What has happened to books at eReader?

[EABonney]

Ok so I have been an avid user of the eReader website for over eight years. Way back to when it was palm Reader. I have well over 100 books purchased here and I had close to 100 in my wish list. So then a couple of months ago I went to buy some books from my wish list and I noticed that the size of my list had fallen to only 17 books! At first I thought it was a mistake and that I needed to add all my books back. That was when I realized that the issue was bigger. Most of the mainstream authors that I had been reading or wanting to read where no longer available on the site. So I emailed support to see what was going on and I was told that there had been some changes in the publishing industry and they where in negotiations with publishers to offer the books again. So I waited a month or so and fired off another email, only to get the same response back.

So then this week I find the Kindle software for Android and I reviewed their catalogue and they have all the books I aS looking for. I tried one last time at eReader and they still are not offering most of the authors I want.

I decided to check out something else. I looked at Barnes and Nobles site for their ebooks that are available for their Nook. Funny how all the authors I am looking for are available for their proprietary reader, but not for their free eReader software. To me, the "uneducated" consumer, it would appear that B&N are attempting to push to consumers to their Nook by limiting book titles in their eReader software. Sadly because really didn't mind that form of DRM and now it appears I am moving towards the Kindle software.

I did notice that Borders also opened up an ebook site along with an Android reader as well. I may need to review this option also.

So does anyone here know what has happened over at eReader? Is it truly publishers not allowing them to sell certain titles all of a sudden or more of the parent company attempting to push sales of their Nook device?

-Eric

[sabredog]

You can pretty much blame the publishers. The so called "Agency 5" withdrew many ebooks from most ebook sellers as they reviewed prices, geo restriction options etc and then re-negotiated agreements with those said same stores.

I lost 70% of my purchased books at Diesel due to the new changes making those books purchased geo restricted.

This all came about because of Apple's new iBooks store and the publishers love-hate relationship with Amazon ebook pricing structure.

[DJHARKAVY]

Ereader is owned by Fictionwise, which is owned by Barnes and Noble.

Fictionwise could not, or would not make a deal with the Agencies. Therefore the availability of many of their secure books went down the toilet.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by EABonney

....
So then this week I find the Kindle software for Android and I reviewed their catalogue and they have all the books I aS looking for. I tried one last time at eReader and they still are not offering most of the authors I want.

I decided to check out something else. I looked at Barnes and Nobles site for their ebooks that are available for their Nook. Funny how all the authors I am looking for are available for their proprietary reader, but not for their free eReader software. To me, the "uneducated" consumer, it would appear that B&N are attempting to push to consumers to their Nook by limiting book titles in their eReader software. Sadly because really didn't mind that form of DRM and now it appears I am moving towards the Kindle software....
-Eric

Personally, I don't like B&N marketing style, they say a lot of half truths and what not. But this time I really think this is a technical issue and not a "evil genius" marketing.

The B&N reader is just really the eReader app rebranned with the label. Since the original app only supported eReader format B&N reader only supports eReader format.

When they made the move from eReader to ePUB, they also announced the nook and staid that currently only the nook supports ePUB, but other devices would get support. They have never announced a timeline as to when this would happen.

My feeling is they are not getting these books in eReader format.

=X-

[ATimson]

Originally Posted by =X=

My feeling is they are not getting these books in eReader format.

If that were the case, then a) Fictionwise would be selling them in ePub; and b) they wouldn't be available in eReader for iPhone/Mac, which only support the eReader format at present. (Maybe they've updated the desktop reader for Mac to use ePub, but last I checked only Windows was so blessed.)

It's not a technical issue.

[GeoffC]

Eric

Welcome to mobileread .... and the wonderful world of readersVpublishersVoutlets - all you need to experience now is geographic restriction .....

[EABonney]

Thanks all for the responses. why is it to much to ask for the industry to adopt a single format for ebooks and then let the devices compete based on features? I know that is a pope dream but man, this is just terrible. It is no wonder that ebooks have not really taken off after all these years! You would think that publishers would learn from the mistakes of the music and video industries. I am not against paying decent prices for ebooks, but I sure would like to know for sure that my ebooks are going to be usable in the future.

So all of this has something to do with Apple? I know they are huge and all but really do they have that much pull to have created such a mess in thus industry?

Like I said, most of what I am currently reading is available from Amazon so I guess it is just a change in reader software for me. I still have all of my old eReader books on my device and can still read them as they DRM is still usable, I just can't download them again nor can I buy any good new books from them.

Just stupid, but oh well.

-Eric

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by EABonney

So all of this has something to do with Apple? I know they are huge and all but really do they have that much pull to have created such a mess in thus industry?

Pretty much, yeah. They gave the big publishers leverage against Amazon, leading to agency pricing.