Boy am I now confused - Page 5

Adam B. · 09-07-2007, 09:42 AM

Just because a company is still in business, does not mean it's successful.

I'm curious as to the DRM vs non-DRM sales as well. However, I think DRM opponents would be surprised. The average book reader typically only reads popular books in the best seller list (hence why they're best sellers). I think you'd be hard pressed to find many electronic versions of those books without DRM.

NatCh · 09-07-2007, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlauzon

I didn't say anything about spending time and effort packing up your books and hauling them somewhere.

Yeah, see, that's the part where you didn't take it into account, you'd kinda have to say something about it in order to take it into account. Just because you didn't mention it doesn't mean it's not relevant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlauzon

The last books I sold I got 80% of what I paid for them.

But it will depend on the book. An old trade paperback probably won't go for anything. Other books will go for more. But we were discussing DRMed eBooks - which are priced higher than hardcover pBooks. So, to keep the comparisons the same, we need to think about hardcovers, not cheap paperbacks.

Evidently you missed the bit where I specified that most of the books I sold were hardbacks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlauzon

But the fact that services that only sell DRMed content go out of business, while services that sell non-DRMed content are still around says alot.

Does Mobipocket sell non-DRMed books, then? I didn't realize they did, but then I haven't dealt with them.

rlauzon · 09-07-2007, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find many electronic versions of those books without DRM.

Did you mean to say:
"I think you'd be hard pressed to find many legal electronic versions of those books without DRM."

Liviu_5 · 09-07-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I suspect that it has far more to do with the fact that large-screen bookreaders are still expensive devices, and that most people don't like reading on small PDAs. I doubt that it has anything to do with DRM (although I could of course be wrong).

It would be interesting to know the breakdown of DRM vs. non-DRM book sales from a company like Fictionwise, who sell both. I've never seen any figures like that published - have you?

10 to 1 non-drm to drm as the owner stated in a yahoo group discussion (not 100% sure where though); however it's unclear to me if 10 to 1 was money or books, but I suspect former

NatCh · 09-07-2007, 01:56 PM

Books or bucks, 10:1 is still 10:1

Liviu_5 · 09-07-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

Books or bucks, 10:1 is still 10:1

Steve P. one of the owners of Fictionwise is an active participant in 2 Yahoo groups (Fictionwise and E-book community) and drops occasional tidbits about the business.

JSWolf · 09-07-2007, 02:12 PM

What I plan to do at somepoint soon is collect all my ebooks for the Sony and the source books and burn then to CD or DVD and then I'll have them nicely backed up for the future should I ever want to reread them.

HarryT · 09-07-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I plan to do at somepoint soon is collect all my ebooks for the Sony and the source books and burn then to CD or DVD and then I'll have them nicely backed up for the future should I ever want to reread them.

You haven't got your precious eBooks backed up??????

ARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good grief - my eBooks are probably my most cherished possession. I've got them on two separate hard disks, and on two sets of DVDs, one of which is in my desk drawer at work, in case of fire, etc.

NatCh · 09-07-2007, 02:29 PM

Gosh, where do you store all that media?

HarryT · 09-08-2007, 03:13 AM

That's the great thing about eBooks. Well over 10,000 books, but they use only about 11GB of disk space and can be backed up onto 3 DVDs.

HappyMartin · 09-08-2007, 03:53 AM

Still waiting for my iliad so what do I know. If I had a choice between DRM and non DRM I would choose the latter. If a book I wanted to read was only for sale as DRM I would buy it anyway. Selling second hand books? In South Africa you would have to get a table, find a flea market and go sit in the sun all day and sell them yourself. Second hand book stores will give you a credit against another old book but you would never get a cent out of them and the credit is barely worth the trouble. If the book is not worth the effort of storing I will find an adult literacy program and give the books away. I also use some as props when shooting furniture setups (I am a photographer).

Convenience is a major issue for me in the decision to buy an ereader, I expect to pay for that somewhere along the line. !2 years ago I rode a bicycle from Israel to South Africa. In Nairobi I bought a copy of Moby Dick. Love that book. As weight is at a premium when cycling and I had to carry everything on my bike I would tear off the pages as I read them and use them for lighting the evening fire and so on. It was great, I always knew what page I was on and the book got lighter and lighter. When I finished the book it was really finished. It was a great way to read a book that I had no space for. I supose that was a manual self imposed DRM or something.

sianon · 09-08-2007, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's the great thing about ebooks. Well over 10,000 books, but they use only about 11GB of disk space and can be backed up onto 3 DVDs.

absolutely, and they are backed up on the ebook retailers server as well. Added benefit today, went to purchase a book and the ebook site reminded me that I already had a copy OOPS, a real bricks and mortar shop would never have done so. Also today, I purchased four novels with the credit accrued through rebates on fictionwise, overall I am pretty happy right now

.

Karen

nekokami · 09-08-2007, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

As weight is at a premium when cycling and I had to carry everything on my bike I would tear off the pages as I read them and use them for lighting the evening fire and so on. It was great, I always knew what page I was on and the book got lighter and lighter. When I finished the book it was really finished. It was a great way to read a book that I had no space for. I supose that was a manual self imposed DRM or something.

Wow! I'm impressed with your bike trip, but the idea of tearing pages out of a book... brrr!

As I'm sure you know, you can now get a copy of Moby Dick from Project Gutenberg. I don't recommend chipping pieces off your iLiad (after it arrives) as you read the book.

HappyMartin · 09-08-2007, 11:32 AM

I was not sure what to do at the beginning of this thread as far as buying an e reader goes. Harry was very encouraging and with his advice in my mind I was looking at what books were available. When I saw Moby Dick it was a done deal.

RWood · 09-08-2007, 03:40 PM

While Moby Dick is available in two versions for the Sony, it is yet to be posted for the Mobi/PRC group. After that great story, I will format the book and post it in Mobi/PRC format for you this weekend.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Accessories oh boy Oberon!	krisk	Amazon Kindle	29	08-19-2010 02:38 PM
Have You got A Light, Boy? Sorry No Matches.	neilmarr	General Discussions	0	05-21-2010 06:21 AM
Rocket Boy and the Geek Girls	stevenharper	Writers' Corner	1	11-16-2009 04:15 PM
new boy from ireland	dogsballs	Introduce Yourself	6	08-08-2008 08:49 AM

09-07-2007, 09:42 AM	#61
Adam B. Addicted to Porting Posts: 1,697 Karma: 7194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: iRex iLiad, Nokia 770, Samsung i760	Just because a company is still in business, does not mean it's successful. I'm curious as to the DRM vs non-DRM sales as well. However, I think DRM opponents would be surprised. The average book reader typically only reads popular books in the best seller list (hence why they're best sellers). I think you'd be hard pressed to find many electronic versions of those books without DRM.

09-07-2007, 01:56 PM	#65
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Books or bucks, 10:1 is still 10:1

09-07-2007, 02:12 PM	#67
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,782 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What I plan to do at somepoint soon is collect all my ebooks for the Sony and the source books and burn then to CD or DVD and then I'll have them nicely backed up for the future should I ever want to reread them.

09-07-2007, 02:29 PM	#69
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Gosh, where do you store all that media?

09-08-2007, 03:13 AM	#70
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	That's the great thing about eBooks. Well over 10,000 books, but they use only about 11GB of disk space and can be backed up onto 3 DVDs.

09-08-2007, 03:53 AM	#71
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,546 Karma: 8480958 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	Still waiting for my iliad so what do I know. If I had a choice between DRM and non DRM I would choose the latter. If a book I wanted to read was only for sale as DRM I would buy it anyway. Selling second hand books? In South Africa you would have to get a table, find a flea market and go sit in the sun all day and sell them yourself. Second hand book stores will give you a credit against another old book but you would never get a cent out of them and the credit is barely worth the trouble. If the book is not worth the effort of storing I will find an adult literacy program and give the books away. I also use some as props when shooting furniture setups (I am a photographer). Convenience is a major issue for me in the decision to buy an ereader, I expect to pay for that somewhere along the line. !2 years ago I rode a bicycle from Israel to South Africa. In Nairobi I bought a copy of Moby Dick. Love that book. As weight is at a premium when cycling and I had to carry everything on my bike I would tear off the pages as I read them and use them for lighting the evening fire and so on. It was great, I always knew what page I was on and the book got lighter and lighter. When I finished the book it was really finished. It was a great way to read a book that I had no space for. I supose that was a manual self imposed DRM or something.

09-08-2007, 11:32 AM	#74
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,546 Karma: 8480958 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	I was not sure what to do at the beginning of this thread as far as buying an e reader goes. Harry was very encouraging and with his advice in my mind I was looking at what books were available. When I saw Moby Dick it was a done deal.

09-08-2007, 03:40 PM	#75
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	While Moby Dick is available in two versions for the Sony, it is yet to be posted for the Mobi/PRC group. After that great story, I will format the book and post it in Mobi/PRC format for you this weekend.