Read an Ebook Week 7-13 March - Page 2

dreams · 03-14-2010, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koland

At least one site I visited didn't seem to have anything at all free and no mention of the promotion. Another had free books, but to find them you had to subscribe to their twitter feed (no links on the site), so I missed the first day's books (and on the last day, they only had one of the two they claimed were free - the other was $5). Some sites just pooled together their normally free books, but the RAEW listing said they would have a new book each day. Dorrance ended a day early (not a problem, but they could have said so on the site) and several places had problems putting up their links on the first and last days (weekend days, so no staff working, I presume).

I quit visiting those sites (basically gave up) due to all the hoops to jump through and searching to find stuff, then find out it was pdf. Plus, I just don't want to mess with pdf. I just went to smashwords and that's it. If I was interested in more by an author, I would check out the sites listed in their smashwords profile.

pietvo · 03-14-2010, 05:39 PM

On my computer the file is called In_For_The_Kill1.pdf.

kana · 03-14-2010, 06:18 PM

Thanks for the info, sadly it's not on my drive

I wonder what happened, I downloaded it on the first day of ebook week I think, but I didn't go to read it until today. Guess I should have checked.

pietvo · 03-14-2010, 06:44 PM

Your browser may have a download history. Maybe that gives some information.

queentess · 03-14-2010, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreams

I quit visiting those sites (basically gave up) due to all the hoops to jump through and searching to find stuff, then find out it was pdf. Plus, I just don't want to mess with pdf. I just went to smashwords and that's it. If I was interested in more by an author, I would check out the sites listed in their smashwords profile.

Ditto that. I tried a couple sites and it was impossible to find anything, so I stuck to SmashWords.

emonti8384 · 03-15-2010, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreams

I quit visiting those sites (basically gave up) due to all the hoops to jump through and searching to find stuff, then find out it was pdf. Plus, I just don't want to mess with pdf. I just went to smashwords and that's it. If I was interested in more by an author, I would check out the sites listed in their smashwords profile.

I know! And it's too bad too, I was really excited about how big it was! I think that the sites that were listing free books for ebook week should have had a link that went directly to the free book b/c there were plenty of sites advertising free books and I either couldn't find them or they have been free since I first got my reader.

It's a really nice concept though!

pietvo · 03-15-2010, 06:20 AM

There were a few sites where I downloaded one or two. But smashwords was really something. I downloaded several books there. My wife also downloaded several, but she also bought quite a couple. Both discounted ones and normally priced ones.

Bluesman7 · 03-15-2010, 09:57 AM

Smashwords and Kobo were the two best sites for me during that week. Smashwords because they offered a tremendous number of books for free and at reduced prices; and Kobo because of the many coupons they made available.

Thanks to all (especially the authors) who made this possible.

JSWolf · 03-15-2010, 10:03 AM

Please tell the authors/publishers that WE DO NOT WANT PDF. It's not an eBook format. We want ePub.

Giving away a book we won't be reading is worse then not offering it at all.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-15-2010, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Please tell the authors/publishers that WE DO NOT WANT PDF. It's not an eBook format. We want ePub.

There's nothing wrong with PDF... those who do their reading on full-sized computers do not have a problem reading PDFs, and many of those consumers are perfectly happy with them (I know quite a few). Tell authors/publishers that you want other formats besides PDF.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Giving away a book we won't be reading is worse then not offering it at all.

No... giving away a book is always better than not offering it at all. Taking a book you have no intention of reading... well...

David.Niall.Wils · 03-16-2010, 06:41 AM

.pdf is the one format it's not really true of, but if you have your book in epub, mobi, prc., etc. - with the proliferation of tools like Calibre, you can offer it in multiple formats with very little lift on your end...

[Promotional material deleted - MODERATOR]

neilmarr · 03-17-2010, 05:32 AM

Sure other formats perform better on dedicated readers, but if Mark Coker at Smashwords is correct in his pie chart, PDF is still the most popular format for download generally (though, of course, this PDF use will include much material that coudn't accurately be called 'ebook'. Cheers. Neil

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-17-2010, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Sure other formats perform better on dedicated readers, but if Mark Coker at Smashwords is correct in his pie chart, PDF is still the most popular format for download generally (though, of course, this PDF use will include much material that coudn't accurately be called 'ebook'. Cheers. Neil

That's a good point: Though PDFs do see heavy use, quite a bit of that is in business documents, what it was initially designed for. I wonder, when pundits say that PDF is the most popular format for digital reading, whether they do (or can) draw any distinction between business use and recreational reading.

JSWolf · 03-24-2010, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

That's a good point: Though PDFs do see heavy use, quite a bit of that is in business documents, what it was initially designed for. I wonder, when pundits say that PDF is the most popular format for digital reading, whether they do (or can) draw any distinction between business use and recreational reading.

According to some of the libraries, PDF is the most popular format. But that was said back before ADE & ePub. And PDF at the library these days is rather silly. If there is a PDF version and an ePub version, they both have to be read via ADE so getting the PDF is restricting some customers. Getting the ePub works for everyone. So really, there's no longer a need to have a PDF copy when an ePub copy exists.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-24-2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

According to some of the libraries, PDF is the most popular format. But that was said back before ADE & ePub. And PDF at the library these days is rather silly. If there is a PDF version and an ePub version, they both have to be read via ADE so getting the PDF is restricting some customers. Getting the ePub works for everyone. So really, there's no longer a need to have a PDF copy when an ePub copy exists.

Well, the question at that point is how many of those PDFs predate ePub, and how many are likely to be converted? I'd wager it's a large number of older PDF documents, few of which will be converted, so PDF reading is still needed.

03-16-2010, 06:41 AM	#26
David.Niall.Wils Author & Digital Publishe Posts: 90 Karma: 534770 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hertford, NC Device: Kindle	Multiple Formats .pdf is the one format it's not really true of, but if you have your book in epub, mobi, prc., etc. - with the proliferation of tools like Calibre, you can offer it in multiple formats with very little lift on your end... [Promotional material deleted - MODERATOR] Last edited by Dr. Drib; 03-23-2012 at 01:53 PM.

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03-14-2010, 05:39 PM	#17
pietvo Reader Posts: 520 Karma: 24612 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Utrecht, NL Device: Kobo Aura 2, iPhone, iPad	On my computer the file is called In_For_The_Kill1.pdf.

03-14-2010, 06:18 PM	#18
kana Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: BeBook	Thanks for the info, sadly it's not on my drive I wonder what happened, I downloaded it on the first day of ebook week I think, but I didn't go to read it until today. Guess I should have checked.

03-14-2010, 06:44 PM	#19
pietvo Reader Posts: 520 Karma: 24612 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Utrecht, NL Device: Kobo Aura 2, iPhone, iPad	Your browser may have a download history. Maybe that gives some information.

03-15-2010, 06:20 AM	#22
pietvo Reader Posts: 520 Karma: 24612 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Utrecht, NL Device: Kobo Aura 2, iPhone, iPad	There were a few sites where I downloaded one or two. But smashwords was really something. I downloaded several books there. My wife also downloaded several, but she also bought quite a couple. Both discounted ones and normally priced ones.

03-15-2010, 09:57 AM	#23
Bluesman7 Book 'em Danno Posts: 156 Karma: 180 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Blue Ridge Mtns, NC Device: Kindle 2	Smashwords and Kobo were the two best sites for me during that week. Smashwords because they offered a tremendous number of books for free and at reduced prices; and Kobo because of the many coupons they made available. Thanks to all (especially the authors) who made this possible.

03-15-2010, 10:03 AM	#24
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,757 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Please tell the authors/publishers that WE DO NOT WANT PDF. It's not an eBook format. We want ePub. Giving away a book we won't be reading is worse then not offering it at all.

03-17-2010, 05:32 AM	#27
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Sure other formats perform better on dedicated readers, but if Mark Coker at Smashwords is correct in his pie chart, PDF is still the most popular format for download generally (though, of course, this PDF use will include much material that coudn't accurately be called 'ebook'. Cheers. Neil