It is the Worst of Times for Reading EBooks

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Best of Times thread has 11 posts. This one has 90.

I think this shows that either this is the worst of times, or people like complaining more than they like celebrating.

It's the second one.
Apache

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Best of Times thread has 11 posts. This one has 90.

I think this shows that either this is the worst of times, or people like complaining more than they like celebrating.

Some people are not happy unless they are complaining.

[Mikou]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Best of Times thread has 11 posts. This one has 90.

I think this shows that either this is the worst of times, or people like complaining more than they like celebrating.

But many of the posts are disagreeing with the thread's premise or are neutral. I think that's why the Worst of Times has more posts--people like to debate (and/or argue).

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Best of Times thread has 11 posts. This one has 90.

I think this shows that either this is the worst of times, or people like complaining more than they like celebrating.

I think many people disagree with the thread's premise and are debating it. So The Worst of Times thread being longer could be because it is The Best of Times...

[theducks]

My first (and second) device: Astak, was not tied to a single store. It cost US$200 in 2010. My main selection criteria was that it was Adobe compatible (what was used by the local Public Library)

Most of my first book purchases were from Baen and they emailed a download link. I chose Zipped, becausi I used my own computer and had WinZip to unzip. I could have just coppied the EPBS over to the Astak, but I already had Calibre up and managing my Library.

Amazon's brilliant plan (and it was): No computer required. No WiFi or Internet needed. They used the Cell Network (Whispersync) to shop and deliver

[leebase]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I think many people disagree with the thread's premise and are debating it. So The Worst of Times thread being longer could be because it is The Best of Times...

That's the point. At least I'd hoped. While there has always been genuine issues of concerns and many that remain....what we have is really great for the purposes of reading.

Finish a book...on a weekend...at night, in bed? Want to read the next one in the series but you haven't bought it yet? No problem. Buy and read...no need to go to the book store.

I no longer need to cart books around with me. I ALWAYS carted books around with me. No need to have half the house filled with shelves of books that I'll not likely read again.

How about this one....no more buying a book a second or even third time because I forgot I had already bought it and it was on a bookshelf at home!

We debate eInk ad naseum. But really, if you like it, use it. If you like reading on a phone or tablet...do so.

Maybe some are rich enough that the price of a new book in hardback was never an issue. For me, I always had to wait until a book came out in a cheaper format or came to my library. eBooks haven't changed that at all. You might not like the price of an ebook....but how is that different than not liking the price of a hardback? It's all price windowing, just like with movies.

But that shouldn't take away from the joy of reading. There is simply SO MUCH available to read in every imaginable style, type, genre that nobody can possibly run out of reading material.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by leebase

That's the point. At least I'd hoped. While there has always been genuine issues of concerns and many that remain....what we have is really great for the purposes of reading.

Finish a book...on a weekend...at night, in bed? Want to read the next one in the series but you haven't bought it yet? No problem. Buy and read...no need to go to the book store.

I no longer need to cart books around with me. I ALWAYS carted books around with me. No need to have half the house filled with shelves of books that I'll not likely read again.

How about this one....no more buying a book a second or even third time because I forgot I had already bought it and it was on a bookshelf at home!

We debate eInk ad naseum. But really, if you like it, use it. If you like reading on a phone or tablet...do so.

Maybe some are rich enough that the price of a new book in hardback was never an issue. For me, I always had to wait until a book came out in a cheaper format or came to my library. eBooks haven't changed that at all. You might not like the price of an ebook....but how is that different than not liking the price of a hardback? It's all price windowing, just like with movies.

But that shouldn't take away from the joy of reading. There is simply SO MUCH available to read in every imaginable style, type, genre that nobody can possibly run out of reading material.

I love being able to get a new library book any time 24/7! I occasionally buy ebooks if there's something I really want to read that isn't available through the library or if the library has a huge waiting list. If I want a new book badly enough I might pay full price; otherwise I will wait for the price to drop.

As for the technology, my Sony e-ink reader still works fine for me. Whenever it gives up the ghost I will probably get a Kobo e-ink reader unless something new comes out by then that appeals to me more. I don't feel a need to always be having something better! newer! faster! as long as I am able to read comfortably on the device I already own.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Best of Times thread has 11 posts. This one has 90.

I think this shows that either this is the worst of times, or people like complaining more than they like celebrating.

As a wise band once said, I’m only happy when it rains.

[cfrizz]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with ereading times these days I haven't touched my Sony reader in years, I have been reading on my tablet, phone, and monitor for years and my eyes are just fine thank you.

If you refuse to read on anything but an eink, that's your problem, but Kobo and Amazon still make them so get one of those.

Just stop spreading misinformation about reading on anything other than eink, because we all know it's a bunch of BS.

I am constantly finding new books to read due to independent authors I've got lots of choices and reasonable prices. Again if you refuse to buy other books that don't come the big publishers...your problem. Loads of us are happy with self published books.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by theducks

My first (and second) device: Astak, was not tied to a single store. It cost US$200 in 2010. My main selection criteria was that it was Adobe compatible (what was used by the local Public Library)

Most of my first book purchases were from Baen and they emailed a download link. I chose Zipped, becausi I used my own computer and had WinZip to unzip. I could have just coppied the EPBS over to the Astak, but I already had Calibre up and managing my Library.

Amazon's brilliant plan (and it was): No computer required. No WiFi or Internet needed. They used the Cell Network (Whispersync) to shop and deliver

So the solution for an reader not tied to a single store is to sideload...

So long as Calibre and Alf's tools work, I don't see a problem with readers being tied to stores. If you want to sideload, go ahead. If not, buy the reader attached to your store of choice.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

So the solution for an reader not tied to a single store is to sideload...

So long as Calibre and Alf's tools work, I don't see a problem with readers being tied to stores. If you want to sideload, go ahead. If not, buy the reader attached to your store of choice.

That particular solution works well for a select few (comparatively speaking). Certainly it's the solution that I use. It's likely not a good solution for most though. Of course, most are quite happy buying from whatever store is tied to their reader of choice since all the major stores tied to a specific reader carry the major books.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

So the solution for an reader not tied to a single store is to sideload...

So long as Calibre and Alf's tools work, I don't see a problem with readers being tied to stores. If you want to sideload, go ahead. If not, buy the reader attached to your store of choice.

Or buy a cheap tablet and buy from anywhere you like with no side-loading or drm-removal necessary.

I know people are clinging to their eink (and that's fine). But I find it a bit ironic that most of the complaints about eink readers in this thread have been about things that apps on a tablet would solve easily.

"I can't use a tablet to read with, but boy do I wish my dedicated eink reader would pretend to be more like one."

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

It's likely not a good solution for most though. Of course, most are quite happy buying from whatever store is tied to their reader of choice since all the major stores tied to a specific reader carry the major books.

Those two sentences directly contradict each other. If "most are quite happy," then how could that be "likely not a good solution for most"? Most = most and if they're happy, who's to say there's a problem?

With the shakeout in ebook stores and ebook prices tending toward the same level when they're not fixed, certainly it has become much less compelling to go through the step of sideloading. I myself have ended up buying most of my books from Kobo or borrowing and downloading directly from OverDrive on my reader. Why not? When you're not adding a boatload of books at once, it's trivial to sort a book onto its shelf manually once it's landed on the device, the other major advantage of Calibre.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I know people are clinging to their eink (and that's fine). But I find it a bit ironic that most of the complaints about eink readers in this thread have been about things that apps on a tablet would solve easily.

Of course that is missing the OPs point entirely. He wanted multiple ebook sites selling ePubs (or whatever universal file) that could be read on a store-agnostic ereader:

There are no more independant eInk devices to speak of. Surely not of the quality of the Sony line. Pretty much "eco system" plays like Amazon, Kobo and Nook are all that's left. And only Amazon has a healthy business.

Fictionwise and many many other beloved ebook stores are gone and are never coming back. Along with them are the special pricing deals that so many of us loved.

Just because a tablet will let you install multiple walled gardens doesn't make it any freer.

As for me, I don't mind side-loading. If you want the freedom of buying from a store you like to read on a device you prefer, you have to do the work for it.

If you don't want to do the work, buy a device and purchase books from the linked store. I really don't see the problem with the status quo.

Quite honestly, using multiple apps on the same tablet seems to be a pain. Suppose you get a deal on the first three Harry Potter books from Amazon. Then you buy books 4, 6 and 7 from B&N and book 5 from Kobo. You have to know what book you are looking for and what app it is stored in.

But hey, whatever works for you.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Of course that is missing the OPs point entirely. He wanted multiple ebook sites selling ePubs (or whatever universal file) that could be read on a store-agnostic ereader

Misses the point only if you choose to needlessly quibble over the definition of "ereader." Otherwise it absolutely nails the notion of buying from multiple ebook stores (ePub or otherwise) and reading then on one store agnostic device.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Just because a tablet will let you install multiple walled gardens doesn't make it any freer.

All depends on your definition of freedom, I guess. I myself find it quite liberating. No PC, no special library management software, no dedrm tools. Just pure ebook buying and ebook reading--from any ebook vendor I want, from anywhere I am.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Quite honestly, using multiple apps on the same tablet seems to be a pain. Suppose you get a deal on the first three Harry Potter books from Amazon. Then you buy books 4, 6 and 7 from B&N and book 5 from Kobo. You have to know what book you are looking for and what app it is stored in.

I know, right? All that tapping is excruciatingly exhaustive Seriously though; I think I've mentioned before that I'm a "buy book" then "read book" kind of guy. I have no extensive pre-bought unread library to wade through, so I never have to "find" what i'm wanting to read. I just got done downloading it. I'm not a curator. I just want to read.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

But hey, whatever works for you.

Same.