No more new models

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Yes, having an eBook Store is a worry too. You have to attract new business all the time. BUT... our devices have NOT been a draw to our store. I wish they were.

Until very recently, there wasn't a link to the store from the device website.

We are changing our eBook Store 101%. It will still have the lowest prices (and it already does have this)... but we are redesigning with an interactive forum, a wish list, PayPal, Agency Model eBooks, tons of Independent Author eBooks, reviews, interviews with authors chit-chat, and a lot more. Then in about two months or so comes a blockbuster add-on to it.

I just wish I could get to it from work; it's blocked. Most ebook stores aren't; I can shop at Fictionwise & Smashwords. (And, if I cared to, deisel, eharlequin & BoB, but I don't deal with DRM.) I don't know why it's blocked from work; must be something in the keywords or metadata that work's filters don't like. (Or didn't like, and they haven't reset them. I'm kinda afraid to ask why any particular site is blocked at work.)

What it needs--what *any* ebook store needs--is good sorting abilities. Amazon does well because it offers terrific *browsing*--"people who bought this book also bought [A] [B] [C]"--which means you've got easy links to books of similar appeal.

Browsing by author in an ebook store is useless; the selection is just too big. Can't comfortably put more than 30-50 books on a page, unlike a physical shelf where people can browse 400 books at once. The all-the-same-size thumbnail covers are another problem, especially the generic auto-generated ones. (Tell your ebook store people to see about creating less generic covers--color code them by genre, maybe, and use a handful of different fonts. Club down anyone in marketing who says that you don't want to "waste" time creating stuff for free ebooks. If you want them to be downloaded, you want them to look interesting.)

Offer the ability to sort by any-and-all of genre, book length, price, format, reader review stars, number of downloads, & number of purchases, and you're off to a good start. Offer a low-frills browsing option: no popups, no java mouseover, just thumbnail of cover, title, author & price, with a link to the book itself, 4-5 across and 7-10 down, for zipping through dozens of pages quickly, for those who want to get a sense of the whole collection, or "all the romance novels," or whatever.

I browse Fictionwise; their interface is easy & their sorting options work. I don't browse allromaceebooks, although I've bought from them on recommendations; their sorting is atrocious, and purchases bump you back to the beginning of the list. I poke at smashwords but I consider it timewasting; the interface is pleasant enough but the sorting options are atrocious.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Robert, right now I have 23 agy 5 books that I want to buy. They are:

Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles

1 Interview with the Vampire (1976)
2 The Vampire Lestat (1985)
3 The Queen of the Damned (1988)
4 The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
5 Memnoch the Devil (1995)
6 The Vampire Armand (1998)
7 Merrick (2000)
8 Blood and Gold (2001)
9 Blackwood Farm (2002)
10 Blood Canticle (2003)

Carol Higgins Clark Regan Reilly Series

1. DECKED
2. SNAGGED
3. ICED
4. TWANGED
5. FLEECED
6. JINXED
7. POPPED
8. BURNED
9. HITCHED
10. LACED
11. ZAPPED
12. CURSED
13. WRECKED

I know that Carol's aren't there, & only 4 of Anne's are. I like buying in bulk, if all of these books come to your new store at reasonable prices, I PROMISE I will buy all of them from EZReads!

Dear Cathy:

Thank you. We will try to track these down!!

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by sagars24

With the current situation in the ebook market, I would be really surprised if Astak came out with a new model. I think the best best for Astak would be clear out their existing stock before the Kindle 3 goes on sale.

100% agree. Customers don't need ebook readers for $200 any more when Kindle available for $139 and Nook for $149...

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Kris777

100% agree. Customers don't need ebook readers for $200 any more when Kindle available for $139 and Nook for $149...

Neither Kindle nor Nook reads html & rtf files; neither of them reads both ePub and mobi. Neither offers a device small enough to be comfortable & safe to fit into a large pocket or small purse and use with one hand. Neither supports folders. Both have wi-fi that drains batteries, and allow another company access to your reading material.

The EZReaders aren't perfect, but they do offer a number of features that aren't available from Amazon or BN. Some of those features are important enough to some readers that they'll pay extra for them. Kindle & Nook come with access to bookstores, and some other features--but that's not important for some readers.

I don't care about wifi; I do care about .rtf support. I don't care about note-taking; I do care about fits-in-pocket.

I don't think my prefs are the only important one, but I don't want the market to move towards only one or two ebook devices packed with features I don't care about while ignoring the features I do.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Neither Kindle nor Nook reads html & rtf files; neither of them reads both ePub and mobi. Neither offers a device small enough to be comfortable & safe to fit into a large pocket or small purse and use with one hand. Neither supports folders. Both have wi-fi that drains batteries, and allow another company access to your reading material.

The EZReaders aren't perfect, but they do offer a number of features that aren't available from Amazon or BN. Some of those features are important enough to some readers that they'll pay extra for them. Kindle & Nook come with access to bookstores, and some other features--but that's not important for some readers.

I don't care about wifi; I do care about .rtf support. I don't care about note-taking; I do care about fits-in-pocket.

I don't think my prefs are the only important one, but I don't want the market to move towards only one or two ebook devices packed with features I don't care about while ignoring the features I do.

Well, you may like the compact civic more than BMW but price for civic must be cheaper. If it costs more expensive nobody (or almost nobody) will buy it.
Foxit and iRex are good examples.

[basschick]

on the other hand, the extra height of both the kindle from the keyboard and the nook from the lower screen make reading less fun for me. i'll definitely pay more to avoid anything extra under the screen and control area.

Originally Posted by Kris777

100% agree. Customers don't need ebook readers for $200 any more when Kindle available for $139 and Nook for $149...

[John F]

Originally Posted by basschick

on the other hand, the extra height of both the kindle from the keyboard and the nook from the lower screen make reading less fun for me. i'll definitely pay more to avoid anything extra under the screen and control area.

True, but the Kindle 3's overall size really isn't that much bigger, and it's even a little thinner.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Robertb

We are changing our eBook Store 101%. It will still have the lowest prices (and it already does have this)...

Sorry, Robert, but I really have to respectfully disagree with you.

I've just looked at a couple of random examples of your store prices compared with the Kindle Store:

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". Your price: $18.99. Amazon price: $4.17.

"The Lost Symbol". Your price: $19.99. Amazon price: $5.30

They seem quite outrageously expensive at your store. I really don't see how you can in truth claim to have "the lowest prices".

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Yes, having an eBook Store is a worry too. You have to attract new business all the time. BUT... our devices have NOT been a draw to our store. I wish they were. I have pleaded with people to support us with this store... and it goes unheard. A few have been wonderful. But, even with the lower price you need a lot more.

Just an idea to throw at the PM. Why not consider the idea of including a $20 voucher for the ebook store with every EZReader purchased (or a token amount)? Sure you may cop a little loss on the voucher but you'd only need those people to buy 1 book after spending their $20 and you're in front, and it gives additional awareness to the customer about the ebook store.

Looking at human nature, if you give someone a $20 ebook voucher they will head over to claim their monies worth, and if they like the place they will continue to be a customer. It will also show them first hand the ease of buying an ebook from you. Mention to people that there is an ebook store and "I'll have a look at it at some point" would be a common response. Price is not the only deciding factor for people to buy a product/service.

[pdurrant]

[QUOTE=Solicitous;1039224I have said before and said again, money is no longer to be made on devices, content is the only real profit generating stream.[/QUOTE]

Except for Apple, where the iTunes Music store and now the iBooks store seem to be there mainly to sell more iPods and iPads.

[Logseman]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Except for Apple, where the iTunes Music store and now the iBooks store seem to be there mainly to sell more iPods and iPads.

Apple sells hardware with a brand mark-up, unlike other companies.

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by Kris777

Well, you may like the compact civic more than BMW but price for civic must be cheaper. If it costs more expensive nobody (or almost nobody) will buy it.
Foxit and iRex are good examples.

Actually, Foxit has a lower consumer base not because of it's price, but rather its lack of features and lackluster firmware updates (if they even keep it up to date). At its current and past price points, alternatives were far better in comparison.

As for iRex, everyone has known from the get-go, that their products are aimed at corporate business people with lots of disposable income to flaunder on expensive toys which they themselves barely understand let alone know how to fully make use of.

In other words, I think they were poor real world examples of your Civic vs. BMW analogy.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

Actually, Foxit has a lower consumer base not because of it's price, but rather its lack of features and lackluster firmware updates (if they even keep it up to date). At its current and past price points, alternatives were far better in comparison.

As for iRex, everyone has known from the get-go, that their products are aimed at corporate business people with lots of disposable income to flaunder on expensive toys which they themselves barely understand let alone know how to fully make use of.

In other words, I think they were poor real world examples of your Civic vs. BMW analogy.

Foxit and iRex are examples of companies that don't produce ebook readers anymore. You can buy ASTAK for $99 now that is a real price for this model if compare it with new Kindle and Nook.

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by Kris777

Foxit and iRex are examples of companies that don't produce ebook readers anymore. You can buy ASTAK for $99 now that is a real price for this model if compare it with new Kindle and Nook.

I can't find anything through Google that says iRex is not producing their ebook readers anymore. As for Foxit, that I did find even though their store is still selling the reader.

[Logseman]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

I can't find anything through Google that says iRex is not producing their ebook readers anymore. As for Foxit, that I did find even though their store is still selling the reader.

In fact, iRex did file for bankruptcy, but their debts have been liquidated and now they operate as IRX, selling only in a B2B chain. One member showed us DR800 models rebadged and used for storing flight maps.