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[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

You had to sign up for it by April 30 according to what I saw.

Okay, good. So long as you know. Didn't want you to miss out. I think those emails went out in batches so I don't have any idea if everyone's exp. was the same.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Okay, good. So long as you know. Didn't want you to miss out. I think those emails went out in batches so I don't have any idea if everyone's exp. was the same.

I signed up April 20, though it didn't really prove its worth to me until they cut a deal with S&S.

[booklover6]

Wait, there was a sign up for a free year? Darn it.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Wait, there was a sign up for a free year? Darn it.

You had to be a Smashwords author with a book or books in their premium catalog (which distributes to Scribd) in order to get it.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

You had to be a Smashwords author with a book or books in their premium catalog (which distributes to Scribd) in order to get it.

Okay, phew. Hate to think I missed out!

Wish they had books from Gold Eagle.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Okay, phew. Hate to think I missed out!

Wish they had books from Gold Eagle.

You could write and ask them/tell them. It's worth a shot and they are actively trying to build a base right now (of books and readers).

I didn't find much from S&S that I hadn't already read or sampled. Lot of big names in there so I tried them years ago. I should say "find anything yet" because I doubt I browsed all of it.

I'm still not sure I'd be able to get 9 dollars worth of books a month. I read a lot of indies and this has been great for sampling them and other books. But I sample 20 for every one I read. I am probably only reading two, possibly three books per month. If they are both indies in a given month, it's cheaper to buy them.

I was able to start the DailyCheapReads book club selection because of Scribd. It was a typical 7 dollar book from a trad and I wouldn't have bothered with it had it not been on Scribd. It was a DNF for me, but at least I can opine when the book discussion starts.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

You could write and ask them/tell them. It's worth a shot and they are actively trying to build a base right now (of books and readers).

I didn't find much from S&S that I hadn't already read or sampled. Lot of big names in there so I tried them years ago. I should say "find anything yet" because I doubt I browsed all of it.

I'm still not sure I'd be able to get 9 dollars worth of books a month. I read a lot of indies and this has been great for sampling them and other books. But I sample 20 for every one I read. I am probably only reading two, possibly three books per month. If they are both indies in a given month, it's cheaper to buy them.

I was able to start the DailyCheapReads book club selection because of Scribd. It was a typical 7 dollar book from a trad and I wouldn't have bothered with it had it not been on Scribd. It was a DNF for me, but at least I can opine when the book discussion starts.

Holy cow. I would go insane sampling 20 books to read one. I never sample. Yep, read that right. I don't do sampling. If I had to read 20 samples to finally read a book, I wouldn't have any joy left to read.

So for me Scribd is not a sampling service. Its where I go to read the books I want to read. . Full books from first to last page. I vet those books the same way I vet any other books.

I don't see how Scribd is of benefit for someone that reads 2 books a month though. I read an average of 15 a month, trying to do more. I don't plan on reading 15 Scribd books though, I still have already purchased books to read. I figured if I read 4-6 Scribd books a month, it will be worth it for the money once my 3 month trial runs out. The rest of my reading will be between my prime loan, library loans and books I already own, paid and free.
I am also dropping one out of state library card and planning on not buying a whole lot this year. I am just shifting my budget around.

Still at reading 20 samples just for one book. I must really be lucky with either the genre/subgenre I read or the authors I pick because its rare I can't finish a book or that I totally hate it.

Are you sampling that many just to find one good one because you read primarily indy?

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Holy cow. I would go insane sampling 20 books to read one. I never sample. Yep, read that right. I don't do sampling. If I had to read 20 samples to finally read a book, I wouldn't have any joy left to read.

So for me Scribd is not a sampling service. Its where I go to read the books I want to read. . Full books from first to last page. I vet those books the same way I vet any other books.

I don't see how Scribd is of benefit for someone that reads 2 books a month though. I read an average of 15 a month, trying to do more. I don't plan on reading 15 Scribd books though, I still have already purchased books to read. I figured if I read 4-6 Scribd books a month, it will be worth it for the money once my 3 month trial runs out. The rest of my reading will be between my prime loan, library loans and books I already own, paid and free.
I am also dropping one out of state library card and planning on not buying a whole lot this year. I am just shifting my budget around.

Still at reading 20 samples just for one book. I must really be lucky with either the genre/subgenre I read or the authors I pick because its rare I can't finish a book or that I totally hate it.

Are you sampling that many just to find one good one because you read primarily indy?

No, I sample that many because a few years ago I realized I wasn't enjoying many of the books I purchased (at that time mainly paperbacks) and I was tired of wasting money. I switched to kindle around that time so I added indies to the mix. I think it is mainly a middle-age book reading crisis. I used to read voraciously which means I've read a lot of books. And then I reviewed for a couple of years which mean I really read a LOT of books that I didn't like, but had to read because I agreed to read them for the site where I was reviewing.

Somewhere in there, I was in danger of losing interest in reading. So I stopped reading every book I owned simply because I paid for it. I stopped reviewing for the site where I did reviews and I started really trying to find books that I enjoy. I actually stopped buying a lot of books and started grabbing 15 or so at a time from the library. That is where the sampling began...

So it's just a continuation. Indies make sampling pretty easy because they give a lot of books away. For the trad publishers my rate of sample/discard is about the same, although I sample less of them because of the price--I will only sample the ones I think I might really buy since the run about 7 to 10 dollars.

I do waste a lot of time, but it's working for me because I feel no obligation to keep reading. I stopped reading Beast Behaving Badly at 80 percent. It was a really strong start and funny and then it started wandering. It was on Scribd so there was no compelling reading to finish it (meaning: not a loaner, not a library book, not taking up space on my kindle). It's a decent read, but the mystery started really taking a back seat to how precious and great the main was...and I just lost interest.

It does drive me a bit nuts, and I do love to read, but it's what is working for me right now.

[Atunah]

I have a question for those that use this app on their kindle fires. Am I missing a setting or something to get rid of the 2 menu bars, the bottom and the top one? I am talking about the kindle menu bars, the one with the battery icon in it and on the bottom the one with the home button, menu, etc.
I can't get Scribd to go full screen. Its the same on my 8.9 HD 2012 and I also revived my old original fire 7 from 2011 and its even worse on it because those menu bars are much larger on that device.

On my overdrive app, those bars go away and also on the Kindle book reader. Its really distracting me. Is it the same in the google play app and the IOS app?

Since I am needing a 7 inch tablet that might make part of my decision. If I am not missing a setting here than they really didn't do a good job on the kindle app for this service.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I have a question for those that use this app on their kindle fires. Am I missing a setting or something to get rid of the 2 menu bars, the bottom and the top one? I am talking about the kindle menu bars, the one with the battery icon in it and on the bottom the one with the home button, menu, etc.
I can't get Scribd to go full screen. Its the same on my 8.9 HD 2012 and I also revived my old original fire 7 from 2011 and its even worse on it because those menu bars are much larger on that device.

On my overdrive app, those bars go away and also on the Kindle book reader. Its really distracting me. Is it the same in the google play app and the IOS app?

Since I am needing a 7 inch tablet that might make part of my decision. If I am not missing a setting here than they really didn't do a good job on the kindle app for this service.

You want a tablet that has immersion mode like the Nexus 7 does it's part of KitKat and I'd read much better with it. So any tablet that has KitKat should do full screen if the app developer enables it.

[Atunah]

Don't know anything about kit kat, I guess fires have their own OS. But the overdrive app works just fine for example on my fires with full screen. So its something they need to work on at Scribd I think. If other apps can do it I mean it should e possible for them too. I did send them a note through the contact system so I see if they respond.

I am still eyeing the Nexus, but I am not ready to pull the trigger. I would personally much prefer a Fire since I am pretty immersed in the Amazon system and I like how they look. I am probably one of the only folks that likes the carousel for example.

So I am still waffling over what to get. If there is a sale anytime soon on a Nexus, I could pull the trigger. I keep watching the price on it.
I am doing the same with the Fire HDX, but if I keep Scribd, I want to be able to read as comfortably as I can and with those menu bars is just really isn't.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Don't know anything about kit kat, I guess fires have their own OS. But the overdrive app works just fine for example on my fires with full screen. So its something they need to work on at Scribd I think. If other apps can do it I mean it should e possible for them too. I did send them a note through the contact system so I see if they respond.

I am still eyeing the Nexus, but I am not ready to pull the trigger. I would personally much prefer a Fire since I am pretty immersed in the Amazon system and I like how they look. I am probably one of the only folks that likes the carousel for example.

So I am still waffling over what to get. If there is a sale anytime soon on a Nexus, I could pull the trigger. I keep watching the price on it.
I am doing the same with the Fire HDX, but if I keep Scribd, I want to be able to read as comfortably as I can and with those menu bars is just really isn't.

The HDX 7 has blue borders around the screen and makes it difficult to read on. It's the blue LEDs they used. It varies how bad the bleed could be but I would stay away from it if you going to do alot of reading on it. The HD does not have this problem.

[Atunah]

Can't just be an easy thing, can it. Its turning into like shopping for orange juice. Lots of pulp, little pulp, no pulp, pulp with calcium, etc.

And that is why I am still waffling and waiting. I am very good at that.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Atunah

if I keep Scribd, I want to be able to read as comfortably as I can and with those menu bars is just really isn't.

I know exactly what you mean. I hate those menu bars, they showed up everywhere. So I decided I wouldn't be reading on my 2013 Fire HD, ever. Gave it to my little girls.

I think the 2013 Kindle Fires are based on jellybean. I read it somewhere yesterday. So they are all going to be like that.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I know exactly what you mean. I hate those menu bars, they showed up everywhere. So I decided I wouldn't be reading on my 2013 Fire HD, ever. Gave it to my little girls.

I think the 2013 Kindle Fires are based on jellybean. I read it somewhere yesterday. So they are all going to be like that.

I am using a 2012 and a 2011 fire. No clue how different they are, but on the 2012 8.9 the overdrive app does not leave the bars, they go away. Only thing left is a small little thingy in the middle on the bottom. So I guess I am still confused. If overdrive can figure out how to make the bars go away, it can't be just because of what candy its running on.
Kindle reader also makes them go away. Haven't tried any other readers lately.