Kobo to publish directly with authors - Page 2

SensualPoet · 10-27-2011, 07:52 PM

You could always buy a Kobo Vox tablet -- $199, the same as a Kindle Fire -- and install the Kindle for Android app on it for the exclusive Amazon authors and enjoy the native Kobo books for everything else. No need to ever buy a Kindle (device) again.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seajewel

I don't think it's necessarily as okay as JSWolf says, but I get his point. I can buy a Kobo book and read it on my Sony reader. or on the Nook. or on a Kobo. That's less restrictive than an Amazon book. (Of course, nowadays, if you have tablets instead you can have the Kindle app on everything, I guess). But because I read on my Sony PRS-505, I can't buy an amazon-exclusive book and read it on my hardware. Not without removing DRM.

Exactly. ePub is a standard with standard DRM. Amazon is the one bucking standards and when they get an exclusive eBook, it's bad for most people. If Kobo was to get exclusive eBooks, then it's not that bad as most people could easily read it.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

You could always buy a Kobo Vox tablet -- $199, the same as a Kindle Fire -- and install the Kindle for Android app on it for the exclusive Amazon authors and enjoy the native Kobo books for everything else. No need to ever buy a Kindle (device) again.

The problem there is giving Amazon money for exclusive eBooks. That's telling Amazon it's OK for them to lock up eBooks with their non-standard locks. Soon to be even more of an issue with KF8. We have to take a stand and tell Amazon that what they are doing is unacceptable and we won't pay for it.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

And I can't buy a Kobo exclusive book and read it on my Kindle without removing DRM. That's evil.

Exclusivity is either evil or it isn't... it can't be OK for Kobo to do it, yet evil for Amazon to do it. That's all I meant by a certain someone's double standard.

But we don't even know yet, if these deals will be exclusive (for any length of time), and I can honestly say I don't really care one way or the other. I think everyone should start their own imprint/retail store if they so choose.

Target has exclusive CDs with extra content. People don't complain. Why? Because you can buy these CDs and use them on your CD player no problem. ePub (with Adept DRM) is like that. You can use it on any stand alone reader except Amazon. So really, you have nobody to blame but Amazon for trying to buck standards. Standards can be a good thing. If Amazon had decided to go ePub instead of KF8, then their having exclusives would not be such a bad thing.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmacmart

I know you said this tongue-in-cheek; but without commenting on evilness, there is a difference: Kobo is not preventing Kindles from reading ePubs; Amazon is. Kobo's ePubs are readable on devices that support ADE. Amazon has chosen not to. I presume they have also chosen to not license their DRM for other manufacturers (or maybe they have licenses but they're too expensive?)

And if you live in Canada and want to read Penguin's eBooks, you don't want a Kindle.

seajewel · 10-27-2011, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Exactly. ePub is a standard with standard DRM. Amazon is the one bucking standards and when they get an exclusive eBook, it's bad for most people. If Kobo was to get exclusive eBooks, then it's not that bad as most people could easily read it.

Well I don't know about that. I think "most" is arguable. In the U.S., "most" probably is Kindle rather than Epub.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seajewel

Well I don't know about that. I think "most" is arguable. In the U.S., "most" probably is Kindle rather than Epub.

Between Kobo, B&N, Sony and others, are you really sure Kindle is most in the US when you combine the total number of ePub capable readers vs the total number of Kindles? I would doubt it. But world wide, ePub is #1.

spellbanisher · 10-27-2011, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Between Kobo, B&N, Sony and others, are you really sure Kindle is most in the US when you combine the total number of ePub capable readers vs the total number of Kindles? I would doubt it. But world wide, ePub is #1.

Well, nobody knows for sure, but Goldman Sachs estimated kindle US marketshare at 67%. All independent estimates that I know of have kindle US marketshare at over 60%. The sales of Kobo and Sony combined are only about 10-15% that of kindle sales in the US. Worldwide, I've seen estimates of Kindle marketshare anywhere from 48% to 55%. General consensus is that kindle is about two-thirds US marketshare and one half global marketshare.

seajewel · 10-27-2011, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Between Kobo, B&N, Sony and others, are you really sure Kindle is most in the US when you combine the total number of ePub capable readers vs the total number of Kindles? I would doubt it. But world wide, ePub is #1.

Well, I certainly have no statistics to back up my beliefs, and as you can see, I do prefer epub, but of all my friends and neighbors that have e-readers, they uniformly have Kindles. E-readers are referred to as "Kindles" like Kleenex stands for tissue. They have no idea about epub vs mobi, and now that libraries can lend out books to Kindles, they have no reason to (before they had some murky sense that for some reason kindles couldnt borrow books from libraries).

Of course, it could just be that everyone around me is an anomaly. But suffice to say I do believe (based on nothing but my experiences) that Kindles dominate in the U.S. market.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spellbanisher

Well, nobody knows for sure, but Goldman Sachs estimated kindle US marketshare at 67%. All independent estimates that I know of have kindle US marketshare at over 60%. The sales of Kobo and Sony combined are only about 10-15% that of kindle sales in the US. Worldwide, I've seen estimates of Kindle marketshare anywhere from 48% to 55%. General consensus is that kindle is about two-thirds US marketshare and one half global marketshare.

I would not trust numbers that are not verifiable. And given how many different brands exist other then Amazon, the chances (IMHO) are good that these supposed numbers are inflated.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seajewel

Well, I certainly have no statistics to back up my beliefs, and as you can see, I do prefer epub, but of all my friends and neighbors that have e-readers, they uniformly have Kindles. E-readers are referred to as "Kindles" like Kleenex stands for tissue. They have no idea about epub vs mobi, and now that libraries can lend out books to Kindles, they have no reason to (before they had some murky sense that for some reason kindles couldnt borrow books from libraries).

Of course, it could just be that everyone around me is an anomaly. But suffice to say I do believe (based on nothing but my experiences) that Kindles dominate in the U.S. market.

All my family who read on electronic devices read ePub. Mom on a Sony, me on a Sony, mother-in-law on a Sony and wife on an iPad 1 all read ePub. I've even sold a Sony to someone my wife works with. So around here it is ePub, not Kindle.

DiapDealer · 10-27-2011, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All my family who read on electronic devices read ePub. Mom on a Sony, me on a Sony, mother-in-law on a Sony and wife on an iPad 1 all read ePub. I've even sold a Sony to someone my wife works with. So around here it is ePub, not Kindle.

Why am I suddenly having visions of shotgun-weddings?

osnova · 10-27-2011, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All my family who read on electronic devices read ePub. Mom on a Sony, me on a Sony, mother-in-law on a Sony and wife on an iPad 1 all read ePub. I've even sold a Sony to someone my wife works with. So around here it is ePub, not Kindle.

Ah! I think I saw one of your relatives recently at the airport reading on a Sony reader.

I also own PRS600 (haven't used it for a while though). Maybe we are related?

Back to the topic though. Will Kobo still require ISBNs to publish with them? As you know, Amazon's advantage (also BN), is that no ISBNs are needed.

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Why am I suddenly having visions of shotgun-weddings?

Cause your a redneck?

JSWolf · 10-27-2011, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by osnova

Ah! I think I saw one of your relatives recently at the airport reading on a Sony reader.

I also own PRS600 (haven't used it for a while though). Maybe we are related?

My wife and I are the only ones who have recently been on a plane. We spent five nights in Talon.

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10-27-2011, 07:52 PM	#16
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	You could always buy a Kobo Vox tablet -- $199, the same as a Kindle Fire -- and install the Kindle for Android app on it for the exclusive Amazon authors and enjoy the native Kobo books for everything else. No need to ever buy a Kindle (device) again.