Amazon "Upgrades"

Gatton · 02-02-2007, 03:20 AM

I'm not sure how long Amazon has offered this or if it's been talked about here on mobileread before (a quick search turned up nothing.) But while browsing books on Amazon there was mention of "Upgrading" a book purchase to allow you to view the book online. The following text is what caught my eye:

"Upgrade this book for $4.39 more, and you can read, search, and annotate every page online."

Presumably you would be using something akin to Amazon's Search Inside This Book feature which while cumbersome is generally usable.

I'm wondering if anyone here has used this feature? I'm sure you can't download the book in any way and all the content would remain locked up on Amazon's servers. However according to the details page it would allow printing. Also it appears different books have different "upgrade" prices.

I've bought quite a few books from Amazon over the years but only one of my previous purchases showed up as being eligible to be "upgraded." This was a book on home health care for dogs so I don't think I'll bother trying this upgrade even though the cost is listed as being $2.99.

What intrigued me about it is how it might be nice to use for other book types such as cook books. I imagined that I could buy a cook book from Amazon's site and then "upgrade" and be able to print out a few recipes to try before my book arrives. I don't know if the additional few dollars is really worth it though.

Sorry this got so long. I should go do some googling and blog searching to see if others have written about this. If I try it out I'll post my experiences.

Azayzel · 02-02-2007, 05:13 AM

Heheh, if you can print the book then you can output it as a PDF; e.g., make it portable for your Reader, Iliad, etc.,, DRM required. One thing I do not like about this is the sliding scale you said that Amazon is attempting to use; sure it may be good for new releases, but since printing costs are non-existent I cannot understand why they charge so much for an e-Book. If a paperback is $7.99 in print, then the eBook should only be a fraction of that cost or no more than a third; i.e., middle-man gone, no printing/shipping/packaging costs, etc. Of course once a book gets released in the digital wilderness it is gone for good, so I suppose they are trying to mitigate their perceived losses by charging more at the outset to make up for what they might lose in the future.

TadW · 02-02-2007, 05:20 AM

I think it was first mentioned here. Personally, I find it ridiculous that I have to pay twice for the same book, even if it's at a reduced price.

VillageReader · 02-02-2007, 05:58 AM

Would you like fries with that burger?

02-02-2007, 03:20 AM	#1
Gatton Groupie Posts: 151 Karma: 368 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2021, assorted Fire tablets.	Amazon "Upgrades" I'm not sure how long Amazon has offered this or if it's been talked about here on mobileread before (a quick search turned up nothing.) But while browsing books on Amazon there was mention of "Upgrading" a book purchase to allow you to view the book online. The following text is what caught my eye: "Upgrade this book for $4.39 more, and you can read, search, and annotate every page online." Presumably you would be using something akin to Amazon's Search Inside This Book feature which while cumbersome is generally usable. I'm wondering if anyone here has used this feature? I'm sure you can't download the book in any way and all the content would remain locked up on Amazon's servers. However according to the details page it would allow printing. Also it appears different books have different "upgrade" prices. I've bought quite a few books from Amazon over the years but only one of my previous purchases showed up as being eligible to be "upgraded." This was a book on home health care for dogs so I don't think I'll bother trying this upgrade even though the cost is listed as being $2.99. What intrigued me about it is how it might be nice to use for other book types such as cook books. I imagined that I could buy a cook book from Amazon's site and then "upgrade" and be able to print out a few recipes to try before my book arrives. I don't know if the additional few dollars is really worth it though. Sorry this got so long. I should go do some googling and blog searching to see if others have written about this. If I try it out I'll post my experiences.

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02-02-2007, 05:13 AM	#2
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	Heheh, if you can print the book then you can output it as a PDF; e.g., make it portable for your Reader, Iliad, etc.,, DRM required. One thing I do not like about this is the sliding scale you said that Amazon is attempting to use; sure it may be good for new releases, but since printing costs are non-existent I cannot understand why they charge so much for an e-Book. If a paperback is $7.99 in print, then the eBook should only be a fraction of that cost or no more than a third; i.e., middle-man gone, no printing/shipping/packaging costs, etc. Of course once a book gets released in the digital wilderness it is gone for good, so I suppose they are trying to mitigate their perceived losses by charging more at the outset to make up for what they might lose in the future.

02-02-2007, 05:20 AM	#3
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	I think it was first mentioned here. Personally, I find it ridiculous that I have to pay twice for the same book, even if it's at a reduced price.

02-02-2007, 05:58 AM	#4
VillageReader Evangelist Posts: 430 Karma: 2718 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Iliad	Would you like fries with that burger?

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