[BlaasForRafa]

Originally Posted by nesf

I've moved almost completely to buying books in Kindle format. Cheap, instant delivery and can carry my selection of books everywhere with me.

That and 7 overflowing bookshelves at home between the wife and myself is good enough reason to try and buy ebooks whenever possible.

7? is that all?

I couldn't be bothered with e-books, I prefer to actually have the physical sensation of holding a book and reading it. Plus when you own a real book you can loan it or give it to a charity shop or whatever whereas with Kindle it seems to be more of a lease from Amazon, I recall reading the terms and conditions of a kindle ebook sale a couple of years ago and I thought "f**k that" as it seemed like they claimed a quasi-ownership of any ebook they sold you.

I was actually in the local book centre yesterday for something else and ended up browsing the sci-fi/fantasy section. I ended up buying Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber who I've heard some good things about. The book cost €11.70 (UK £8.99) which seems to be the standard amount for large paperbacks. I checked on amazon.co.uk last night and it was £5.03 which equates to €5.72 so I know where I'll be buying books 2, 3 and 4 if I like the first one. As everyone says, even though I like to support the local place, they just can't compete on price.

[Macca3000]

Originally Posted by BlaasForRafa

7? is that all?

I couldn't be bothered with e-books, I prefer to actually have the physical sensation of holding a book and reading it. Plus when you own a real book you can loan it or give it to a charity shop or whatever whereas with Kindle it seems to be more of a lease from Amazon, I recall reading the terms and conditions of a kindle ebook sale a couple of years ago and I thought "f**k that" as it seemed like they claimed a quasi-ownership of any ebook they sold you.

I was actually in the local book centre yesterday for something else and ended up browsing the sci-fi/fantasy section. I ended up buying Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber who I've heard some good things about. The book cost €11.70 (UK £8.99) which seems to be the standard amount for large paperbacks. I checked on amazon.co.uk last night and it was £5.03 which equates to €5.72 so I know where I'll be buying books 2, 3 and 4 if I like the first one. As everyone says, even though I like to support the local place, they just can't compete on price.

Have to agree. I love just lounging on the couch with book in hand, coffee on the table. Or lying out on the beach on holidays lost in a good book. For some reason I cant imagine the feeling being the same reading from kindle or iPad or iPhone. Plus you wouldn't want to bring one of those to a beach.

And like everyone else I do my best to support Irish businesses but it's such a shame when you see so many independent bookstores closing down. And in many cases they were cheaper than Easons and other big branches. I often picked up cheap 2nd hand books in charity shops. Selection can sometimes be very good. And everyone benefits.

[Sleepy]

Big fan of browsing in second hand / charity shops myself. Love those random finds you've never heard of but get drawn to on the bargain table.

Is there not an issue with the quality of the transcripts still on the Kindle? For example, I've heard Game of Thrones is littered with typos on the Kindle?

[nesf]

Originally Posted by Sleepy

Is there not an issue with the quality of the transcripts still on the Kindle? For example, I've heard Game of Thrones is littered with typos on the Kindle?

There's quite a few, though it's still perfectly readable though.

[lacase]

I just checked the Book Depositary they are offering Off Armadeddon Reef for 5.99 Euro with free delivery to Ireland. The average book is 5 to 6 Euro with free delivery. A magazine can cost more then that here.

[Macca3000]

Only just checked out book depositary. Damn I don't think I will be back in easons for quite sometime

[CiaranC]

Originally Posted by BlaasForRafa

7? is that all?

I couldn't be bothered with e-books, I prefer to actually have the physical sensation of holding a book and reading it.

Technophobic sci-fi fan, love it.

[CiaranC]

Originally Posted by Macca3000

Only just checked out book depositary. Damn I don't think I will be back in easons for quite sometime

Cheaper again on undernet

[Antar Bolaeisk]

Originally Posted by BlaasForRafa

7? is that all?

I couldn't be bothered with e-books, I prefer to actually have the physical sensation of holding a book and reading it.

I was like you before I got a Kindle, a couple of hundred books on my shelf and I swore I would never touch an e-book. Now I doubt I'll ever get a real book again save to finish off the one or two collections I currently have going, and even then I'll still get the Kindle edition.

[mcgovern]

Originally Posted by Antar Bolaeisk

I was like you before I got a Kindle, a couple of hundred books on my shelf and I swore I would never touch an e-book. Now I doubt I'll ever get a real book again save to finish off the one or two collections I currently have going, and even then I'll still get the Kindle edition.

I've had admittedly limited experience with e-books, but my sister got a Sony e-Reader for Christmas, and I was tasked with setting it up, getting the books etc, and a few times since as well. Every book she's wanted cost more in ebook format than paperback? There is no physical medium that they've to pay for, no delivery, so I can't see why they are charging so much.

[ixoy]

Originally Posted by mcgovern

There is no physical medium that they've to pay for, no delivery, so I can't see why they are charging so much.

Don't know about the Sony, but for the Kindle I have an understanding of it. Publishers sell dead tree versions to Amazon at some price. Amazon then choose to sell it on at whatever price they want (which may include at a loss for certain titles).
For e-books though they apply an agency model - the publisher decides the price, of which Amazon get a cut. They don't control the asking price, merely what % they'll get off of each sale.
The difference in these sales approaches is what dictates it. It's quite possible for a publisher to make less money on an e-Book sale than a paperback sale even if the paperback is being sold at a lower price than the e-Book.

[AnCapaillMor]

The kindle has me baffled at times, i stopped getting the starwars book because they started coming out in hardback which obviously drove up the price and i always thought hardback was taking the piss on a book 2-300 pages long. Anyway got a pad there the other day; one of the main reasons was the kindle stores. anyways the s.war books are like 30 dollars on kindle almost twice the hardback price so screw that. could'nt get over it because a dance with dragons kindle was cheaper than the physical book.

[BlaasForRafa]

Originally Posted by Antar Bolaeisk

I was like you before I got a Kindle, a couple of hundred books on my shelf and I swore I would never touch an e-book. Now I doubt I'll ever get a real book again save to finish off the one or two collections I currently have going, and even then I'll still get the Kindle edition.

Well I'll not say that I'll never get a kindle or something similar because I like technology as much as the next bloke. However that being said I do try and buy music on vinyl where possible.....

[Darko]

I was shocked recently to find Dubarys and Easons both with the new Wheel of time on shelves with a price tag of 23 euro. Happened to stop into the old Zhivago in Galway which is now a discount store and see the book onsale for 6 euro.

Price of fantasy and sci fi is ridiculous, it seems that many stores view it as a niche Market and as such believe that they can charge what they want. It's rather annoying to walk into Easons the day a new title is released and find it nearly double the price of online.

I also hate how most brick and mortar book shops insist on have sci fi and fantasy in the one section, drives me crazy.

[ixoy]

Originally Posted by Darko

I also hate how most brick and mortar book shops insist on have sci fi and fantasy in the one section, drives me crazy.

Well that was one thing "Waterstones" did right - they separated it out. Even worse is when they lump in "Paranormal romance". If you check out Amazon's top 100 sci-fi & fantasy it's full of Twilight and other supernatural romance guff.