Will Subscription e-Book Sites Continue to be Viable in 2015? - Page 3

speakingtohe · 01-06-2015, 05:59 PM

I am lucky to have a good library selection so no need to look elsewhere. I read a lot, between 2-6 books a week and I have never been unable to find a book I actually wanted to read.

I do buy books, but mostly to support an author who has made me exceptionally happy or as a gift.

A subscription service would not IMO improve my reading experience but I see nothing wrong with the concept and wish them the best.

Helen

Red Falcon · 01-07-2015, 09:33 PM

I listen to books mostly.I have tried both Kindle Unlimited and Scribid and have found that KU has more of the e-books I would read, i.e older mystery series and indie weird fiction and Scribid has a deal with Blackstone Audio that put's a lot of there catalog on there service.I have found a lot of Science Fiction books I want to listen to on Scribid's service.

Blossom · 01-07-2015, 10:26 PM

You know they all said this about Netflix when it came out. I remember how everyone said Netflix wouldn't last. Subscription books services are here to stay. Rather if the big publishers decide to go out on their own or sites like Scribd and Oyster keep signing them. This is the wave of the future. KU may eventually get swallowed up into Prime with another rate hike or it may stay the same but it has two things needed. They need to lose the exclusivity and they need to sign the big guys. Not that many big publishers would sign with Amazon though.

pegasi&prefects · 01-09-2015, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I rarely pay more than $2.99 for books from major publishers. I just wait til they go on sale.

This has always been true of me. Most of my physical books are from remainder stores. It has to be a never-fail author for me to buy full price (and, in the old days, in hand-hurting awkward hard back.)

leaston · 01-09-2015, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robko

A paper book used bookstore has a bigger market because they pick up those who might only buy periodically along with the voracious readers.

And with a good location in a town or city, they'll probably get a lot of casual foot traffic from people who browse and buy impulsively, just because they happened to be passing the shop. I wonder how that translates online...

Bookworm_Girl · 01-11-2015, 06:26 PM

I love my Oyster subscription!

My only complaints are that it isn't e-ink and they need more customization in their apps. My iPad Mini and Kindle HD 6 make a great format size for reading apps.

I have been using it for 6 months now and have kept a spreadsheet to evaluate the costs. The average price of my books borrowed is $8.67 and the median price is $9.99 (not very shocking since I read mostly big publishers and mainstream bestsellers). Of the 26 books that were borrowed, only 3 were also in my local e-library and 6 were in Kindle Unlimited. Overall, I have had a net savings of $175.41 after deducting the cost of the monthly service from the Kindle price of the books. Therefore, it is worth it for me!

I agree with the original linked article that I am more aware of publishers now. The selection is amazing on Oyster. I have enough books wish-listed to last for years. I love the way the app is setup for recommendations and similar books that it increases discoverability of other books that you can add to your reading lists. Your reading lists are like collections so you can easily keep track of books to be read.

If you like to re-read, then it's no big deal. You just borrow it again from your finished list. There is no guarantee that it will still be available. So far only one book that I have read was removed from the service. They gave me a warning that it would be expiring before-hand. Everything else is still there.

jehane · 01-13-2015, 03:21 PM

I will be interested to see whether the subscription services survive in the next few years, but I have serious doubts over its economical viability. The model works for movie/tv streaming but their customer base is orders of magnitude bigger. Largely because more people watch movies and tv than read a lot but also because the time required to complete a book is so much longer than watching a movie. Let's say a person has 50 hours of free time per month (just a number for demonstration, ppl!) and they spend all of that reading, and they are a fast reader, then they might read 5* books a month. But they could watch about 50 tv episodes or 25 movies in that time. So when they look at the value proposition many might feel that $7.99/month is a good deal for video streaming but not so much for books. And let's face it, how many people (outside of MR members) would read even 2 books per month? This is not to say that there won't be some people that will get value out of it - people who read a lot, have a good amount of leisure time and don't watch a lot of video (or don't have access to decent internet speeds), but whether there are *sufficient* such customers for the survival of the business is another matter. Of course a lot will also depend on the cost side, of which I know nothing, but I do feel that the revenue side is where they're going to make or break it.

* Back in the day I used to read books in a single session so I have a reasonable idea of how long it takes _me_ to finish a book. A lot of these were fantasies (Eddings, etc) so, as always, YMMV.

jehane · 01-13-2015, 03:54 PM

Having said that, I will likely be moving back to Australia later this year so a subscription service is something I would seriously look into once I lose access to the Overdrive libraries here. Australian libraries have miniscule collections by comparison. Unfortunately many midlist genre books are simply not available in ebook format in Australia.

Is anyone outside of North America using these services? Anyone know whether geo-restrictions apply? Not a dealbreaker if I can get around it with a VPN, but it adds another layer of cost. I couldn't see any information on international access on the Oyster page and what I could find on Scribd suggests that geo-restrictions will be in place.

Also, it looks like the only e-ink option is Kindle, no epub or Sony readable options? That's another significant negative for me. If anyone from one of the subscription services is reading this, my ideal service would be one that pretty much works like Overdrive. Easy to borrow books and I like the reading interface. I use the Overdrive app to read on my phone when commuting and have used it on my tablet as well.

fjtorres · 01-13-2015, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jehane

Also, it looks like the only e-ink option is Kindle, no epub or Sony readable options? That's another significant negative for me.

The only way to read non-KU subscription ebooks on eink is to get an eink android tablet. Of which there are several out there, ranging from US$99 to about $169.

conan50 · 01-13-2015, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

You know they all said this about Netflix when it came out. I remember how everyone said Netflix wouldn't last. Subscription books services are here to stay. Rather if the big publishers decide to go out on their own or sites like Scribd and Oyster keep signing them. This is the wave of the future. KU may eventually get swallowed up into Prime with another rate hike or it may stay the same but it has two things needed. They need to lose the exclusivity and they need to sign the big guys. Not that many big publishers would sign with Amazon though.

I agree. And I think it will come down to just Amazon and perhaps one other that is viable and able to keep Publishers on board. And like Netflix I expect it will not be loaded with best sellers but a select few and back lists of books from well known authors and tons of Independent publishers.

Blossom · 01-13-2015, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conan50

I agree. And I think it will come down to just Amazon and perhaps one other that is viable and able to keep Publishers on board. And like Netflix I expect it will not be loaded with best sellers but a select few and back lists of books from well known authors and tons of Independent publishers.

Macmillan has decided to give Scribd and Oyster a test run. This is the publisher that had to be pulled kicking and screaming into Overdrive. So there has to be decent profit to be made.

So right now Three Big Publishers have jump on board. That leave like Pengiun\Random House still out there. Oh and Hachette.

Fbone · 01-13-2015, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

Macmillan has decided to give Scribd and Oyster a test run. This is the publisher that had to be pulled kicking and screaming into Overdrive. So there has to be decent profit to be made.

So right now Three Big Publishers have jump on board. That leave like Pengiun\Random House still out there. Oh and Hachette.

I wouldn't be surprised if Random House and Hachette join in the next few weeks.

Blossom · 01-13-2015, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

I wouldn't be surprised if Random House and Hachette join in the next few weeks.

That would be awesome. Macmillan has only added 1000 titles though.

Bookworm_Girl · 01-13-2015, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

That would be awesome. Macmillan has only added 1000 titles though.

Sounds like a small collection and older books for a test run. I expect they will increase that over time. In addition to the Macmillan news, Oyster announced that they now have over 1,000,000 books in their catalog!

Blossom · 01-13-2015, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Sounds like a small collection and older books for a test run. I expect they will increase that over time. In addition to the Macmillan news, Oyster announced that they now have over 1,000,000 books in their catalog!

I am trying to figure out just how many they do have compare to Scribd or are all the same catalog.

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01-06-2015, 05:59 PM	#31
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	I am lucky to have a good library selection so no need to look elsewhere. I read a lot, between 2-6 books a week and I have never been unable to find a book I actually wanted to read. I do buy books, but mostly to support an author who has made me exceptionally happy or as a gift. A subscription service would not IMO improve my reading experience but I see nothing wrong with the concept and wish them the best. Helen

01-07-2015, 09:33 PM	#32
Red Falcon Addict Posts: 281 Karma: 1593188 Join Date: May 2012 Device: Kindle Keyboard	I listen to books mostly.I have tried both Kindle Unlimited and Scribid and have found that KU has more of the e-books I would read, i.e older mystery series and indie weird fiction and Scribid has a deal with Blackstone Audio that put's a lot of there catalog on there service.I have found a lot of Science Fiction books I want to listen to on Scribid's service.

01-07-2015, 10:26 PM	#33
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	You know they all said this about Netflix when it came out. I remember how everyone said Netflix wouldn't last. Subscription books services are here to stay. Rather if the big publishers decide to go out on their own or sites like Scribd and Oyster keep signing them. This is the wave of the future. KU may eventually get swallowed up into Prime with another rate hike or it may stay the same but it has two things needed. They need to lose the exclusivity and they need to sign the big guys. Not that many big publishers would sign with Amazon though.

01-11-2015, 06:26 PM	#36
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I love my Oyster subscription! My only complaints are that it isn't e-ink and they need more customization in their apps. My iPad Mini and Kindle HD 6 make a great format size for reading apps. I have been using it for 6 months now and have kept a spreadsheet to evaluate the costs. The average price of my books borrowed is $8.67 and the median price is $9.99 (not very shocking since I read mostly big publishers and mainstream bestsellers). Of the 26 books that were borrowed, only 3 were also in my local e-library and 6 were in Kindle Unlimited. Overall, I have had a net savings of $175.41 after deducting the cost of the monthly service from the Kindle price of the books. Therefore, it is worth it for me! I agree with the original linked article that I am more aware of publishers now. The selection is amazing on Oyster. I have enough books wish-listed to last for years. I love the way the app is setup for recommendations and similar books that it increases discoverability of other books that you can add to your reading lists. Your reading lists are like collections so you can easily keep track of books to be read. If you like to re-read, then it's no big deal. You just borrow it again from your finished list. There is no guarantee that it will still be available. So far only one book that I have read was removed from the service. They gave me a warning that it would be expiring before-hand. Everything else is still there.

01-13-2015, 03:21 PM	#37
jehane Book addict Posts: 441 Karma: 2650464 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Antarctica/Australia/Ohio Device: Sony PRS-300/T1/Asus TF101	I will be interested to see whether the subscription services survive in the next few years, but I have serious doubts over its economical viability. The model works for movie/tv streaming but their customer base is orders of magnitude bigger. Largely because more people watch movies and tv than read a lot but also because the time required to complete a book is so much longer than watching a movie. Let's say a person has 50 hours of free time per month (just a number for demonstration, ppl!) and they spend all of that reading, and they are a fast reader, then they might read 5* books a month. But they could watch about 50 tv episodes or 25 movies in that time. So when they look at the value proposition many might feel that $7.99/month is a good deal for video streaming but not so much for books. And let's face it, how many people (outside of MR members) would read even 2 books per month? This is not to say that there won't be some people that will get value out of it - people who read a lot, have a good amount of leisure time and don't watch a lot of video (or don't have access to decent internet speeds), but whether there are sufficient such customers for the survival of the business is another matter. Of course a lot will also depend on the cost side, of which I know nothing, but I do feel that the revenue side is where they're going to make or break it. * Back in the day I used to read books in a single session so I have a reasonable idea of how long it takes _me_ to finish a book. A lot of these were fantasies (Eddings, etc) so, as always, YMMV.

01-13-2015, 03:54 PM	#38
jehane Book addict Posts: 441 Karma: 2650464 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Antarctica/Australia/Ohio Device: Sony PRS-300/T1/Asus TF101	Having said that, I will likely be moving back to Australia later this year so a subscription service is something I would seriously look into once I lose access to the Overdrive libraries here. Australian libraries have miniscule collections by comparison. Unfortunately many midlist genre books are simply not available in ebook format in Australia. Is anyone outside of North America using these services? Anyone know whether geo-restrictions apply? Not a dealbreaker if I can get around it with a VPN, but it adds another layer of cost. I couldn't see any information on international access on the Oyster page and what I could find on Scribd suggests that geo-restrictions will be in place. Also, it looks like the only e-ink option is Kindle, no epub or Sony readable options? That's another significant negative for me. If anyone from one of the subscription services is reading this, my ideal service would be one that pretty much works like Overdrive. Easy to borrow books and I like the reading interface. I use the Overdrive app to read on my phone when commuting and have used it on my tablet as well.

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