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Old 09-22-2010, 06:26 PM   #1
simon462
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selling ebooks

Hey
I'm a reader, sometime investor, possible entrepreneur. Anyone know a reliable web site developer. I will need to buy ebooks with appropriate protection / encryption in different formats (nook, microsoft, ipad etc) and resell / rent them. help help help!!!
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Old 09-22-2010, 07:26 PM   #2
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Before starting your ebook business, you should probably know how they work. Your short post indicates a rather extreme lack of understanding of ebook technical issues and marketing methods.

Nook, Microsoft & iPad are not ebook formats; they're devices/platforms, and each of them is capable of reading multiple formats.

Reselling or renting ebooks is legally touchy; you'd need a special contract with publishers or authors to do so with anything currently covered by copyright. Just selling them, including temporary-use ebooks that shut off after a given time, is easier, but many ebook customers won't buy temp books (except for textbooks, and even for those, it's a hard sell).

What kind of ebooks are you planning to specialize in, or were you thinking of a broad range of ebooks? How do you intend to offer titles cheaper, in more formats, or more conveniently than the current ebook stores?
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Old 09-23-2010, 05:44 AM   #3
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Welcome to mobileread ....

There is likely to be some help dropping in in due course - good luck with the venture ...
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Old 09-23-2010, 05:55 AM   #4
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Welcome Simon, I have to agree with elf....you have a lot to learn if you are really going to go into competition with the likes of Amazon.

Good Luck.
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Old 09-23-2010, 06:17 AM   #5
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Good to have your company, Simon. Hang out here for a while and you'll learn a lot. Best wishes. Neil
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Old 09-23-2010, 10:41 AM   #6
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Ouch! Touchy thing there! I think you'll have it tough if you think you can resell ebooks as if they were used video games (which I think is your idea).
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Old 09-23-2010, 12:12 PM   #7
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First, let me say, welcome to MR!

I'm interested in your answers to Elf's questions. As an author who's pretty easy-going (at least I think so. My books are drm-free, and I don't mind people sharing them with close friends and family). That said...I'd be pretty upset to find my books for sale through a website that didn't have my express permission.

So, I hope you have the intent of gaining the author/publishers' permission...otherwise you'd likely find yourself caught up in a big legal mess...one that you would not win.

Sandy
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Old 09-23-2010, 01:27 PM   #8
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Hi Simon and welcome to MobileRead
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Old 09-23-2010, 02:30 PM   #9
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Old 09-24-2010, 04:17 AM   #10
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Just for interest, Simon, the below is extracted from a notice on the front page of our own bookstore where we promise, at no cost, to send a DRM-free copy of any title bought from a third-party retailer which has a store-imposed DRM lock. The underline I've added for this post. Cheers. Neil

BeWrite Books and its authors want you to be able to share our ebooks with friends and family as you might share our paperbacks. We want you to be able to easily convert ebooks to any format you like, to read them on whichever device you like, wherever you like, whenever you like. We trust you not to make a business of it, but to fairly use a BB ebook as you would a BB treebook. BB reckons you own the ebook you bought – you've not merely licensed it with strings attached.
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Old 09-26-2010, 12:32 PM   #11
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Old 10-01-2010, 11:19 AM   #12
simon462
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck View Post
Before starting your ebook business, you should probably know how they work. Your short post indicates a rather extreme lack of understanding of ebook technical issues and marketing methods.

Nook, Microsoft & iPad are not ebook formats; they're devices/platforms, and each of them is capable of reading multiple formats.

Reselling or renting ebooks is legally touchy; you'd need a special contract with publishers or authors to do so with anything currently covered by copyright. Just selling them, including temporary-use ebooks that shut off after a given time, is easier, but many ebook customers won't buy temp books (except for textbooks, and even for those, it's a hard sell).

What kind of ebooks are you planning to specialize in, or were you thinking of a broad range of ebooks? How do you intend to offer titles cheaper, in more formats, or more conveniently than the current ebook stores?
Thanks Elfwreck, like the fizzog (English for face), you are right that I am inexperienced and I appreciate that this is a legal minefield. I have seen forecasts that there will be 2Bn ebooks read in 2015 and the general view is that the market will be dominated by Amazon, Apple and Google. However, there should be room for other players particularly if you could link up with a major brand eg one of the TV companies. The majority of books sold are best sellers - fiction, biography, business top 20 etc. The publishers, who are quite small businesses compared with A, A and G would prefer to be able to deal with additional outlets and may be happy to co-operate. Thoughts?
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Old 10-01-2010, 11:30 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by neilmarr View Post
Just for interest, Simon, the below is extracted from a notice on the front page of our own bookstore where we promise, at no cost, to send a DRM-free copy of any title bought from a third-party retailer which has a store-imposed DRM lock. The underline I've added for this post. Cheers. Neil

BeWrite Books and its authors want you to be able to share our ebooks with friends and family as you might share our paperbacks. We want you to be able to easily convert ebooks to any format you like, to read them on whichever device you like, wherever you like, whenever you like. We trust you not to make a business of it, but to fairly use a BB ebook as you would a BB treebook. BB reckons you own the ebook you bought – you've not merely licensed it with strings attached.
Thanks Neilmarr, will follow up if the need arises. BYW, I'm reading a book about the Duke of Argyle who helped Marlborough win the Battle of Ramillies, any relation?
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Old 10-01-2010, 11:46 AM   #14
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Argyle was Campbell territory, Simon, so I doubt it. The Mar tribe (a tribe, rather than clan, and with a single 'r' back then) were strongly Jacobyte. Interesting point though, and I'll look into it. How go your plans? Very best. Neil
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Old 10-01-2010, 02:45 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simon462 View Post
I have seen forecasts that there will be 2Bn ebooks read in 2015
Read, not bought. I read ebooks over 20 hours/week, and buy less than $20/month.

Quote:
and the general view is that the market will be dominated by Amazon, Apple and Google.
That's a very reasonable statement.

I won't be buying from Amazon, Apple or Google anytime soon--I don't buy DRM'd ebooks. But I'm in a minority among ebook buyers. Most will buy them however they're offered (some of those will become non-customers later as the hassles of DRM convince them not to buy any more ebooks, especially if the format or device becomes obsolete); others will buy in whatever format, then crack the DRM so they can read the ebook the way they want to.

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However, there should be room for other players particularly if you could link up with a major brand eg one of the TV companies.
There's a lot more room for other players by *not* hooking up with major media cartels. Plenty of small, independent bookstores & publishers are making plenty of money without allying themselves to anything.

Quote:
The majority of books sold are best sellers - fiction, biography, business top 20 etc. The publishers, who are quite small businesses compared with A, A and G would prefer to be able to deal with additional outlets and may be happy to co-operate. Thoughts?
The "big 6" bestseller publishers are *not* quiet players in this game, willing to cooperate with bookstores. They've jumped into the arena as direct sales entities, forcing ebookstores to sell under their terms, and at their prices of choice.

If you want a strongly competitive ebookstore, look into (1) search engines and (2) customer service. The store that can compete with Amazon is one that allows customers to search by genre, price, series, filetype, and "buyers also bought." And it's one that answers customer questions accurately & politely--which means an understanding of copyright law, ebook software options, and the website's interface.
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