Other than file format, why should I pick one store over another?

[swapjim]

I get it that Kindle doesn't read ePub and Nook doesn't read Amazon's formats so I'll have to convert, which is a simple task.

I also understand that the website of a store might be more usable.

Other than these two, what reason do I have to prefer one store over another?

Are there, for example, store exclusives?

[Cinisajoy]

Yes, Amazon has some exclusives.
Most here get books from several places including but not limited to: Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Baen, Smashwords and the Patricia Clark Memorial Library here on MR.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Yes, Amazon has some exclusives.
Most here get books from several places including but not limited to: Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Baen, Smashwords and the Patricia Clark Memorial Library here on MR.

Exactly. I'm not in the US, so Google or Kobo often have better prices for me than Amazon. OTOH, Amazon has lots of exclusives. Thanks to Calibre and Alf I can shop wherever I want.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Exactly. I'm not in the US, so Google or Kobo often have better prices for me than Amazon. OTOH, Amazon has lots of exclusives. Thanks to Calibre and Alf I can shop wherever I want.

I agree with you on Amazon's exclusives and Calibre and Alf. However, I am interested in your statement that you can often buy ebooks cheaper on Google or Kobo than Amazon. For agency priced ebooks the prices should be the same. If Estonia is caught up in the protectionist luddite European fixed price regime, then prices should also be the same, at least theoritically, at least for tradpub ebooks. Is it the position that Kobo and Google are discounting where Amazon is not, or discounting more?

In Australia agency reigns supreme for Big Publishing's ebooks which are usually grossly overpriced. These ebooks are pusually riced identically on Kobo and Google. Of course, many Australians buy from the US or other Amazon stores at far more reasonable prices. Books from Amazon imprints, Amazon's KDP books and some books from smaller traditional presses are of course far more reasonably priced from the Australian store.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by swapjim

Other than these two, what reason do I have to prefer one store over another?

Some stores take a higher commission than others. For examples: if you buy an ebook from the Smashwords store the publisher gets 85% of the price, most other stores pay 70% at most; Amazon only pays 35% on ebooks over $US9.99, some others such as Kobo pay 70%. Amazon charges the publisher a fee to deliver ebooks based on file size, other stores don't.

Edit: Depending on country, some stores might pay tax in the country of purchase while others don't. For example if I in New Zealand buy an ebook from the Smashwords store, Baen, or another small off-shore retailer, AFAIK no New Zealand tax is due(*). But if I buy from a large retailer such as Amazon/Apple/Google/Kobo or any on-shore retailer then 15% New Zealand GST is included in the price.

(*) It depends on whether the store takes enough revenue from direct New Zealand sales to cross the threshold that requires them to pay New Zealand GST, I'm assuming that these two examples don't.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by darryl

I agree with you on Amazon's exclusives and Calibre and Alf. However, I am interested in your statement that you can often buy ebooks cheaper on Google or Kobo than Amazon. For agency priced ebooks the prices should be the same. If Estonia is caught up in the protectionist luddite European fixed price regime, then prices should also be the same, at least theoritically, at least for tradpub ebooks. Is it the position that Kobo and Google are discounting where Amazon is not, or discounting more?

Yes, Google is always discounting. Kobo sometimes too, but not so often. As for why that is, I don't really know. I think Google offers similar prices in Eastern Europe as in Russia, but I don't have any evidence for this, only speculation. All I know for certain is that if Google has a book in their store, it's almost always cheaper (sometimes a lot cheaper) than at Amazon. Of course Amazon has a vastly bigger selection than Google, but I've bought many of my tradpubs from Google, because of the price.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes, Google is always discounting. Kobo sometimes too, but not so often. As for why that is, I don't really know. I think Google offers similar prices in Eastern Europe as in Russia, but I don't have any evidence for this, only speculation. All I know for certain is that if Google has a book in their store, it's almost always cheaper (sometimes a lot cheaper) than at Amazon. Of course Amazon has a vastly bigger selection than Google, but I've bought many of my tradpubs from Google, because of the price.

Thanks for the reply. If we are lucky, perhaps someone here does know why that is and will enlighten us.

[DrNefario]

I guess main other features for me are:

Updates - Some stores (eg. Amazon) will send you updates for books in your library. Some (eg. Kobo, as far as I know) you get the book as it was when you bought it and don't get any later changes.

Device support - Can I read it on the devices I want to read it on? Not normally a problem, especially if you go through Calibre, but iBooks is the odd man out here. I don't know if things have moved on recently, but iBooks are/were tied to Apple devices which is not much good to me.

[maddz]

Not necessarily devices, but the apps.

The problem with iTunes is that (current) Fairplay is (largely) uncracked. You're OK if all you want is to read in iBooks, but it's not possible to sideload to another device or even back-up.

There is a shareware programme to deal with this, but as it costs $25 unless you also want to back-up other iTunes purchases IMO it's not worth the price (it wasn't to me - 99% of my iTunes library is from purchased CDs and I only had 1 book I wanted to download).

[GlenBarrington]

The main reason I stopped using ePub and moved to Kindle is Kindle Unlimited. For the monthly price of a single paperback book, I have an all you can read option.

Since I love finding new (to me, at least) authors, KU is a great way to find truely new authors and established authors who now have the right to self publish their stuff. I also like the NUMEROUS freebie books that Amazon seems to attract. The freebies in the other ebook stores never seemed to have the number and quality of freebies.

I still have the ability to read ebooks via my Android devices (phone, & tablet), and many of the bookstores offer both epub and Kindle, so If I find something I really like in epub that isn't available or is more expensive in Kindle, I don't hesitate to buy the EPub version.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by darryl

Thanks for the reply. If we are lucky, perhaps someone here does know why that is and will enlighten us.

It is simple economics. When Google puts an ebook on sale: the publisher still gets their commission/royalty/paid/whatever you want to call it on the list price of the book. If Amazon sets to zero or on sale: the publisher gets commission/royalty on that price. The good/bad thing is except for the big guys Amazon tends to price match Google. They apparently have bots to check that.

Now the downside to that is if an author puts a book free at Kobo or Google to get a price match sometimes they get it and sometimes they get a letter.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Updates - Some stores (eg. Amazon) will send you updates for books in your library. Some (eg. Kobo, as far as I know) you get the book as it was when you bought it and don't get any later changes.

Kobo do update books. I don't know if it will be automatically downloaded or only if you trigger it somehow (delete and download, account repair or a factory reset), but I have received updated books.

The epub version can also change, or at least the DRM protected versions. Again, I have downloaded these, added them to calibre and downloaded them again to find differences. These versions can also be different to the one from the Kobo library.

[swapjim]

Thank you!