Where to buy agency titles?

[sassanik]

Okay so this is a silly question, but... Where can I find agency published titles?

I primarily buy through Fictionwise and BoB and a good bit of the big authors that I would normally buy through them are not available.

I can't/won't buy through Amazon, I use a Pocketbook 360 primarly and prefer .lit or epub formats. I suppose I could buy through Apple but I am really not happy with them for their part in the price fixing.

I know I can buy through the publishers websites themselves, but I would prefer to not have my bought books strewn around different websites.

Kobo and Dieselbook maybe?

I located in the US so location restrictions in general are not a big issue.

Amy

[abookreader]

Well, I prefer Kobo and Sony ... With Sony you'd have to install the desktop software, download the book, and then add it into Adobe Digital Editions I guess. The plus is the discounted giftcards Sony was selling at Target 2 weeks ago. If they continue that I'll be buying there quite often.

even with Agency pricing though sometimes one or the other of them won't have a book or the price will be higher. These stores are really making me grumpy.

I've bought a few books from Diesel but even with Agency pricing I still find their prices often much more than the others.

[batgirl]

I've been buying from Kobo and have been happy with price and service. One thing to keep in mind is that my credit card charges me a small fee for a foreign transaction (about 39 cents). I don't want to have to download additional software to buy and download books.

[sassanik]

Ahh that is good to know about Kobo and the possible transaction fee through Kobo.

I had thought of Sony but since I don't have a Sony reader it didn't seem like a first choice to me.

I have not bought from Diesel before because the prices did seem higher than BoB in general.

The whole new pricing thing is annoying, hopefully it will resolve its self soon, though that seems unlikely.

Amy

[KarenH]

I used to get almost all of my ebooks (probably 90% or more) at Fictionwise also. I'd shop around some occasionally, but pretty much ignored Sony up until recently, mostly because of their required library software. Since this whole agency pricing mess started though, there have been a few books that I haven't been able to find anywhere else except B&N (and I don't want eReader or to have to bother with their funky DRM on ePUBs), so I went ahead and downloaded the software and bought a book. I know a lot of people have had issues with their library software, but personally I've had no problems with it. Add to that the gift card sale at Target, and it looks like I'm going to be doing most of my book buying from Sony, at least in the near future. I like Kobo too, but there are still a lot of books they don't have.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by sassanik

Ahh that is good to know about Kobo and the possible transaction fee through Kobo.

I had thought of Sony but since I don't have a Sony reader it didn't seem like a first choice to me.

I have not bought from Diesel before because the prices did seem higher than BoB in general.

The whole new pricing thing is annoying, hopefully it will resolve its self soon, though that seems unlikely.

Amy

Hi Amy. You don't need to have the Sony reader in order to download books. All you need is the Sony software and Adobe Digital Editions. (both are free downloads)

I downloaded the software & started buying books 2 months before I got my reader. Multiformat books can be downloaded directly to the Sony Reader Library. And DRM protected Epub & Pdf docs have to be sent to the ADE library. After which, they can be transfered to both the Sony reader & library.

[sassanik]

I use Calibre to manage my book library in general, though I do have an authorized account at ADE.

I will have to check out Sony's website. It seems weird to think of buying books from them, laptops and other electronics, but books?

Amy

[phenomshel]

I don't have a Sony reader either, but I downloaded and installed the Reader Store software and it works like a charm. I can't use Kobo at all, my bank debit card doesn't allow international transactions. (I'm in the U.S. and Kobo is in Canada, apparently). I like the interface of the Sony store, and the files aren't any harder to liberate. The one problem I've heard of is a friend not being able to download a title she purchased. Not due to the agency thing, just .. it keeps throwing an error saying it can't connect to the Reader Store, even though she's IN the software at the time. Last I heard she was going to contact customer service.

[sassanik]

Well I am alittle slow with the Sony software, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to transfer books to my Pocketbook 360 device from it. I ended up putting the books in ADE and using it to transfer the books. I will keep Sony in mind now as a spot I can get books from.


I imagine that the major publishers have seen a dive in their ebook sales. I am sure that the ipads gave a sales increase for a short period of time. But where they were probably getting steady sales from Fictionwise, BoB and other online stores it has to be hurting.

Amy

[abookreader]

Personally I'm not in love with the Sony software and I wish I could pre-order from them. But right now -- with the discounted gift cards I got from Target + the fact that Sony has ADE ePub files that I can free of DRM easily .... not the eReader coming from Barnes and Noble, PLUS the fact that they have the titles not available on Amazon....

Sony is winning a good portion of my business.

I've never had to pay a transaction fee from Kobo. I wonder if that is credit card specific?

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by abookreader

I've never had to pay a transaction fee from Kobo. I wonder if that is credit card specific?

I think so, I have no fee either (and I'm using a Spanish credit card).

[simplyparticular]

Originally Posted by sassanik

I imagine that the major publishers have seen a dive in their ebook sales. I am sure that the ipads gave a sales increase for a short period of time. But where they were probably getting steady sales from Fictionwise, BoB and other online stores it has to be hurting.

I wonder if the publishers even know where an eBook is sold? Given that most of the smaller eBookstores are using distributors to handle the download, the actual seller is probably invisible to the publisher. They probably just get distributor reports, plus reports from the big sellers who handle their own fulfillment, like Amazon.

I'm sure April 2010 eBook sales are way below April 2009. B&N probably doesn't care about FW and eReader revenue, but BoB and Diesel's owners probably care! not to mention the authors who are getting smaller royalties now because their books aren't available in as many outlets.

I've never had to pay a transaction fee from Kobo. I wonder if that is credit card specific?

Yes, it depends on the card. Check your terms & conditions for the % - they can range from 1.5-3%. Most US & Canadian credit cards added exchange fees in the mid 2000s. Your statement may not list the fee separate from the transaction - it depends on your card issuer.

I work for a US non-profit that receives donations from Canadians and lots of donors blame us for overcharging. A $50CDN donation often shows up as an odd amount like $52.13 because the fee is lumped in rather than broken out on its own line - making it look like we overcharge them, even though it is the bank fee. Since it is a percentage, it gets even worse when the amount goes up.

Bree

[sassanik]

I think B&N is pretty much hoping to canablize Fictionwise. I figure they bought it for the ereader format and their client list. Not necassarily to sell ebooks through. I could be wrong though.

You are right that the big 5 books publishers might not know how ebooks are distributed. I think they are used to having a distributor like Ingram between them and the bookstore.

Amy

[Angst]

If you know what books you want to buy, try looking them up on addall.

http://ebooks.addall.com/

I think BoB is now selling (some) agency books.

I searched on "The color of magic" by Terry Pratchett, as I want to buy some more of his books. I know his books have been blocked at some sites struggling with the agency model. Amazon, B&N and BoB carry the book.

[batgirl]

Originally Posted by abookreader

I've never had to pay a transaction fee from Kobo. I wonder if that is credit card specific?

Yes it is credit card specific. My credit card charges me the fee not Kobo. Sorry if that was unclear.