[Asimovking]

What if Amazon doesn't have a Kindle version of a book? Is there any chance of there being a version on some other site that you can read on a kindle? Im hoping so cuz theres several books i just got that are the first book in a series and most if not all the books in each series are only available in book form.

Im asking cuz in a few weeks i will be buying a kindle and was hoping to avoid the hassle of still having to have books shipped to me. Not to mention that kindle versions of books are usually cheaper plus theres no shipping fee...

[Hobbit]

Think this has been mentioned around in more detail Asimovking, but a programme like Calibre (LINK (http://calibre-ebook.com/)) will convert books for you.

There is a scale of difficulty: some are altered easier than others, and not all formats convert perfectly, but you should be able to convert to MOBI (which Kindle will use.) When looking at the free websites, choose the MOBI format for a Kindle-readable version.

More here: http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2010/07/11/kindle-format-conversion-guide/

Hope this helps!

Mark

[Window Bar]

Im asking cuz in a few weeks i will be buying a kindle and was hoping to avoid the hassle of still having to have books shipped to me. Not to mention that kindle versions of books are usually cheaper plus theres no shipping fee...

In your shopping you might consider getting a reader with open source software. My wife and I have Nooks (ePub format), and don't feel at all bound to Barnes & Noble as our bookstore. We can check books out at the public library, browse the Google project, and many more.

The only caveat is that it takes a wee bit of computer savvy to do your buying from offline vendors. We use Adobe Digital Editions (free software for PC and Mac) as our go-between.

That much said... Amazon's Kindle is a great product, and the organization and cross-referencing at the Kindle Bookstore is second to none.

-- WB

[martielillycrop]

Im asking cuz in a few weeks i will be buying a kindle and was hoping to avoid the hassle of still having to have books shipped to me. Not to mention that kindle versions of books are usually cheaper plus theres no shipping fee...

To be honest, I don't think kindle books are always that much cheaper than the paper version. Looking through a few authors I want to read on Amazon, a lot of their Kindle titles are only a few pence cheaper than the hard copy, which I was mildly outraged about.

Does anyone know why this is? Considering copies of these books cost NOTHING to the publisher, Amazon or the author to be downloaded. As far as I know it's all pure profit for them. I doubt the author has much control, to be honest, but is this greed by the publishers/Amazon? The only books I've seen that are significantly cheaper than the paperback version are those Kindle-ized by the author themselves. Even then, Amazon still controls the price and it's still ends up £3 ($5) per copy.:mad:

Okay, rant over.

[Asimovking]

I hadn't checked many kindle versions when i posted this. Since then i have noticed most are around the same price as the book itself. Still, in the LONG run the kindle would pay for itself by saving you the shipping fees and by saving tons of space in your house.

Examples i had in my head as cheaper kindle versions were:

Valmore Daniels: Forbidden The Stars
Jeffrey Caminsky: The Sirens Of Space
Darrell Bain: Galactic Frontiers and The Long Way Home

[martielillycrop]

The best thing about Kindle is the savings to the planet, but yes, saving on the postage has to be a plus. I still think the prices could reflect the fact that there are no materials, distribution or printing costs. (Shrugs) Ah well...:)

[Loerwyn]

Well, the shipping fees generally don't come into it in the UK as Amazon is free (Unless you buy from a seller, and even then the fees aren't generally that unreasonable when looked at as a whole. £2.81 is the cheapest a book'll generally work out as being, which is about £0.81 more expensive than a charity shop copy).

martie; There are costs involved. Aside from conversion and licensing costs, they do have to pay for some form of storage for the eBooks, and also for the technology (And its maintenance) to be able to distribute so many books to so many people at once.

[martielillycrop]

martie; There are costs involved. Aside from conversion and licensing costs, they do have to pay for some form of storage for the eBooks, and also for the technology (And its maintenance) to be able to distribute so many books to so many people at once.

I guess that answers my question. Agreed about the shipping - it's not usually an issue in the UK because of the Supersaver delivery. I like the idea of ebooks not hurting the planet, but there's some part of me that still thinks charging (virtually) the same amount as a paperback (each of which needs raw materials, transportation, distribution and storage) seems crazy. The good side of it is, the authors get a bigger royalty for their ebooks, which I completely agree with...:D

[Loerwyn]

I guess that answers my question. Agreed about the shipping - it's not usually an issue in the UK because of the Supersaver delivery. I like the idea of ebooks not hurting the planet, but there's some part of me that still thinks charging (virtually) the same amount as a paperback (each of which needs raw materials, transportation, distribution and storage) seems crazy. The good side of it is, the authors get a bigger royalty for their ebooks, which I completely agree with...:D
It's probably so the market isn't completely upset by it. If you look at the digital market for music and games, two of the bigger digital markets out there, they're not priced too far away from the physical items for the most part. A brand new digital game will cost you the same as the retail one from most retailers, and I believe downloadable albums work out about £2 cheaper than the average retail release (Excluding special offers and so forth).

That said, I don't think discount bookstores are killing the book industry, so maybe a lowering of eBook prices across the board wouldn't be too damaging? You have to pay £110+ for a Kindle as it is (Mine cost £164... 'cos it's an iPod Touch :p ), so it'd be a nice way to even the playing field.

[Asimovking]

I didn't know that they got bigger royalties for their ebooks. That's awesome :) Especially since in a few years 90% of books will be digital.