Is anyone still reading Fictionwise multiformat books?

ficbot · 05-12-2011, 11:19 PM

Is anyone still reading Fictionwise multiformat books: I used to acquire these by the bucketful in the days of micropay rebates (I'd buy a book with a full rebate and then use the money to get several of these). But on going through my records recently, I have regretted it. A tiny handful have been good, most have been mediocre at best, and many of them were downright dreadful. The samples at Fictionwise ranged from inadequate to non-existent, they did not allow reviews and many did not have reviews available elsewhere, so it was always a bit of a gamble. Apparently, in my case anyway, it very seldom paid off. People on the forums here always used to claim to read them, but whenever they were pressed on which ones to recommend, they seldom had any specific titles to suggest to people

I know Fictionwise is still kicking around out there, but ever since the agency model pretty much ruined them, I have not visited the site more than a handful of times. I approve of the concept of multiformat, DRM-free stuff by a variety of authors, but Smashwords seems to satisfy my needs for that these days. Reviews and sampling are especially needed for indie books with not a lot of other information available on them. I guess I don't see any need to gamble at Fictionwise when I can try before I buy at Smashwords.

So...is anyone still going to Fictionwise for that sort of thing these days? Are you going there for stuff by specific authors you know, or to try and discover new authors? And if the latter, why is Fictionwise still your preferred destination for that?

Just curious! I have bought a ton from Fictionwise over the years, but nothing recently...

Blue Tyson · 05-13-2011, 12:49 AM

Sure, occasionally - for stuff from authors I know, generally. New ones don't tend to be there, as Fictionwise had that 'must have x amount of stuff/be a publisher' to be published there?

Probably likely to have been stuff that has been there for a while, though.

rhadin · 05-13-2011, 06:02 AM

I stopped visiting Fictionwise about a year ago. Like you, I used to buy a ton of the multiformat ebooks from them and I would visit every few days to see what was new to buy. But I began to lose interest in FW when the filtering wasn't improved (a fate that Smashwords may soon have in my book -- too limited and not well-conceived filtering makes finding books difficult) and finally lost all interest when it became clear that FW was on its deathbed. I started going to Smashwords, but am finding it very annoying to find new books.

sourcejedi · 05-13-2011, 07:31 AM

It can be cheap way to buy Bujold's Vorkosigan series

. (Cheap enough that I didn't mind re-buying the better (albeit omnibussed) versions from Baen). [More format choice, larger & superior cover images].

"Anvil of Stars" was fun as well. But it had a surprising number of OCR errors, and some shocking format errors specific to the EPUB. Note to retailers: I don't care how many times you've verified a file against your internal checks. If "unzip --test" shows errors, it is *not* a valid EPUB file (and it won't open in FBReader).

If they add something new I'm interested in, I'll have another look. But if it's available through Webscription at a similar price (as many are), I'd go for that instead. And I'd only notice it in passing; I don't have any reason to re-visit Fictionwise periodically. It's just too depressing

. For most practical purposes, Fictionwise is dead.

[Even Bujold isn't a great reason to point people there now there's a good starting book in the Free Library]

Danielle · 05-13-2011, 08:32 AM

Yes, every once in a while someone will post a coupon code for their ebooks this is the only time that I shop there.

abookreader · 05-13-2011, 08:57 AM

I bought 5 or 6 books from Fictionwise back at that last 55% off code - but mostly I've forgotten they exist.

covfam · 05-13-2011, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abookreader

I bought 5 or 6 books from Fictionwise back at that last 55% off code - but mostly I've forgotten they exist.

i stopped a year ago when they had the "incedent" with a few of the publishers and lost most of thier big writers and when they got the publishing issues fixed they didnt bring back most of the authors they previously had, i keep looking at it from time to time but it looks like 2/3rds of all thier new books tend to be erotic novels and not much from the other fiction, even then its mostly self published or tiny independant publishers wich is ok but i do like reading harry turtle dove and some of the other biggies too. so thats why i dont use fictionwise they are slowly withering away

Little_bear · 05-13-2011, 10:22 AM

Only if I get a good coupon, which doesn't happen very often.

Anthem · 05-13-2011, 02:13 PM

I still buy from them regularly. Dip my toes in lots of different pools here and there. No matter what the source, I find it difficult to acquire quality literature or just something that makes me go "Damn, that was fun."

Hmm.

I love the William C. Dietz multiformat books at FictionWise. I'm currently reading Matrix Man (by Dietz) and although the book could use additional editing (as with so so many electronic texts) it is the first text in about a month or so that I really want to read and don't simply want to finish as fast as possible because it blows (I'm looking at you James Rollins, and at you Dean Koontz, how could you guys?!?!).

leebase · 05-13-2011, 02:16 PM

I still read those I bought before fictionwise went to pot. I don't buy them anymore. Fictionwise is dead to me and that's sad. They used to be my favorite place to buy books.

Lee

pilotbob · 05-13-2011, 02:18 PM

Funny that you mention this. I just get an email from FW reminding me that I had $5ish of unused micropay left.

Can anyone recommend something awesome in their multi-format section? (of course I could always by ePub and liberate).

BOb

CWatkinsNash · 05-13-2011, 03:31 PM

I still go there when someone posts a really good coupon. Lately I've only bought some magazines (EQ and Black Static).

I find it ironic that my go-to place back years ago when I could only read ebooks on the computer is nearly useless now that the market is full of reading devices. Sad.

sassanik · 05-13-2011, 06:38 PM

Fictionwise is not accepting any new publishers at this point. Which is not good since they don't carry most of the big 5 ebooks. They are slowly dying, which is a really sad thing. It was such a great store.

Barnes and Noble has shifted its focus to its PubIt platform. I think they have forgotten about Fictionwise.

Amy

SensualPoet · 05-13-2011, 08:33 PM

I don't regret the titles I acquired at Fictionwise; I just don't buy anything there because all of the things in my wishlist are not sold in Canada (never mind that Amazon and Kobo sell the same titles in Canada).

ATDrake · 05-13-2011, 08:38 PM

I still buy a fair amount when they have a really good coupon. But then I read mainly sf/fantasy and their multiformat selection for backlist stuff from certain reprint e-publishers is fairly decent (mainly due to the efforts of said publishers to get their works into the store).

But their selection has seriously deteriorated, as I've noticed titles disappearing which were formerly available published via "Fictionwise.com" or other niche publishers who've left the rest of their catalogues up.

I have no idea what's behind this (it doesn't seem to be the stories suddenly getting picked up by a new e-publisher who insists on exclusive rights), but it's really annoying when it happens to my wishlisted stuff.

05-12-2011, 11:19 PM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Is anyone still reading Fictionwise multiformat books? Is anyone still reading Fictionwise multiformat books: I used to acquire these by the bucketful in the days of micropay rebates (I'd buy a book with a full rebate and then use the money to get several of these). But on going through my records recently, I have regretted it. A tiny handful have been good, most have been mediocre at best, and many of them were downright dreadful. The samples at Fictionwise ranged from inadequate to non-existent, they did not allow reviews and many did not have reviews available elsewhere, so it was always a bit of a gamble. Apparently, in my case anyway, it very seldom paid off. People on the forums here always used to claim to read them, but whenever they were pressed on which ones to recommend, they seldom had any specific titles to suggest to people I know Fictionwise is still kicking around out there, but ever since the agency model pretty much ruined them, I have not visited the site more than a handful of times. I approve of the concept of multiformat, DRM-free stuff by a variety of authors, but Smashwords seems to satisfy my needs for that these days. Reviews and sampling are especially needed for indie books with not a lot of other information available on them. I guess I don't see any need to gamble at Fictionwise when I can try before I buy at Smashwords. So...is anyone still going to Fictionwise for that sort of thing these days? Are you going there for stuff by specific authors you know, or to try and discover new authors? And if the latter, why is Fictionwise still your preferred destination for that? Just curious! I have bought a ton from Fictionwise over the years, but nothing recently...

05-13-2011, 07:31 AM	#4
sourcejedi Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 200000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Britania Device: Android	no, sounds about right to me It can be cheap way to buy Bujold's Vorkosigan series . (Cheap enough that I didn't mind re-buying the better (albeit omnibussed) versions from Baen). [More format choice, larger & superior cover images]. "Anvil of Stars" was fun as well. But it had a surprising number of OCR errors, and some shocking format errors specific to the EPUB. Note to retailers: I don't care how many times you've verified a file against your internal checks. If "unzip --test" shows errors, it is not a valid EPUB file (and it won't open in FBReader). If they add something new I'm interested in, I'll have another look. But if it's available through Webscription at a similar price (as many are), I'd go for that instead. And I'd only notice it in passing; I don't have any reason to re-visit Fictionwise periodically. It's just too depressing . For most practical purposes, Fictionwise is dead. [Even Bujold isn't a great reason to point people there now there's a good starting book in the Free Library]

05-13-2011, 06:38 PM	#13
sassanik Guru Posts: 774 Karma: 1211741 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Oregon Device: EB1150, iPhone, Cool-er Purple, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Fire	fictionwise Fictionwise is not accepting any new publishers at this point. Which is not good since they don't carry most of the big 5 ebooks. They are slowly dying, which is a really sad thing. It was such a great store. Barnes and Noble has shifted its focus to its PubIt platform. I think they have forgotten about Fictionwise. Amy

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05-13-2011, 12:49 AM	#2
Blue Tyson Blue Captain Posts: 1,595 Karma: 5000236 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G,Huawei Ideos X3,Kobo Mini	Sure, occasionally - for stuff from authors I know, generally. New ones don't tend to be there, as Fictionwise had that 'must have x amount of stuff/be a publisher' to be published there? Probably likely to have been stuff that has been there for a while, though.

05-13-2011, 06:02 AM	#3
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	I stopped visiting Fictionwise about a year ago. Like you, I used to buy a ton of the multiformat ebooks from them and I would visit every few days to see what was new to buy. But I began to lose interest in FW when the filtering wasn't improved (a fate that Smashwords may soon have in my book -- too limited and not well-conceived filtering makes finding books difficult) and finally lost all interest when it became clear that FW was on its deathbed. I started going to Smashwords, but am finding it very annoying to find new books.

05-13-2011, 08:32 AM	#5
Danielle Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 9102 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: sony 950, eReader from eBookwise.com (sold)	Yes, every once in a while someone will post a coupon code for their ebooks this is the only time that I shop there.

05-13-2011, 08:57 AM	#6
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I bought 5 or 6 books from Fictionwise back at that last 55% off code - but mostly I've forgotten they exist.

05-13-2011, 10:22 AM	#8
Little_bear Groupie Posts: 196 Karma: 1199690 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Massachusetts, USA Device: Kobo Touch (gifted to a friend), Sony PRS-T2, iPad mini	Only if I get a good coupon, which doesn't happen very often.

05-13-2011, 02:13 PM	#9
Anthem Guru Posts: 704 Karma: 1622328 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord	I still buy from them regularly. Dip my toes in lots of different pools here and there. No matter what the source, I find it difficult to acquire quality literature or just something that makes me go "Damn, that was fun." Hmm. I love the William C. Dietz multiformat books at FictionWise. I'm currently reading Matrix Man (by Dietz) and although the book could use additional editing (as with so so many electronic texts) it is the first text in about a month or so that I really want to read and don't simply want to finish as fast as possible because it blows (I'm looking at you James Rollins, and at you Dean Koontz, how could you guys?!?!).

05-13-2011, 02:16 PM	#10
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,960 Karma: 26738313 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	I still read those I bought before fictionwise went to pot. I don't buy them anymore. Fictionwise is dead to me and that's sad. They used to be my favorite place to buy books. Lee

05-13-2011, 02:18 PM	#11
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	Funny that you mention this. I just get an email from FW reminding me that I had $5ish of unused micropay left. Can anyone recommend something awesome in their multi-format section? (of course I could always by ePub and liberate). BOb

05-13-2011, 03:31 PM	#12
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	I still go there when someone posts a really good coupon. Lately I've only bought some magazines (EQ and Black Static). I find it ironic that my go-to place back years ago when I could only read ebooks on the computer is nearly useless now that the market is full of reading devices. Sad.

05-13-2011, 08:33 PM	#14
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	I don't regret the titles I acquired at Fictionwise; I just don't buy anything there because all of the things in my wishlist are not sold in Canada (never mind that Amazon and Kobo sell the same titles in Canada).

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05-13-2011, 08:38 PM	#15
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	I still buy a fair amount when they have a really good coupon. But then I read mainly sf/fantasy and their multiformat selection for backlist stuff from certain reprint e-publishers is fairly decent (mainly due to the efforts of said publishers to get their works into the store). But their selection has seriously deteriorated, as I've noticed titles disappearing which were formerly available published via "Fictionwise.com" or other niche publishers who've left the rest of their catalogues up. I have no idea what's behind this (it doesn't seem to be the stories suddenly getting picked up by a new e-publisher who insists on exclusive rights), but it's really annoying when it happens to my wishlisted stuff.