Where do you buy ebooks from, and why?

[ATDrake]

By both volume and $$ amount spent, it goes:

1. Fictionwise's DRM-free MultiFormat selections (surprising amount of good backlist sf/fantasy/mystery still popping up)
2. Baen's DRM-free author reprint/other publisher bundles (not really a monthly Webscription buyer because I actually don't care for most of Baen's own currently published offerings)
3. Kobo for DRM-ed "mainstream" books when they have the good discount coupons
4. Direct from author/publisher when they're DRM-free and doing the special offers (this is probably actually tied with Kobo, since I haven't really gotten much from Kobo for quite some time while I've been buying more publisher-direct stuff)
5. Occasionally Smashwords when there's a backlist title and the author is also offering the discount coupons
6. Misc other DRM-ed stores with the special offers

I really only buy* e-books if they're exceptional in some way (exceptionally enjoyable writing, exceptionally low price w/exceptionally promising blurb, etc.).

Otherwise, there's the library, and I still spend most of my money on paper books (but for artbooks and foreign language stuff, and fiction comparatively rarely and usually only from my favourite authors/when the used bookshop or library sale is offering "new" stuff that I can try on the cheap).

* For the record, I've spent enough on e-books in this past year alone to re-purchase my e-reader at least twice over.

[graycyn]

I usually buy wherever I can get the best deal.

That could be almost anywhere, I've bought from authors, backlist websites, Barnes & Noble, Fictionwise, Kobobooks, Sony (Love those 50% off coupons!) and occasionally, even Amazon, though only if I can't find the title anywhere else, or the price is way better, since I prefer not to have to convert.

[monkeyluis]

Amazon & smash words. I don't care about drm because kindle isnt going away anytime soon. & if I wanted to I know how to strip the drm.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I buy from Smashwords, Fictionwise (multiformat only), Baen, DriveThruRPG, and a handful of other independent publishers. I don't do DRM, and I won't install special software to buy ebooks to read on my device.

That said, people buy at Amazon because (aside from "because they have a Kindle" and "inertia"):
1) Widest selection.

2) Recommendations; plenty of "people who liked X also bought Y"

3) Easy interface: book listings aren't stuck in a narrow column in the middle of the page, and info about this book is above the "people also bought" part. (BN seems to think if you're looking at a book, you already know about it; reviews & data are an afterthought below the big BUY IT NOW button & the "ALSO YOU WOULD MAYBE LIKE" collection.)

4) Decent return policy. BN, early in their ebooking days, refused to accept returns *when they'd sent the wrong ebook.* As in, the filename was correct but the contents were a different book entirely.

5) Easy bestseller lists. See what's popular in the genre or subgenre; pick up something interesting-looking for a few bucks.

There's probably a few more reasons, but those are a start.

That is all part of the reason I choose a Kindle over Sony when I got my first e-reader. Amazon has a larger selection, an easy interface, wireless downloading of the book, and a good return policy.

[Quexos]

Sony Store
Barnes and Nobles
Amazon
Waterstones

... Or rather I wish I could buy books from those places. But I can't cause when I try it says "Due to regional restrictions, you cannot purchase our books in your territory.

I should thank them if I consider all the money I've saved because of that.

[6charlong]

I usually use my computer browser to find the books I buy, so a bookstore's Internet site is important. Second, since I've decided to refuse to strip DRM I also have to factor in the reading experience, for example, which reader is most pleasant to use. At the moment, I like the Nook Touch best of the book readers I have so I look for ePub books first. Factoring all this in I end up shopping first at Barnes and Noble, then Kobo, Books on Board, eBooks.com and Amazon.

I quit using the Sony store because they won't sell through a browser. You have to use their application to buy anything which complicates counting the number of ADE sockets I'm allowed--refusing to strip DRM makes buying books difficult enough that I doubt the decision makers in this industry have any experience actually using eBooks on anything except the latest model their own company sells. Unless I'm careful (and lucky) I will reach the point someday when I have no choice except to strip DRM in order to read a new book. That's one of the reasons I buy books at B&N, in hopes the different DRM scheme they invented uses a new set of sockets.

It's not true that Amazon's books are always cheaper. It is true that Amazon is more likely to have obscure books although Kobo is good too and I have sometimes found books I wanted at B&N that no other seller had. B&N's selection of children's books in particular is better than the rest although I don't read many children's books. And naturally all of this changes from year to year. I think the trend is to get better.

After using the B&N store for awhile I discovered it's just as easy to use as Amazon, but you have to commit the time to learn its oddities. I don't use Smashwords because it's interface baffled me when I first tried to use it and I've never tried to go back. For one thing, it's filled with the work of authors I don't know. I'd like to discover new, indie authors but I haven't found a reliable way to do that. The user forums at both B&N and Amazon have given me some good tips to indie authors.

I've tried to use Goodreads to find new authors but I thought it was too fragmented and I could never find anyone with my same interests and taste in reading. In the end, the old-line professional publishing houses have an inside advantage on marketing. They know what people will pay for and how to reach the buyers.

I apologize for going on a rant.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

It's not true that Amazon's books are always cheaper.

Who suggested it was true... always?

[Angst]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I buy Agency books--which are most of my purchases--from BN because I use a BN credit card that gives me a 5 percent rebate; also, until recently, going through Ebates gave me an additional discount.<snip>

Thank you.

I think you found the only way to get a discount on agency authors, even if it is only 5%.

[ekster]

Either smashworlds or kobo
Smashworlds because I like what they're doing for indie authors and kobo because I usually get the best price from them when using promo codes and I have a Kobo.

[pidgeon92]

I buy the vast majority of my ebooks from Amazon.

Last year that wasn't quite true. I bought a lot from Fictionwise, with their fabulous BuyWise program. Once the agency model took over early this year, that was dead. It killed all the coupons on the other sites that I used to purchase from as well, like Kobo. I will still pick up an occasional book from girleboooks or Smashwords.

That said, a very large portion of my current reading comes from borrowing ebooks from the public library. They're adding dozens of books weekly, and I can always find a handful that interest me.

[ucfgrad93]

Since I have a Kindle I buy my ebooks from Amazon.

[ScalyFreak]

I buy from Sony, from Smashwords, from MLR Books or AllRomance, and whenever possible I buy straight from the author.

Am I the only one in this thread who doesn't mind paying a bit more for a book if it doesn't have DRM?

[birdbrainbb]

I mainly buy from Amazon, because I have a Kindle and I get free Amazon gift cards through Swagbucks (so I basically don't have to spend money to get books!). Sometimes I buy books from Webscription, too, although that's rare (no gift cards). I've also just got a load of iTunes gift cards, so I may start buying some books from iBookstore as well.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

Am I the only one in this thread who doesn't mind paying a bit more for a book if it doesn't have DRM?

If we are talking about buying from Smashwords or other place, taking DRM into account, no, you're not the only one.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

My answer: the cheapest place, aside of the format.

Format and DRM doesn't matter to me, because no book reaches my ereader without I've modified it according to my preferences.

I shop for the cheapest price. I buy most of my books from Fictionwise, Smashwords and Amazon. Other places are Books on Board, Kobo and rarely Sony when the coupon comes along.

I never pay more then $8 for a ebook. It's a rule. I seldom ever pay regular price for a book. I wait for sales or coupons. The Agency books I buy are seldom and usually from Amazon, Kobo or Books on Board. I get most of my Agency books from my Library so that helps me save some money.