Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
It would put my Kindle in the grave because I am not willing to pay the high prices they charge to buy an eBook. Others may not think that they are overpriced, but I do, and when it's my money, my opinion is the only one that counts. And KU, at $9.99 per month, would cost me close to $15 per book since I am not a fast reader (6 weeks per book is not unusual). The books you find on KU can alternately be bought outright at reasonable prices. But I have found KU offerings are really hit or miss. Some are worth reading, but there are a whole bunch that are not. This is the main reason why I jump on every "99 cents for 3 months" KU promotion I can, and check out an average of one book per day. I do not read all these books (being a slow reader), but I sample enough of their content to build up a list of worthwhile ones. So if in the future I do have to start buying KU books outright, I have a list of (hopefully) good purchases.
I really like library borrowing (thus Overdrive by association). The one problem with library borrowing is the typical 21 day limit per book, but I have found that by joining multiple libraries in my area that I can generally check out a book from one and if I'm reading at my normal slowness, have a fallback copy on hold at a different library. The fallback copy then gets checked out if I fail to finish the book within the 21 day period. If push comes to shove, I can always put my Kindle into airplane mode until I finish the borrowed book. The book stays on the Kindle until internet connectivity is restored, despite the advertised maximum lending duration. My Kindle is normally in airplane mode most all the time now anyway.
If library borrowing goes away (e.g., if Overdrive goes away), then I would go back to buying used paperbacks to save money instead of spending so much to buy eBooks for my Kindle. To be perfectly honest, I have enough books in my "to be read" collection - both paper books and eBooks - to last the rest of my life. So while I wouldn't like it, I could survive without ever buying or borrowing another book.
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21 day limit? Things have certainly changed in the decades since I was a kid working on a 7 day check out.
The basic issue with libraries and eBooks is managing the process of checking out eBooks and making sure that people aren't making copies. I would not be incredibly shocked if we eventually get to the point of national libraries with regards to eBooks. If you don't have to go in person to check out a book, then it could make sense. For that matter, I can see moving to some sort of subscription based public library. A lot of the pieces are already in place with various public libraries offering a membership for a yearly fee. If things go in that direction, it could be quite lucrative for Overdrive.