Sell an ePub?

Jafo · 07-31-2010, 07:29 PM

I used to be able to go to a book store, buy a book, take it home, read it and then when I was done with it, I could sell it to someone else. I would recoup some of the price of the book and the buyer would get a good deal on a used book. Is there a way to do this with an ebook I buy from Kobo.com? Or once I buy an ePub, I'm the only one who can own it?

tpw · 07-31-2010, 07:40 PM

Unfortunately that's the whole point of DRM - you haven't bought the product, just a non transferable licence.

J. Strnad · 07-31-2010, 07:56 PM

Which is why...(wait for it)...ebooks should cost less than print books!

tpw · 07-31-2010, 08:26 PM

Never mind that there's no printing and transport and bookshop staff to pay.

Jafo · 08-01-2010, 08:31 AM

Thanks for the comments. I thought that would be the case. I guess I'll stick to free books.

RedRoverJ · 08-01-2010, 06:36 PM

DRM is only an inconvenience and not a show stopper. It can easily be bypassed and the files given to family/friends.

I do not accept that I cannot own something I have paid full price for. If that is the only option, I either by it elsewhere, or not at all.

neilmarr · 08-02-2010, 07:44 AM

Yep, Jafo, you can swap and sell treebooks you've read (remembering, of course, that the creator gets no benefit from that any more than he does from a second-hand bookshop), but that isn't piracy, it's a right of ownership. Ebooks MUST eventually become as flexible and transferrable ... just as long as folks don't take advantage. With freedom comes responsibility. Don't forget that when a treebook is passed along, it is in the hands of only one person at any time. When an ebook is circulated, everyone keeps his copy. Best wishes. Neil

thp1017 · 08-02-2010, 10:01 AM

If you like SciFi/Fantasy, Baen sells a lot of great books, and absolutely nothing has DRM attached to it. While I'm not sure you are technically allowed to "sell" your e-book, there isn't anything stopping you...

Eric Flint has some great comments about the whole issue of DRM and such at the Baen Free Library - http://www.baen.com/library/

SensualPoet · 08-02-2010, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jafo

Or once I buy an ePub, I'm the only one who can own it?

This is exactly the same model as commercial mp3 music: there is no (legal) after-market. If you want to buy and resell, you need to stick to physical things like CDs and paperbacks and NOT make "backups" before your resell them.

HamsterRage · 08-03-2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thp1017

If you like SciFi/Fantasy, Baen sells a lot of great books, and absolutely nothing has DRM attached to it. While I'm not sure you are technically allowed to "sell" your e-book, there isn't anything stopping you...

Except, of course, that anyone who'd buy an ebook from you would be just as likely to get it via bittorrent for free.

thp1017 · 08-04-2010, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HamsterRage

Except, of course, that anyone who'd buy an ebook from you would be just as likely to get it via bittorrent for free.

haha, yeah, definitely - which is another reason they shouldn't be so insanely priced. Especially with popular authors/books - if I can wait till the paperback comes out, and buy a copy at a place like Costco or Sam's club for $4-5 (or Borders/B&N with coupon!), why the heck would I pay $7-8, or MORE, for an electronic copy?

Unless it is a book I *really* want right this second, I'll wait for the cheapo copy, then download an electronic "backup" copy (or the reverse?)

At the $4-5 price point, I'm a lot more likely go ahead and just pay for the book up front, and support the author.

roguefan99 · 08-04-2010, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thp1017

Eric Flint has some great comments about the whole issue of DRM and such at the Baen Free Library - http://www.baen.com/library/

Thanks for the link, its a great read. Just finished reading the ebook version of Cory Doctrow's Content book (gonna but the Paper one for my father at christmas), its another great read on DRM and how lack of DRM helps smaller publishers (Cory will have a few sales of books thanks to his ebook offerings, if not more by the time I finish catching up).

As for the BT issue, well its the same as any other issue with digital media out there, I guess it depends on whether you wish to support the people who make the media (though its hard in the music industry, but the small indie guys you can do it)

07-31-2010, 07:29 PM	#1
Jafo Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 5012 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo (original)	Sell an ePub? I used to be able to go to a book store, buy a book, take it home, read it and then when I was done with it, I could sell it to someone else. I would recoup some of the price of the book and the buyer would get a good deal on a used book. Is there a way to do this with an ebook I buy from Kobo.com? Or once I buy an ePub, I'm the only one who can own it?

08-02-2010, 07:44 AM	#7
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Yep, Jafo, you can swap and sell treebooks you've read (remembering, of course, that the creator gets no benefit from that any more than he does from a second-hand bookshop), but that isn't piracy, it's a right of ownership. Ebooks MUST eventually become as flexible and transferrable ... just as long as folks don't take advantage. With freedom comes responsibility. Don't forget that when a treebook is passed along, it is in the hands of only one person at any time. When an ebook is circulated, everyone keeps his copy. Best wishes. Neil Attached Images

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Publish and Sell your work via Barnes & Noble EPUB	kennyc	Writers' Corner	4	05-19-2010 06:08 PM
For Every 100 Books amazon Sell In Physical, they Sell 48 Kindle Books	yagiz	News	3	12-01-2009 10:55 AM
Breaking news!!!!! Sony to sell Epub only	ht1948	News	371	08-29-2009 02:35 PM

07-31-2010, 07:40 PM	#2
tpw Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 250 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Brisbane, Australia Device: Kobo, Sony PRS650	Unfortunately that's the whole point of DRM - you haven't bought the product, just a non transferable licence.

07-31-2010, 07:56 PM	#3
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	Which is why...(wait for it)...ebooks should cost less than print books!

07-31-2010, 08:26 PM	#4
tpw Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 250 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Brisbane, Australia Device: Kobo, Sony PRS650	Never mind that there's no printing and transport and bookshop staff to pay.

08-01-2010, 08:31 AM	#5
Jafo Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 5012 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo (original)	Thanks for the comments. I thought that would be the case. I guess I'll stick to free books.

08-01-2010, 06:36 PM	#6
RedRoverJ Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 314 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada, Eh! Device: Kobo	DRM is only an inconvenience and not a show stopper. It can easily be bypassed and the files given to family/friends. I do not accept that I cannot own something I have paid full price for. If that is the only option, I either by it elsewhere, or not at all.

08-02-2010, 10:01 AM	#8
thp1017 Connoisseur Posts: 82 Karma: 13557 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Albuquerque, NM Device: Kobo, KT, KGlo, H2O, Libra	If you like SciFi/Fantasy, Baen sells a lot of great books, and absolutely nothing has DRM attached to it. While I'm not sure you are technically allowed to "sell" your e-book, there isn't anything stopping you... Eric Flint has some great comments about the whole issue of DRM and such at the Baen Free Library - http://www.baen.com/library/

Advert

Advert