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[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Actually, you can strip the DRM from Kindle eBooks and convert to another format to use with the Reader or reading program of your choice. So really, you aren't locked in with Amazon eBooks. But you are with Scribd. So because the eBooks are so inflexible and the app is so poor, it's not worth it even for free.

I wouldn't go that far. It is a pain and I would rather read on my kindle (e-ink only). BUT because I read a lot of indie works, the 9 dollar price tag is higher than I'd pay. If I only read one book per month (it happens) and it's indie, I'm better off just buying the book. Now if more publishers joined, I would be tempted even at 9 dollars because there are a lot of books I'd like to sample for as far as I wanted...but I'm not about to BUY those books because they cost 9 and up each. If THAT were the case, I'd need a new reader though because reading on my laptop really doesn't cut it. So this becomes a circular argument for me because SCRIBD could end up costing me 200 dollars for a device and then 9 dollars a month?

Pretty sure that won't happen.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Actually, you can strip the DRM from Kindle eBooks and convert to another format to use with the Reader or reading program of your choice. So really, you aren't locked in with Amazon eBooks. But you are with Scribd. So because the eBooks are so inflexible and the app is so poor, it's not worth it even for free.

Yes, you're locked in, but I tend to be more forgiving with a rental/library service anyway. It works well enough on my Nook HD+ that I can read books and that's what matters.

Of course, it also helps for me that Scribd hits the sweet spot for my reading tastes. I can't justify spending $8 on a Star Trek novel I'm going to read in 2-3 hours, but I can justify spending $9 and reading 5 of them in 2 days.

However, if they don't have anything you approach that way, it may not be worth it to you.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

BPL doesn't activate your account. You activate it by logging in with your library card. I have a BPL account as I live in the Boston area. Boston Public Library is pretty good. Not the best, but not bad.

Sorry, I was talking about Brooklyn Public Library. My card is active now, they had to take the out of state block off of it.

I agree with your comments about the Scribd app being poor. I won't pay for it if it doesn't get improved. But free? sure.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I agree with your comments about the Scribd app being poor. I won't pay for it if it doesn't get improved. But free? sure.

I agree on this as well. I have trouble reading books on it as it is now (and I read on a tablet all the time), it's just not flexible enough for me.

[Janet54]

I was loving it but found out it does not have a dictionary for android. I use that a lot. They have it for IOS, so I am hoping it will come out soon.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Janet54

I was loving it but found out it does not have a dictionary for android. I use that a lot. They have it for IOS, so I am hoping it will come out soon.

I would love this feature as well. It's really my only complaint about the app's reader.

[Janet54]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I would love this feature as well. It's really my only complaint about the app's reader.

I have sent a message to support about this. Their customer support has been fantastic. I have been having problems with my reading history not deleting and they are working on it.

I have found their recommendations to be spot on. "Thirteen Tales" kept popping up and I had not heard of it. Read a little and loved it. It will be a 4-5 star read for me.
I read 2-3 books a week and between this and my library I rarely buy any more unless it is one of the handful of authors I have to read! Ha!
Great Thread, wish there was a scribd forum as I think it may be a game changer for some of us.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Janet54

I have sent a message to support about this. Their customer support has been fantastic. I have been having problems with my reading history not deleting and they are working on it.

I have found their recommendations to be spot on. "Thirteen Tales" kept popping up and I had not heard of it. Read a little and loved it. It will be a 4-5 star read for me.
I read 2-3 books a week and between this and my library I rarely buy any more unless it is one of the handful of authors I have to read! Ha!
Great Thread, wish there was a scribd forum as I think it may be a game changer for some of us.

In all honesty, this is what Amazon should have done with their lending program. Of course, the publishers might not have been too keen on helping Amazon gain yet another firm foothold of power...but Amazon's current lending program pales by comparison. Avid readers simply require more than one book a month! From a writer's perspective, readers seemed to use the lending program at first, but the last book I put in there is due to come out in less than a week--and I'd much rather my books be available on SCRIBD than Amazon lending. Although I'm probably more surprised by anyone that the idea does seem to be taking off. I think it helps immensely that so many readers have tablets. The reading experience is obviously better on those in this particular case (rather than the e-ink readers, which don't work with scribd).

[Atunah]

I think the reason Scribd works is the content.

I just don't see how the publisher would want to work with Amazon, there seems to be lots of animosity.
They aren't participating in the lending program they have now. That is also why that isn't very interesting to me. Very few publishers let their books to be lendable and you end up with mostly self published titles. And many of those that are even in genres I read or interesting to me already have been free at some point in the past. So I would already own those. And unless you have a lot of friends, you have to go to one of the services like lendle and it can take months for some of those titles to come up.

Same really goes for the monthly prime read. Until amazon came out with their own publishing and gave me options for the prime loan, I ran out of stuff I was interesting in. Same thing applied, mostly self published titles with the ones interesting already have gone free or are going free.

A service like this only works when there is the right content. You need the publishers. I wouldn't be willing to pay a fee every month without those publishers. I wish the others would get on board too, but with S&S now on board its a nice selection at the moment.

Heck, I am even willing to read on a LCD screen for the offerings. And I much prefer reading on e-ink.

Plus, unlike Scribd's competitor Oyster, they have android and kindle apps. Oyster is still only for ithingies and they don't even let you see the offerings without signing up.

So I think content is king. And readers are willing to pay for that content.

I am curious to see if this is successful over some time period, will the other publishers want to come on board. I don't see Penguin ever doing that though.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I think the reason Scribd works is the content.

I just don't see how the publisher would want to work with Amazon, there seems to be lots of animosity.
They aren't participating in the lending program they have now. That is also why that isn't very interesting to me. Very few publishers let their books to be lendable and you end up with mostly self published titles. And many of those that are even in genres I read or interesting to me already have been free at some point in the past. So I would already own those. And unless you have a lot of friends, you have to go to one of the services like lendle and it can take months for some of those titles to come up.

Same really goes for the monthly prime read. Until amazon came out with their own publishing and gave me options for the prime loan, I ran out of stuff I was interesting in. Same thing applied, mostly self published titles with the ones interesting already have gone free or are going free.

A service like this only works when there is the right content. You need the publishers. I wouldn't be willing to pay a fee every month without those publishers. I wish the others would get on board too, but with S&S now on board its a nice selection at the moment.

Heck, I am even willing to read on a LCD screen for the offerings. And I much prefer reading on e-ink.

Plus, unlike Scribd's competitor Oyster, they have android and kindle apps. Oyster is still only for ithingies and they don't even let you see the offerings without signing up.

So I think content is king. And readers are willing to pay for that content.

I am curious to see if this is successful over some time period, will the other publishers want to come on board. I don't see Penguin ever doing that though.

Atunah, thanks for the input. I agree. I didn't realize so many of the titles in the prime lending had been free (I viewed putting a book in there as a HUGELY better alternative to putting a book free. But I've never really been a fan of the free bandwagon so I've not tried it. Can't really speak to how well it might or might not work for me.)

I also didn't know about the Oyster difference. Some of my books are supposedly on there and Inkbok, but I see a lot more loaning going on at Scribd--hands down. And I think some of that is the devices and also the publishers participating. I'm really glad to see another possible real retailer--both where I can read and so on.

Don't get me wrong, I like Amazon and I'm thrilled that they have done so much for readers and writers. But I do not want them to be the only success out there because that would be very bad!

I'm a little worried about the pricing of SCRIBD--it caters to those who know they will read more than one "best seller priced" book per month. I hope that price is low enough to keep people coming back.

I read that the SCRIBD CEO was approaching venture capitalists for more money--apparently the publishers want some royalty payments upfront (sort of a guarantee their books will be read at least x and if not they get paid anyway). That might sweeten the pot for the publishers, but I hope it doesn't push the price of membership up.

[Janet54]

I tried oyster a few months back and canceled immediately. They would not let you search before you signed up for a free month. I was very disappointed in the selection. I had not heard about Scribd until reading a thread on here and to be honest did not have high hopes for it and was not expecting much. I searched several author's I like and thought it would be worth a try. I really like that authors get paid and there is no time limit like the library. Some books I race through and some I like to take at a slower place. I can have 3-5 books going at one time.

I am laying odds they may come up with a tiered system like netflix for the dvd program and the new releases. With netflix you can pay one low price for streaming but it is not the new releases. I do love the new series they are coming out with. House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, etc.

I am excited to see what this brings and I agree the Amazon lending program is a joke. The selection is not there and most you can buy for very little. I am a prime member but do not use this often, just never found it that appealing to the genre's I like.

[Atunah]

The Prime loan program got interesting again for me when Amazon created Montlake and when they bought the Leisure titles so I have access now to a lot of back list titles in historical romance. And they have some great new releases also. So for now I have a long wishlist of prime books that should get me through a few years.
I have not missed a month of prime loans since they introduced them. I am determined to get my book a month.

eat: I forgot to add. Janet54, I had the same issue with the history clearing not sticking. I kept having stuff in the recently read that I either already read and deleted out of there, or had accidentally clicked on. I kept deleting but they kept coming back every day. For over a month now. But I think they must have fixed that. They haven't come back now in 3 days or so. I hope it sticks now.

[Blossom]

I always have problems finding something with Prime Lending. I agree Content is key here. For a price of one paperback you get sections of very many books if Harpercollins and now S&S on board this makes it an unbeatable deal. Right now I have hardly any money for books so I am happy I got this trial and I plan to keep it. Think of all the money I will save.


Oh they have all of Jude Deveraux's books now. I am in heaven!

[Janet54]

Originally Posted by Atunah

eat: I forgot to add. Janet54, I had the same issue with the history clearing not sticking. I kept having stuff in the recently read that I either already read and deleted out of there, or had accidentally clicked on. I kept deleting but they kept coming back every day. For over a month now. But I think they must have fixed that. They haven't come back now in 3 days or so. I hope it sticks now.

Mine is still doing it, cs told me it might take awhile.

[Janet54]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Oh they have all of Jude Deveraux's books now. I am in heaven!

Cool, I love her, I did check her out a week or so ago. Have they recently added them?

Their search is wonky and sometimes I have to try several times to get the book I'm looking for.
I like looking at the collections page as well on scribd, Kinda like goodreads when you can see what books they like when they are similar to your genre.