What would make Kobo surpass Kindle?

[issybird]

It would be better if comments were kept to "why people pirate" instead of "why I pirate." MR has a very low tolerance for advocacy of piracy. You can discuss piracy if you like, but keep it in the abstract, please.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Pizza_Cant_Read

The simple answer is why not?

I suppose most of the time it is the same as with anyone who gets things they don't need. I know that is the case when I book shop at thrift stores. Other times the reasoning might be because I have already purchased multiple copies of the same book. I know you and others may not agree with me and I surely don't intend to carry on a conversation about the ethics of the situation. Just giving you the respect of a response :-)

I'm not leaping on your back about your piracy comment. Just the 'I wouldn't buy it for a quarter' bit struck me funny.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Please reread my post. There was a non store ereader. It failed miserably.
Sony, Nook, Amazon and Kobos all have stores.

So no. It did not work. It has already been tried. Oh wait, there are some very expensive non-store ereaders. Check the Onyx and Pocketbook forums.

Here is the thing: ereaders are niche and 99% of the customers want easy.
Yes, but a tablet is not an ereader. They are two different animals.
Last year, there were over a billion tablets and smartphones. There were only 75,000,000 ereaders.
Niche man niche.

Right. My point is that there's no reason an e-ink reader couldn't come with e-ink optimized store apps to buy books from several sources on the same device.

The market didn't go that way, since once the price dropped the competitors pulled out and cancelled their plans. I'm just wondered about what might have been.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Pizza_Cant_Read

The simple answer is why not?

I suppose most of the time it is the same as with anyone who gets things they don't need. I know that is the case when I book shop at thrift stores. Other times the reasoning might be because I have already purchased multiple copies of the same book. I know you and others may not agree with me and I surely don't intend to carry on a conversation about the ethics of the situation. Just giving you the respect of a response :-)

You do realize that thrift stores are evil and vile places. One has to tread very lightly in them or they might have 20 or more books screaming take me home now. Kitchen stuff just jumps into your cart to keep the books from being lonely.
My personal take is these things want to get away from all the flying clothes.
That is my story and I am sticking to it.
I do avoid the flying clothes part of the store.

[Pizza_Cant_Read]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

You do realize that thrift stores are evil and vile places. One has to tread very lightly in them or they might have 20 or more books screaming take me home now. Kitchen stuff just jumps into your cart to keep the books from being lonely.
My personal take is these things want to get away from all the flying clothes.
That is my story and I am sticking to it.
I do avoid the flying clothes part of the store.

In Seattle there are Goodwill outlet stores which sell clothes by the pound (lb.) and giant bins full of books. BINS! Everything is in bins. They hire temporary workers just to throw unpurchased books into trash compactors on the side of the building. Surely it is our responsibility to rescue them from such a fate?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Pizza_Cant_Read

In Seattle there are Goodwill outlet stores which sell clothes by the pound (lb.) and giant bins full of books. BINS! Everything is in bins. They hire temporary workers just to throw unpurchased books into trash compactors on the side of the building. Surely it is our responsibility to rescue them from such a fate?

Oh yes, we must continue to rescue these poor books.

[spindlegirl]

While I vastly prefer Kindle, the only thing I don't like is how they stick everything about the book in the title.

Made up example: "The Staircase: The unputdownable pageturning thriller with a shocking twist you won't be able to forget! (Book 3 of Hidden at Home Mysteries)" It's all in the title when you download the book!

One time I downloaded a book and when I put it in Calibre, I shortened the title to just the title, and edited out the promotional blather. But I am very happy for the option to download.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

While I vastly prefer Kindle, the only thing I don't like is how they stick everything about the book in the title.

Made up example: "The Staircase: The unputdownable pageturning thriller with a shocking twist you won't be able to forget! (Book 3 of Hidden at Home Mysteries)" It's all in the title when you download the book!

One time I downloaded a book and when I put it in Calibre, I shortened the title to just the title, and edited out the promotional blather. But I am very happy for the option to download.

Yeah, I've noticed that a lot recently. Book Title: A Thrilling Mystery. I hope it doesn't last.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Yeah, I've noticed that a lot recently. Book Title: A Thrilling Mystery. I hope it doesn't last.

Quite a few ebooks lately, the cover image has the title and then a one or two line subtitle. Kind of like Star Warriors as the title and then Thrilling Tales of Derring-do, Alien Races, Exploration and Adventure in the Future! as a subtitle. For some reason, it now seems popular to have the book title show with all that text. Calibre does make it easy to remove the extraneous text but it's much easier not to have it there.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Quite a few ebooks lately, the cover image has the title and then a one or two line subtitle. Kind of like Star Warriors as the title and then Thrilling Tales of Derring-do, Alien Races, Exploration and Adventure in the Future! as a subtitle. For some reason, it now seems popular to have the book title show with all that text. Calibre does make it easy to remove the extraneous text but it's much easier not to have it there.

Actually, Star Warriors - Thrilling Tales of Derring-do, Alien Races, Exploration and Adventure in the Future! does sound like a fun book. If the subtitle is included to add flavor to the book (like the Star Wars novelization that read Star Wars - From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker), I don't mind it.

The ones that bug me are the categorization ones, baldly meant as a search/sales tactic. To use a few real examples: Lineage: A Supernatural Thriller, Fireball - A compelling crime thriller

I guess your made up example and my factual ones aren't much different. Yet I liked yours and didn't like mine. Maybe there's a fine line to be walked with these titles.

[spindlegirl]

Bad Little Girl: A gripping psychological thriller with a BRILLIANT twist

and this one takes the cake:
The Missing Ones: An absolutely gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist (Detective Lottie Parker Book 1)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

Bad Little Girl: A gripping psychological thriller with a BRILLIANT twist

and this one takes the cake:
The Missing Ones: An absolutely gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist (Detective Lottie Parker Book 1)

An "editorial" review from the Missing Ones.
'AMAZING! Really well written and kept me itching to read the next page. It was unputdownable! Cannot wait to read book two when released.' Goodreads Reviewer

Editing to add: both those books have the same publisher.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Actually, Star Warriors - Thrilling Tales of Derring-do, Alien Races, Exploration and Adventure in the Future! does sound like a fun book. If the subtitle is included to add flavor to the book (like the Star Wars novelization that read Star Wars - From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker), I don't mind it.

The ones that bug me are the categorization ones, baldly meant as a search/sales tactic. To use a few real examples: Lineage: A Supernatural Thriller, Fireball - A compelling crime thriller

I guess your made up example and my factual ones aren't much different. Yet I liked yours and didn't like mine. Maybe there's a fine line to be walked with these titles.

For me, it's more a worry about reaching the maximum file name length limit to the point where the name of directory the file is stored in on my ereader gets shortened.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For me, it's more a worry about reaching the maximum file name length limit to the point where the name of directory the file is stored in on my ereader gets shortened.

You can always chop them off in Calibre. With me it's the manipulate feeling the titles give. Like the author named it that way to take advantage of the algorithm. Not that the book is necessarily a scam (the Lineage book I linked to earlier looks pretty good), but the author isn't above a little cheating.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

Bad Little Girl: A gripping psychological thriller with a BRILLIANT twist

and this one takes the cake:
The Missing Ones: An absolutely gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist (Detective Lottie Parker Book 1)

1: Those titles both have very click-bait-y titles
2: The author's have mighty high opinions of themselves and their writing (jaw-dropping, BRILLIANT)

Yet they are also spoiling their thrillers a bit.