Angie

A version of the book was released in error and purchased by a number of Kindle users. When the error was discovered, the texts were deleted from the Kindles of purchasers -without their permission or knowledge-, unless they happen to be accessing the text at the time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html

This is bad enough, but it points to more dramatic issues regarding text on Kindles. It wouldn’t take a science fiction author to come up with thoughts of history texts being revised without a Kindle owner’s knowledge. And if Kindles and their ilk truly become pervasive, there will be few moldering older editions in attics maintaining a link with the past.

Ebooks are, simply, dangerous in their current state.

-Rick

I’ve written to the publishers myself about it, and have a personal policy of refusing to buy from the publishers that price their ebooks above the price of the paperback. (I won’t even buy the book used unless I just really, really want it.)

I’m always left wondering why the publishers do it. Can they really think it’s a viable strategy? Is there something I’m missing here?

I love research. I just bought half a dozen new books, and I’m reading them voraciously, which of course, is always the problem with writing the historical romance. But if the author doesn’t love doing the research, getting their characters into the mindset of the time, perhaps she’d be happier writing something else.

@Eva_baby:
Just – thank you. That giveaway has really helped sales of all my historical novels. But having people tell you they enjoyed it? Priceless.

Fellow ebook romance readers…I am making a plea for us to stand in solidarity against the price gouging of Macmillan. According to this article I link below, romance readers continue to be a dominant force for publishing. And according to another blog on this site, publishers are concerned about business? Then why insult the readers by attempting to charge double? Are we consumers really buying these ebooks at the higher rate? I hope not. We should be boycotting and send mass emails to publishers like Macmillan…and I’m spreading the word. I’m concerned that it will be a trend that will be supported by other publishers. I got my reader because I read a lot and it’s incredibly convenient for me. Now, I’m being punished for not killing trees and wanting to carry 20 books around with me wherever I go. Since I’ve purchased my reader I actually buy more books and the thanks I get…the insult that they expect me to pay almost double.

Only WE CONSUMERS can fight this and we have to make our voices heard in mass.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/books/08roma.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=books

I found just changing your country on your personal settings works even if you then go on to pay by paypal (with a UK registered card!)

That used to work for me at the beginning (I’m German) and then it no longer did. But I still get a lot of books anyway, it seems only some of the major publishers enforce this. And of course the epublishers don’t mind if I buy their books in English.

If the price of the Sony reader were lower your post would have convinced me to pick one up. I read my ebooks on my different PDAs over the years. I live in Canada so we don’t get Kindle and I can’t order ebooks from BN, but I have made ARe and Fictionwise my best friend over the years.

Does this mean I no longer read print books? No, if you saw my to be read piles you would understand. However if I can save money by purchasing the ebook then I do, but if the print and ebook are the same price I usually walk away. I believe there should be a difference.

True, I had been waiting on tenterhooks for the Sony Reader to be released in the UK and I think it’s been about a year now. I love it. John jokes that I can’t be more than ten feet away from it :) I’ve had over 200 books on there at one time, and there was still lots of memory left. So far I haven’t needed an extra storage card.

I still read paper books, but I will look for ebooks first and if it’s not an ebook then it will take me longer to decide whether or not to buy a paper one. Rapidly running out of bookcase room at the moment.

take care,
Annette

OMG, this is so true. I have probably purchased the equivalent of 2-3 ebook readers alone over the last decade as I have given away then replaced books as I moved long distances for school, work then marriage. I’m currently down to about 1000+ fiction books doublestacked on 4-5 bookcases in addition to the even greater quantity I’ve purchased for the ebook reader. Currently I’m probably replacing 1 paper Keeper with the ebook version in between every 25-50 new ebook purchases (Gotta love the instant gratification of finding a new author and being able to buy most or all of their backlist as soon as you finish the first book).

The sad part is that my conversion of fiction keepers from paper to ebook will be cheap compared to what my husband will potentially spend to replace his 10+ bookshelves of nonfiction reference books or my 2+ bookshelves of reference books – many of mine are already ebook. Fortunately we have a little time to save up money as the main publisher of his references isn’t going to start adding ebook versions until sometime next year. I keep telling myself that converting and buying ebooks is cheaper than paying the moving charges on 100s of heavy boxes of books.

Sorry for the long winded comments – the typing equivalent of babbling as work today wore me out. Going to go read instead.

I read on a pda, purchased quite reasonably from ebay. It has an sd card so can hold my entire ebook collection. I actually have 2 cards, one is for back up. My house is small and all the bookshelves are filled, so this storage solution helps with clutter.

I love the pda, it has a backlight and an autoscroll function so I can prop it up against a pillow in bed and read while keeping warm during the Wyoming winter. I pop it in a ziplock and read in the bathtub all the time–that is one of my favorite stress relievers!

If I’m broke, there’s Gutenberg and Baen free library, plus different ebook publishers do frequent give aways. I’m planning on getting to know the digital libraries, too.

I’m studying for an exam and was delighted to find the study guide in pdf!

I do work on a computer all day, plus I write on computer so I’m familiar with eye strain. My pda does not strain my eyes like the computer and with the changeable contrast, color and text size I can get a comfortable screen in different light.

Prior to the impulse that led me to buy my Kindle I would have been talking about how I enjoy hard copy books, liked to read in the bath, don’t like to read on a screen, etc. Now I am a total convert due to combination of convenience and ease of use.

I bought a gift card via PayPal and then in a separate transaction I went back and bought the book I wanted. (A stroke of genius I thought!) (If you are from Books on Board, delete this post from your memory banks – This. Never. Happened. – *Jedi mind trick*)

I feel no guilt for doing this. I could (albeit for more money and taking a great deal more time) have ordered the same book in paper format quite legitimately and had it imported. I wanted it electronically. The author still gets her money and the publisher gets their cut – I think it is a much better option than pirating the book (which I also could have done).

I would like it if the digital rights could be worldwide so I don’t have to go to such lengths, but I don’t feel I’m doing anything wrong in trying to actually pay for a book I want to buy.

I don’t really consider myself an early adapter for most types of technology. (Which is odd since I work in IT and most of my colleagues are early adapters.) My computer, cell phone, and digital camera are pretty middle of the road, no bells & whistles. My newest TV is 7 years old, and I hardly ever use my DVD player (which I got dirt cheap at Walmart). I think because I don’t splurge on other things, technology-wise, I allowed myself to splurge on the Sony reader. It’s the exception rather than the rule.

Regarding the ebooks, I do consider that I own those. I bought them, downloaded them, and keep copies on my computer (and backups too!). So I do consider them mine. The only thing Fictionwise, Books on Board, etc., could do is take away my access to re-download the books. They can’t delete the files from my computer, my reader, or my backup files. And I buy mostly PDF or ePUB files, so the format will be portable. But even if those formats become obsolete, I figure as long as I have copies of the files, I’ll find some way to get access to my books. I guess that’s my IT background kicking in ;-)

@Lynne – omg, you have an Asus MyPal? I have one too, on permanent sleep since I got an iPhone. I was wondering what I could do with the Asus because it was a good friend for years.

Well the MyPal has a great screen – 480 by 620 I think, so the resolution is high and it’s lovely as an ebook reader. That way, I’m not overburdening my phone’s battery, and the screen’s bigger, too.

I can see that changing in the near future, if Asus come up with their new reader, or I decide I want the new Sony Pocket reader.

@Statch:

“I love your books! I’ve just bought all the Richard and Rose series, and the Secrets series, and I would never have found you if it weren’t for ebooks.”

OMG thank you! It’s strange, just as I start to write a new historical romance (Corin’s story) than I get lots of people writing to me and saying they like the books! It’s absolutely the best encouragement in the world.

@dark:

“not everyone has enough disposable income to be buying ebook readers. “

I bought my PDA’s on ebay at a very good price. Now smart phones are all the rage everyone is selling their PDA. I also have an ebookwise, which I love, and that was under $100. I’ve saved that on bookcases and shelf space.

@Angie:

“I have to ask — what the heck are electronically published authors signing at those conventions??”

Cover flats, and postcards. I do a set of postcards for each series, and my publisher provides cover flats for me to sign, and I have bookmarks, too, with the book details on them. All the publishers have a stand at the end of the hall, where you can, if you wish, buy the book there and then and upload it to your device. Mind you, at the last Romantic Times, one of my publishers, Samhain, gave away cloth totes, and we were signing those, which I thought was a lovely touch.