Which of the following major eBook distributor do you purchase from, and why?

[nikkie]

Originally Posted by ficbot

B&N uses a different DRM scheme so I don't buy from them. I only buy books I can, um, liberate

B&N's books are liberate-able...by a script from the same guy. It's actually an easier DRM scheme, believe it or not.

[Iain]

So far I've bought from the iBooks store (not in list) and Amazon (but I don't have a kindle device - just the app).

I've also downloaded from public domain sites and Baen. My order is a) which is most convenient b) they have the book (in short I will look on the iBooks or kindle store first and then try searching elsewhere).

Iain

[GreenMonkey]

I have bought two books from Amazon - for school - for my Nook (had Amazon GCs). One of them was a Topaz book which I returned and bought from B&N instead because format shifting it to EPUB is a PITA.

I don't buy DRMed books. I take freebies from Amazon, B&N or wherever else. Also I don't have any moral compunctions about using less legitimate means to format shift my paperbacks and hardcovers to my ereader.

I still buy hardcovers otherwise over a DRMed ebook.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by nikkie

Folks with Apple devices are generally free to select which store they purchase content from. What stores do you prefer, and why?

I personally prefer to buy from B&N or Kobo because they support ePub, but will occasionally buy from Amazon if they have a book I need. I also purchase technical books from O'Reilly fairly often.

I switch back and forth between B&N and Kobo because B&N is occasionally cheaper, but I like what Kobo is doing and want to support their style of development.

Ditto ditto. I follow the same buying pattern for the same reasons. I support Kobo because they support ePub. But I also like the option of buying from Amazon, as they have a wider selection.

I have a Sony reader - however, i no longer buy from the sony store, because my books are trapped on their device. I'll go back, if and only when Sony has an app that let's me read on my iPad and other devices.

[voodooblues]

I typically buy from BN, Ibook. I will go to Amazon if i can not find it anywhere else. I have moved my Sony books to my iPad and read them with the txtr app. It is not pretty but it works good enough. I also love GoodReader for PDFs which i have alot of for work.

[mish]

Smashwords and Fictionwise (multiformat only) are my favorites right now for buying. I occasionally get ebooks from Kobo, Amazon or Sony but usually just the freebies except for a rare purchase here and there. I don't even bother with the freebies at B&N now because of the ridiculous "enter credit card number to unlock" DRM infection. Too many books available elsewhere to deal with that or to jump through hoops to de-DRM it.

I also like that Smashwords and Fictionwise give you the word counts (at least for the multiformats on FW). Most of the other stores give you absolutely no clue what length book you are buying.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I buy from (in no order) Fictionwise, Books on Board, Baen, The Book Depository, Waterstones and others, including small/indie publishers and direct from authors. I thought I'd bought from Kobo, but now I'm not sure

I don't buy from Amazon or B&N

[JeremyZ]

I buy from Amazon mostly, because:

• It is very convenient
• There is a lot of content, and I can usually find what I'm looking for there, and,
• Their customer service is very good,
• Their user reviews are usually numerous and helpful,
• When I buy from Amazon, I don't have to store the books on my devices. I can read them, remove them from the device, and Amazon knows I own the book and I can download it again later on the off chance I want to read it again.

I'm aware of other sources, and I downloaded a few books from them, but they are a lot less convenient for me.

It was really handy that I bought from Amazon when I started reading a book on my Kindle, and when I got an iPod Touch, I could download it again after only needing to download the free Kindle app.

[Elfwreck]

Smashwords, Baen, & Fictionwise, although I don't expect to buy any substantial amount from FW in the future because they've gotten incredibly unreliable. I may still pick up the occasional backlist short story, but not novels.

I don't buy DRM, and I'm not willing to wade through Amazon's listings trying to find non-DRM'd books I'd have to convert before reading anyway.

[tdmsu]

I usually buy from Amazon because I migrated from a kindle to an iPad. I have used other sources, both free and paid, such as smashwords, baen, and various calibre resources. Amazon is easier.

I tried to buy a free trial magazine from b&n to use on my nook app, but they charged me up front, instead of charging after 14 days, as they stated they would. I returned the magazine for a refund as soon as I found out.

[ficbot]

I have to admit, I am surprised at how many people are buying from iBooks. Since you can only read it on the iPad, and they don't have the best selection, I never even contemplated buying from them. Kobo books I can read on the iPad too---but also on the Kindle, Sony, iPod Touch, Libre etc. It just seems like even if you prefer to read on the iPad, there are better options so I am surprised to see this many people going for iBooks.

[Rob_E]

Originally Posted by nikkie

I'm actually pleasantly surprised to see how many people are buying books from Kobo, and just plain surprised to see how many aren't buying from B&N.

When looking just at the reader functionality, comparing the Nook to the Kindle, I preferred the Nook, but once other issues were factored in:

• Amazon still has a bigger selection, I think
• Kindle books can be read on more devices
• Whispersync and on-line storage of books

Ultimately, while Nook will add/has added more of these features, they're still playing catch up with Amazon in terms of the marketplace. I don't like buying books that are DRM-locked to one provider, but if I'm going to, it might as well be the provider with the most content and who is most likely to stay in the ebook game. I already don't like the fact that I have remember whether a given book is in iBooks or Kindle before start to read it, so I'm not likely to add yet another book silo to my iPad. If B&N sold their books in a format that I could read in iBooks, then they might tempt me away from Amazon. Until then, I might as well go where most of the books are.

[mgmueller]

Mainly Amazon, still the best selection and prices in my opinion.
Sometimes B&N as well.
I try to purchase from sources, whose readers I've got as well.
Love the sync-feature from Kindles to iPad, iPhone, Dell Streak and others. Very often I even have to decide, which units to register for the moment, as lots of books are limited to 4 units.

[Stngray]

B&N and amazon non topaz. Easy to strip drm so I can read in iBooks or on my nook.

[sunnysmiles]

I have bought from Amazon, Smash words so easy to deal with and by far the cheapest. Have bought from WH Smith not easy having to use adobe digital and to download books too much of a head ache.