Where do you buy ebooks?

[BearMountainBooks]

With a lot of venues now allowing indie writers, I have a great interest in learning where people buy ebooks--especially those of you who own and use a Sony reader (I know that *most* Kindle users get the vast majority of books on Amazon.) I have a few friends with non-branded readers; they seem to get a lot of the freebies and then lose interest in the readers. I have one friend with a Nook, and surprise, surprise--pretty much a B&N shopper.

So I'm curious about what the shopping trends are. A previous poll showed a lot of buyers shopping at Fictionwise--but a lot of those shoppers indicated they weren't really that happy there anymore and were migrating away. Where did y'all migrate to? Are people on the lookout for new "stores" or do you prefer "one account where they can get it all???"

Feel free to comment if the poll doesn't have your answer. If you must throw something at me, please make it dark chocolate. No tomatoes! It's full season here and I have plenty of those!

edit: Oh crap. I forgot the Big A. How could I forget Apple and the iPad????

Well. Remember, just throw chocolate. I guess now I deserve milk chocolate instead of dark...

[ficbot]

I used to have a Sony and now have a Kindle and Libre, but my habits have not changed. I buy most of my books at Kobo, and sometimes at Sony if Kobo doesn't have it. I have bought a few at Smashwords too. I get a ton of freebies at Sony and the public library. I used to buy at Fictionwise but no longer buy anything from them and have cancelled my membership there. If I had to rank them...

1) Kobo
2) Library
3) Sony (many freebies and a few purchases)
4) Smashwords (many freebies and a few purchases)
5) Other

[BearMountainBooks]

Thanks Ficbot. I forgot Kobo. AND I meant to allow people to select more than one place. But somehow I munged that too. It's my first poll...

[tulsa]

In addition to the Sony bookstore, I buy a lot of science fiction at Baen books. (webscriptions). The main reason being the content and the fact that they are drm-free.

[AnemicOak]

Amazon
Kobo
Books on Board
Sony
Webscription
Fictionwise (not so much anymore)
B&N
Small Pub websites
Smashwords

Pretty much in that order.

[BearMountainBooks]

That Mark Twain quote reminded me of when the Vikings and the Cowboys were playing...and I wanted them both to lose!!!

(American Football teams.)

Those of you taking the time to list all the places you shop--thanks. I'll do better my next poll. Pretty sure...

Maria

[Rumpelteazer]

I chose anywhere but I've bought books from just 3:
1. BooksOnBoard (they're quick to answer questions and it's easy to circumvent their geo-restrictions)
2. Smashwords (some interesting reads from unknown authors)
3. Bol.com (Dutch shop, bought my Reader from them, only bought one book since their English eBook section is limited)

I also regularly get free books from MR and Gutenberg.

[Clancy_s]

To be meaningful I think you'd have needed to allow multiple options.

Most commonly Webscription, then Smashwords, rarely drm sites if it's an author I'm really keen on and can't get elsewhere in which case Books on Board, Border's Australia, if all else fails Amazon US.

[banjobama]

I answered Sony Store, but I buy tons from Smashwords too.

[onewayherway]

Sony and Kobo whoever has what I want and the lowest price.

[Worldwalker]

You left out ... um, almost everywhere I get ebooks from.

= PAID =

Webscriptions
BookView Cafe
BeWrite
Closed Circle
O'Reilly (technical)
authors' websites

= FREE =

Baen Free Library
MobileRead
ManyBooks
Project Gutenberg
Feedbooks
Munseys
authors' websites

And that's not counting my growing collection of manuals and documentation in electronic format.

Also, I will not buy a DRM-restricted ebook, no matter how badly I want it. There are more good books out there than I can read in a lifetime already, so it's never a choice between DRM and nothing; it's a choice between DRM and some other book that I also want to read, and is free of DRM.

[Ea]

Most of my most recent purchases (been some months since I last bought a book) have been at cyberread.com as they had the best offers for me at the time. The two parameters I look for is the price and how easy it will be to strip DRM.

[JLYates]

I just bought my sony (900) a month ago, so I am still learning where to get books from.

You stated you are new to polling. Hope you don't mind some advice.

Selections were: Sony; Fictionwise; Amazon; B&N; Anywhere but I strip the DRM; Smashwords; only MR; Google; Scibd; authors sites only freebies and none.

in only freebies; that limits and put constraints on the poller. So:

Freebies
Anywhere
freebies and anywhere

Another aspect is the DRM, some buy anywhere and get freebies, but do not strip the DRM.

You created what is called a double barreled question, or in your case it could be a tripple barreled question. It has three parts.

Personally, I would leave the DRM off, unless l you wanted to ask if anyone strips the DRM, which would be a separte choice then; do you strip the DRM.
Some will only get freebies.
And some will get from anywhere, they may or not think of freebies in that aspect.
And some (like me) will get from both freebies and other (anywhere) and I do not strip the DRM (at present).

This has limited the poller so they may chose to not answer it.

Another selection is Other and state that can be listed in a reply if they wish to do so.

Learned about polling in Experimental Psych class -- we had to do it all, from chosing a topic; create a poll, create the questionaire (a ROYAL pain the ass) ask it and do all the sadistic work (statistic). Since it was a deceptive reseach project, we had to find a way to disguise it. Been years ago, but I still remember some of it.

My choices:

anywhere, both freebies and purchased.
May later learn how to strip DRM, but not at present, nor does it limit my choice of purchasing books
MR, ManyBooks, and other freebies
have yet checked to out authors, but plan on doing so.
e-disel wasn't mentioned, nor a site called romance

Hope that helps and you don't mind the critiquing of your poll.

Janette

[BearMountainBooks]

JL, good points...although you can't buy just anywhere unless you are willing to strip the DRM. There are definitely MORE sites than I imagined--some I hadn't heard of, some I had, but since I don't shop there myself...well, I forgot about them.

You're very right. My own shopping habits (I shop at two of the stores...with only a very occasional wander to a different one or to an author's website) are telling in the poll.

At first I was very annoyed that I didn't allow people to select more that one place. But in the end...it's probably better because it forced people to select their number one place (or ignore me entirely!)

At first glance it seems to me that as a writer I need to figure out how to get my books onto Baen...

Failing that, I'm finding that it's more important than I guessed to be in the Sony shop and Kobobooks. Most of us authors have no sales data from these points and won't for 3 to 6 months (the reporting is quarterly and then delayed another month for compilation.)

I'm also completely guessing, but it seems that experience e-readers might find they have to strip DRM to get the selection and pricing they want/expect/deserve.

Keep the votes coming. Y'all are very helpful and I appreciate your time.

Maria

[rhadin]

Because the poll wasn't set to accept more than 1 response, I chose Smashwords for indie authors. But I also buy indie authors at Sony and Fictionwise.