Afictionado - first ebook subscription service?

[potpneherb]

Just found this online,
http://afictionado.mpstechnologies.c...tic/index.htm#
The hompage says that it is going to launch Jan 2012 and will have a a couple of different subscription packages on offer, it gives the user a choice of pdf and epub though mobi is not supported. I assume it will work in much the same way as an ebook lending library does. What do you guys think? How much would you pay for a service like this? If it included new releases and was priced reasonably then this is definately something I'd be interested in, my local library doesn't offer an ebook lending service and I see no point in owning a copy of an ebook after I've read it. Howdo you think Amazon and other ebook purchasing sites will respond? I also read that Amazon is considering a ebook lending service to it's Prime members,

[stonetools]

I've introduced the topic for discussion before. Mike Shatzkion discussed a possible subscription model HERE.
My thread is HERE.

A lot will depend on price and what pool of books you can subscribe to. That will in turn depend on the publishers. Dunno who is backing this venture, but if they don't have the full support of the publishers, this venture will fail.

[elemenoP]

Yep, I've said this before, but the success of this model will depend entirely on which publishers opt in. If it's all indie publishers, how much is the service going to be worth to you?

eP

[MrsJoseph]

$0

I like to own my books and I re-read frequently. This would do nothing for me.

[jersysman]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

$0

I like to own my books and I re-read frequently. This would do nothing for me.

+1

Ditto!!!

[Apache]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

$0

I like to own my books and I re-read frequently. This would do nothing for me.

+2.
Apache

[seajewel]

I love libraries and used them a lot when I was a kid. If this service was sort of like a library, with a good selection, no horrendous wait times, and a reasonable fee, I would be interested. But the selection is key..

[tealdeer]

I almost never re-read books and delete/donate 99% of what I read once I'm done with it. I was quite interested in this website until I read the FAQ:

How many ebooks can I borrow at once?
Afictionado offers two levels of membership. If you take advantage of our lowest subscription fees, you can only borrow two ebooks at once. If you pay a little bit more each month, you can borrow up to four ebooks at a time.

How long does an ebook loan last?
All our ebook loans last for two weeks.

What happens when I need to return an ebook?
You don’t need to worry about returning your ebooks to Afictionado. Access to each borrowed ebook will automatically be blocked once the two-week loan period is over.

Can I return ebooks early?
You won’t be able to return ebooks early if you finish them in less than two weeks.

So if I borrow a book and I don't like it I'm stuck with for two weeks? Umm, no thanks.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by tealdeer

I almost never re-read books and delete/donate 99% of what I read once I'm done with it. I was quite interested in this website until I read the FAQ:



So if I borrow a book and I don't like it I'm stuck with for two weeks? Umm, no thanks.

Well, you can borrow up to four at a time if you pay the primo rate. What do you want, blood?
I can gaurantee you that no matter what the subscription policy would be, someone would be dissatisfied with it.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

$0

I like to own my books and I re-read frequently. This would do nothing for me.

+3. I also re-read frequently, so not interested in this.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by tealdeer

I almost never re-read books and delete/donate 99% of what I read once I'm done with it. I was quite interested in this website until I read the FAQ:



So if I borrow a book and I don't like it I'm stuck with for two weeks? Umm, no thanks.

That sounds like a very expensive library card...I'd rather just keep my library card and call it a day.

[xg4bx]

the only sub service i'd be interested in would be more like an actual mail order book club. pay $x each month and get sent,lets say,any science fiction releases by our publishers each month to keep. or pay $x and pick 5 books of your choosing each month. something like that.

this is a paid, glorified library.

[potpneherb]

As I mentioned in the original post, my library doesn't offer an ebook lending service so I would be interested in this but like seajewel said, selection is key. If the publishers don't get on board then I don't think I'll subscribe, but saying that I'm not sure how much I'd be willing to pay yet either, content is key for me.

[CommonReader]

Well, my public library allows me to borrow up to 99 (!) electronic media at the same time. This service costs me 10 € (13.70 USD)/year.
4 books don't sound very alluring for a commercial subscription service.

[Keryl Raist]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

Well, my public library allows me to borrow up to 99 (!) electronic media at the same time. This service costs me 10 € (13.70 USD)/year.
4 books don't sound very alluring for a commercial subscription service.

You pay 10E for the library service?

Ours is free for 20 books out at a time, but the selection isn't fantastic. (Well, the selection isn't all I'd like it to be, maybe romance and chic-lit fans would find it perfectly wonderful.)

My guess is this is marketed at casual readers, the sort who haven't figured out that their library likely offers a better service. And for those who don't have a library that offers this at all. The main idea being 4 books on loan is better than none.

I'd also guess that in the next three or so years just about every major library system will offer ebooks.