Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by RZetlin

Kindle is a proprietary format that is only open to Amazon.

Amazon has adapted the same tactics as Apple with a close ecosystem.

You are stuck with Amazon telling you on how to use your device.

Kobo on the other hand offers more freedom.

It's only the DRM that is a problem. I sell mobi files of my books on my blog and I have been able to purchase mobi files from other vendors--with no DRM. The biggest impediment is that many people don't know how to sideload or email it to their kindle. That one-click delivery makes ebooks very accessible to those who don't have the know-how (and don't want it). It's still my belief that the download direct is what made it possible for ebooks to take off. There are countless people who aren't tech savvy and don't want to be. They click, they buy. It's there.

Example: Even the free short stories in my online store did not get a lot of downloads--until Amazon created the "send to kindle" button. Voila. All of a sudden when I featured an author/story with that Send to Kindle button? Hundreds of downloads compared to probably one a month in the past. Because it doesn't involve TIME. People aren't THAT interested in short stories...but free? And I don't have to save it and sideload it later...it goes to my device so it's there if I care later??? Genius.

[Zat]

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[BearMountainBooks]

Wow, Zat, thanks!

[Anak]

Originally Posted by RZetlin

Kindle is a proprietary format that is only open to Amazon.

Amazon has adapted the same tactics as Apple with a close ecosystem.

You are stuck with Amazon telling you on how to use your device.

Kobo on the other hand offers more freedom.

Amazon bought Mobipocket who developed the original mobi file format, to develop their own proprietary format (AZW and KF8).
You will never see an offical, certified ereader (no hacks and no mods) that both supports epub and mobi file formats at the same time.

This is not a technical but a legal issue as Amazon legally does not allow to install two DRM schemes (i.e. mobi and epub) for ebooks on the same device.
Note: pdf is not a ebook format.

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by Anak

Amazon bought Mobipocket who developed the original mobi file format, to develop their own proprietary format (AZW and KF8).
You will never see an offical, certified ereader (no hacks and no mods) that both supports epub and mobi file formats at the same time.

This is not a technical but a legal issue as Amazon legally does not allow to install two DRM schemes (i.e. mobi and epub) for ebooks on the same device.
Note: pdf is not a ebook format.

My Aluratek Libre Pro supports EPUB and MOBI, as well as PDF, TXT, FB2, PRC and RTF. This information comes from the Quick Start Guide (©2010).

[Mura35]

OK.
I can use mobi and azw on Kindle.
I can use epub on Nook and epub and pdf on iPad (iBooks) and eReader.
I can definitely use pdf on eReader and anywhere else, where I can install pdf reader.
Obviously, html and doc/rtf formats are used too, because I see them sold in the same bundle with mobi and epub all over the place.

A couple of years ago FictionWise was offering 2 to 4 formats. ARe is offering at least 2 different formats, sometimes more. Many book publishers offer html, epub, mobi, pdf and doc.

So, we can talk about file extensions instead of book formats, fine. Sums up to pretty much the same thing: Kobo is very restrictive in what it's offering. I am just curious why, since I am not a bookseller and never really looked into that problem.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

My Aluratek Libre Pro supports EPUB and MOBI, as well as PDF, TXT, FB2, PRC and RTF. This information comes from the Quick Start Guide (©2010).

But does the Mobi support DRM? I doubt it. Sony wanted to add another eBook format and they chose Mobi. They were told that in order to add Mobi, they had to remove any other DRM from the device. Mobi was to be the only format that supported DRM. Sony went ePub using Adobe's DRM and Adobe's software and thus, that's how ePub got it's start.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Mura35

OK.
I can use mobi and azw on Kindle.
I can use epub on Nook and epub and pdf on iPad (iBooks) and eReader.
I can definitely use pdf on eReader and anywhere else, where I can install pdf reader.
Obviously, html and doc/rtf formats are used too, because I see them sold in the same bundle with mobi and epub all over the place.

A couple of years ago FictionWise was offering 2 to 4 formats. ARe is offering at least 2 different formats, sometimes more. Many book publishers offer html, epub, mobi, pdf and doc.

So, we can talk about file extensions instead of book formats, fine. Sums up to pretty much the same thing: Kobo is very restrictive in what it's offering. I am just curious why, since I am not a bookseller and never really looked into that problem.

The only formats that are still alive are ePub, Mobi, AZW3. All the rest are dead and Mobi is dying.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Mura35

So, we can talk about file extensions instead of book formats, fine. Sums up to pretty much the same thing: Kobo is very restrictive in what it's offering. I am just curious why, since I am not a bookseller and never really looked into that problem.

It can pretty much be summed up by many publishers insistence on DRM (most of the big pubs).

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But does the Mobi support DRM? I doubt it. Sony wanted to add another eBook format and they chose Mobi. They were told that in order to add Mobi, they had to remove any other DRM from the device. Mobi was to be the only format that supported DRM. Sony went ePub using Adobe's DRM and Adobe's software and thus, that's how ePub got it's start.

No, it doesn't support DRM, which I realized as soon as I hit 'Submit Reply'.

[Mura35]

I do not touch DRM files, period. Not interested, thank you. It's like going to a library and paying the full price for borrowing a book.

[bgalbrecht]

I think it's time take the Amazon format discussion to another thread (yes, I was guilty of contributing to the discussion a page ago).

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[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Mura35

OK.
I can use mobi and azw on Kindle.
I can use epub on Nook and epub and pdf on iPad (iBooks) and eReader.
I can definitely use pdf on eReader and anywhere else, where I can install pdf reader.
Obviously, html and doc/rtf formats are used too, because I see them sold in the same bundle with mobi and epub all over the place.

A couple of years ago FictionWise was offering 2 to 4 formats. ARe is offering at least 2 different formats, sometimes more. Many book publishers offer html, epub, mobi, pdf and doc.

So, we can talk about file extensions instead of book formats, fine. Sums up to pretty much the same thing: Kobo is very restrictive in what it's offering. I am just curious why, since I am not a bookseller and never really looked into that problem.

ARe gives the option of uploading whatever file formats the author/publisher wants to upload. I do mobi and ePUB because I've only had sporadic requests for PDF and those are from reviewers (Which I do provide). I've been selling on my blog for over a year (.mobi and epub packaged in a zip) and never had another file format requested. We considered doing PDF, but there's just no demand for it that I can see.

Kobobooks probably doesn't have the infrastructure/programming spare time to handle another file type at this time. It took a LONG time for them to get an uploader up and running. It required a lot of programming and is ongoing. They are adding features such as the ability to put a book on sale for x amount of days, better reporting and such. Adding the ability to for another format may or may not be something they are considering. I would guess if they sell enough small publishers/indies it might be something they would consider. The big boys all want DRM and that becomes a more expensive/more difficult thing to code. Right now when I upload a book, I have the option of adding DRM or not. I've tried both ways. I see no real impact on sales MOST of the time, although I know of one instance where a file was mailed to another reader. It is going to happen and I know that. I wouldn't have known about it except the fan wrote and raved about the book...and mentioned her friend had emailed it to her...and most people just don't get the impact that has on sales/authors. They aren't doing it to be malicious; they simply don't think about it.

I'm guessing that sometimes publishers/retailers don't carry mobi because they don't really want to cater to anything that even minutely might help Amazon. They are the competition, after all. Sometimes publishers don't even make their library ebooks available in mobi--and that has to be a bit of a "we don't want to deal with Amazon or cater to them in any way" because there's no other reason to not have the .mobi. At least two books I "Checked out" were "no mobi" copy. I had to read the one on screen and the other I just didn't even bother with.


Just as an aside, creating an epub does involve extra steps (I blame Apple). You now have to run all ePUB files through a verification process that checks for abnormalities in the coding. It's a pain in the neck and doesn't seem to add anything to the reader experience, but since Apple started requiring files be run through this thing, everyone wants it run through. This means there are different 'Verification" tools and I can run my file through 3 of them and they pass ... and then it will fail ARe's checker.

I'd love it if the world decided on one format...but I don't really see that happening and should be grateful there are really only two main ones!

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

I think it's time take the Amazon format discussion to another thread (yes, I was guilty of contributing to the discussion a page ago).

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OH sorry. I didn't see this and until after I posted a response. I shall stray back on topic. Great codes!

[murg]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I'd love it if the world decided on one format...but I don't really see that happening and should be grateful there are really only two main ones!

Won't help. You're currently seeing the difference in the ePub standards implementations. The same will happen if there was only one format.