much more reasonably priced than the current releases you find in the Sony store.

And, of course, keep your eyes open for the numerous freebies that the publishers and retailers offer from time to time. Of the 158 books I have "purchased" from Amazon.com for my Kindle, 82 of them were free. That significantly reduces the average price I've paid for electronic books.

So, yes, it's terribly frustrating when you find that The Last Child by John Hart is selling for $11.99 in the Sony store, but you can console yourself that it's significantly less expensive than the hardback list price of $24.95 or even the discounted hardback price of $16.47.

Welcome to MobileRead. You'll find a large group of sympathetic folks here.

Stitchawl · 06-20-2009, 09:04 PM

Welcome, Steve! I hope you enjoy your Sony as much as I enjoy mine. I have been able to find all the books I could ever want for free, either here in MR, or in several other sites around the Internet. I hope that you are aware of the free software "Calibre" written by one of our members. It will enable you to quickly and easily convert e-books from one format to another, giving you access to many more free e-books.

Stitchawl

sdmama · 06-20-2009, 09:05 PM

Welcome Steve. There are lots of free ebooks available. I've only purchased two $12 books and I haven't actually gotten around to reading them yet. As a avid reader, I had fallen into a rut in terms of my favorite authors. I have come across some real gems and have found some new authors that I am really enjoying.

The best part of a free ebook as some of the others have pointed out is that you have nothing to lose!

Those are some really nice kids you have there!

kazbates · 06-20-2009, 09:49 PM

Welcome to MobileRead! As others have posted, the cost of ebooks is a BIG discussion topic here.

Many of us are just as frustrated as you are.

Don't let the cost of ebooks get in the way of enjoying your reader, though. There are many resources for free ebooks and if you have any questions about downloading them, this is the place to find answers.

Enjoy!

GraceKrispy · 06-21-2009, 06:20 AM

Congrats on getting a wonderful gift! I got a sony 505 for my birthday this past November. It was a wonderful gift! I'm sure you'll enjoy yours as well.

I'm a total cheapskate. I download books from this site, from feedbooks.com, and, mostly, from my local library. Check out this site to do a search on your library to see if you have ebooks available: http://search.overdrive.com/

There is also a link to digital library collections and information about obtaining cards in the 500/505 forum.

welcome to the forum!

columbus · 06-21-2009, 07:02 AM

Hi Steve and welcome to Mobilread, where you can ask and get answers to all your questions on ebooks and readers.

It's all been said by others above, but I'm an oldie and also like to read general fiction, there are plenty of sources for both free and reasonably priced ebooks. I've a "to read" list of 80 books most of which were free. The ones I paid for averaged $6/7. Just don't expect latest releases to be cheap.

Over the last few months I have had some great reads have a look at http://www.boydmorrison.com/ who is offering three excellent books for free.

You could also check out Penal colony and Refuge, both by Richard Herley at http://www.richardherley.com/bookspage.html

And Hal Spacejock book 1 free download at http://www.spacejock.com.au/ an absolutely hilarious series

All the above authors are Mobileread members.

You don't say where you are, but if in the US there are a number of free books on the Sony store.

Also there are some absolute gems in the 10,000+ Mobileread public domain free downloads.

06-20-2009, 06:02 PM	#1
steve g Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: sony 505	introduction I may have mis used the thread, if so forgive an oldbi. My kids purchased a Sony 505 for me for d-day so this is my first shot into e-books. my interest is general fiction and I have been totally let down by the cost of e-books. something is very wrong with the business model. The author must be compensated but $12 is not going to the author. there is no way that the cost of distribution is anywhere near that. if anyone has a different view I welcome it, maybe I'm missing something. Steve

06-21-2009, 06:20 AM	#10
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	Congrats on getting a wonderful gift! I got a sony 505 for my birthday this past November. It was a wonderful gift! I'm sure you'll enjoy yours as well. I'm a total cheapskate. I download books from this site, from feedbooks.com, and, mostly, from my local library. Check out this site to do a search on your library to see if you have ebooks available: http://search.overdrive.com/ There is also a link to digital library collections and information about obtaining cards in the 500/505 forum. welcome to the forum! Last edited by GraceKrispy; 06-21-2009 at 06:39 AM. Reason: went and found the link for you!

06-21-2009, 07:02 AM	#11
columbus Wizard Posts: 999 Karma: 5487540 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: In my own imagination. Device: Sony Prs 650, 505	Hi Steve and welcome to Mobilread, where you can ask and get answers to all your questions on ebooks and readers. It's all been said by others above, but I'm an oldie and also like to read general fiction, there are plenty of sources for both free and reasonably priced ebooks. I've a "to read" list of 80 books most of which were free. The ones I paid for averaged $6/7. Just don't expect latest releases to be cheap. Over the last few months I have had some great reads have a look at http://www.boydmorrison.com/ who is offering three excellent books for free. You could also check out Penal colony and Refuge, both by Richard Herley at http://www.richardherley.com/bookspage.html And Hal Spacejock book 1 free download at http://www.spacejock.com.au/ an absolutely hilarious series All the above authors are Mobileread members. You don't say where you are, but if in the US there are a number of free books on the Sony store. Also there are some absolute gems in the 10,000+ Mobileread public domain free downloads. Last edited by columbus; 06-21-2009 at 10:47 AM. Reason: extra links

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06-20-2009, 06:05 PM	#2
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462841 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, Steve Your concern is an old one here. We all feel about the same. The Kindle would have been a better choice if you intend to buy all your books..........that being said, check out your local library, because the Sony is great for downloading library ebooks. Be sure and check out all the great freebies here, formatted by our own members, and don't hesitate to ask questions. You'll find lots of friendly people.

06-20-2009, 06:07 PM	#3
Bilbo1967 Not scared! Posts: 13,424 Karma: 81011643 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Midlands, UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10	Welcome steve, hope you enjoy your e-reader. Why not have a look at the free books here on mobileread - there's so many, I'm sure you'll find something you like and they're all free, so nothing to lose by just trying some

06-20-2009, 06:58 PM	#4
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Steve and welcome to MobileRead. You'll find most of us in violent agreement with over the price of eBooks. It's like cinemas adding the 'convenience' charge to tickets you buy on the internet. IOW, they are charging you for saving them money.

06-20-2009, 08:12 PM	#5
Verencat Wizard Posts: 2,615 Karma: 96491 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Device: xxx	Hi Steve G, and welcome to Mobile Read! I'm sure you'll find great comfort in discovering all the free books available for your Sony here! Enjoy your new device - your kids gave you a really nice new toy!

06-20-2009, 08:42 PM	#6
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	Hello Steve and welcome to MobileRead. There have been any number of discussions about the price of electronic books. Most of us feel that they certainly should not cost more than paperbacks, and -- given the perception that it costs less to maintain servers than it does to use paper, ink, and trucks to deliver the books -- the "fair" price point is probably a bit lower. Some authors have voiced similar opinions, and have even gone so far as to sell electronic versions of books from their own servers. With that said, there are thousands of books formatted for the Sony reader which you can download for free from this site and others. Our June 2009 Reading Group is reading and discussing *King Solomon's Mines* by H. Rider Haggard. It's the first book in the first volume of H. Rider Haggard's works. You can download it as BBeB/lrf or ePub format. Also, if you like Science Fiction and Fantasy, you can start with the Baen Free Library and continue with Webscription.net where the SF/F books are DRM-free and usually no more than $6.00 apiece. Fictionwise.com offers numerous books as "Multi-format", DRM-free editions. Many of these are much more reasonably priced than the current releases you find in the Sony store. And, of course, keep your eyes open for the numerous freebies that the publishers and retailers offer from time to time. Of the 158 books I have "purchased" from Amazon.com for my Kindle, 82 of them were free. That significantly reduces the average price I've paid for electronic books. So, yes, it's terribly frustrating when you find that *The Last Child* by John Hart is selling for $11.99 in the Sony store, but you can console yourself that it's significantly less expensive than the hardback list price of $24.95 or even the discounted hardback price of $16.47. Welcome to MobileRead. You'll find a large group of sympathetic folks here.

06-20-2009, 09:04 PM	#7
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	Welcome, Steve! I hope you enjoy your Sony as much as I enjoy mine. I have been able to find all the books I could ever want for free, either here in MR, or in several other sites around the Internet. I hope that you are aware of the free software "Calibre" written by one of our members. It will enable you to quickly and easily convert e-books from one format to another, giving you access to many more free e-books. Stitchawl

06-20-2009, 09:05 PM	#8
sdmama Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 148 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: San Diego Device: Sony Reader 505 and 700 and Kindle 2	Welcome Steve. There are lots of free ebooks available. I've only purchased two $12 books and I haven't actually gotten around to reading them yet. As a avid reader, I had fallen into a rut in terms of my favorite authors. I have come across some real gems and have found some new authors that I am really enjoying. The best part of a free ebook as some of the others have pointed out is that you have nothing to lose! Those are some really nice kids you have there!

06-20-2009, 09:49 PM	#9
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	Welcome to MobileRead! As others have posted, the cost of ebooks is a BIG discussion topic here. Many of us are just as frustrated as you are. Don't let the cost of ebooks get in the way of enjoying your reader, though. There are many resources for free ebooks and if you have any questions about downloading them, this is the place to find answers. Enjoy!

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