Simon & Schuster offers "A Free eBook for You" via Bookshout.com

[Froide]

Received the following email today:

RE: A Free eBook for You

FROM: Simon & Schuster

DATE: Today at 10:06 AM


Have a great read — it’s on us.

Since you like to read as much as we do, we thought you’d enjoy a free ebook from a list of our favorite new releases and bestsellers. Redeem the code below at Bookshout.com and read on any browser-enabled device with an Internet connection, or you can download the free Bookshout mobile app and read at any time.


SSREP1


REDEEM NOW


We hope you discover a great new read!
The Simon & Schuster Team

[Catlady]

Apparently you can't even see the choices available without signing up first.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Apparently you can't even see the choices available without signing up first.

Here are the choices:

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns
Lauren Weisberger

With brand-new scenes, The New York Times bestseller and sequel you’ve been waiting for—the follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Devil Wears Prada!Almost a decade has passed since Andy...READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Tuscan Rose
Belinda Alexandra

A magical, richly woven World War II– era saga filled with passion, secrets, beauty, and horror from internationally acclaimed bestselling author Belinda Alexandra. FLORENCE, 1914. A mysterious...READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander
Phil Robertson, Mark Schlabach

This no-holds-barred autobiography chronicles the remarkable life of Phil Robertson, the original Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty® star, from early childhood through the founding of a family business....READ FULL DESCRIPTION

This Side of Paradise
F. Scott Fitzgerald

This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald's romantic and witty first novel, was written when the author was only twenty-three years old. This semiautobiographical story of the handsome, indulged,...READ FULL DESCRIPTION

The Silver Star: A Novel
Jeannette Walls

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls’ gripping new novel that "transports us with her powerful storytelling...She contemplates the extraordinary bravery...READ FULL DESCRIPTION

House Rules: A Novel
Jodi Picoult

When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty? Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others,...READ FULL DESCRIPTION


Uglies
Scott Westerfeld, Rodrigo Corral

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your...READ FULL DESCRIPTION

[bgalbrecht]

Does Bookshout require you to read the book on your web browser or some Android/IOS application?

[Froide]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

Does Bookshout require you to read the book on your web browser or some Android/IOS application?

Both are options.

[tubemonkey]

...evil, evil price fixing publisher. They can't worm their way back into my good graces with a free book offer; unless it's in Kindle format

[Catlady]

[QUOTE=Froide;2950973]Here are the choices:

Thanks so much, Froide. I'll pass.

BTW, the links you gave in the descriptions just lead to a sign-in page, not the book information (but the titles you provided gave me enough info).

Mini-rant: I hate when sites do this sort of thing! I don't want to sign up for a pig in a poke! Makes me angry!

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by Froide

Both are options.

If those are the only options, I'll pass too. If I can't read it on my eInk reader, one way or another, it's not worth it to me to sign up. I might have signed up for Uglies.

[darryl]

Thanks to the OP. Prompted me to have a look at Bookshout and decide I'm not interested. To quote from https://bookshout.com/third-party-sales/:

Traditional retailers control the audience and the data, and continue to put more pressure on content creators regarding price. BookShout! Direct gives the controls back to the appropriate people. Operational on nearly all devices (iOS, Android, and the web), our “powered by BookShout” model empowers our partners to:

Generate more revenue
Build audience and capture user info (name, email, etc)
Maintain brand identity
Drive traffic to your own website (increasing SEO, etc)

The article at http://www.mhpbooks.com/a-kindle-killer/ seems to be fairly typical. I particularly like:

These goals will require migrating Amazon customers away from Amazon, or, in other words, un-doing the lock that Kindle’s proprietary DRM format imposes on its customers. BookShout is not likely to do this mammoth task on its own, but the company’s model shows that Amazon’s customers might soon have a way to walk … and take their ebooks with them.

This evokes the images of hordes of angry Amazon customers just waiting to escape. To a publisher focussed platform that supports only Android and IOS ereaders, and doesn't permit even the downloading of an epub. And this is the big hope of the publishing establishment?

[Froide]

[QUOTE=Catlady;2951160]

Originally Posted by Froide

Here are the choices:

Thanks so much, Froide. I'll pass.

BTW, the links you gave in the descriptions just lead to a sign-in page, not the book information (but the titles you provided gave me enough info).

Mini-rant: I hate when sites do this sort of thing! I don't want to sign up for a pig in a poke! Makes me angry!

Sorry about the links! They worked for me, but I was logged into Bookshout's website at the time.

[briefcandles]

Bookshout has an app for Kindle Fire and Nook.

http://bookshout.com/download

[GtrsRGr8]

For those with the BookShout web viewer thingie or thinking about getting it, there is not a specific option to put the book in your library for that, as there is for the other platforms. After you accept one of the titles, the book will automatically appear in your BookShout library.

I don't like BookShout, either, but I figure that it's better to have a book that I want that way than not at all.

I do wonder about whether or not we will have permanent access to our books. What if, for example, BookShout goes out of business and no one takes it over, what will happen to the books? Will they all just disappear into cyberspace? Or will we get advance notice and BookShout will somehow convert all of our books into something that we can download and keep? I don't worry as much (though maybe I should) about the ebooks that I have with, say, Barnes & Noble, even though they do not allow us anymore to download them directly (yes, I know that there are workarounds, but I don't have the time or interest in going through the hassle with every book).

[Sarcasma]

Originally Posted by briefcandles

Bookshout has an app for Kindle Fire and Nook.

http://bookshout.com/download

Only for Kindle Fire HD and HDX. Bookshout makes no accommodation for e-ink Kindles or the original Fire. :-( I downloaded the app to my 'droid phone, but I find it jerky and very much not awesome to use. If I find it too annoying to use, I'll delete it, send a 'Hey, here's how to NOT p*ss off users' message to TPTB at Bookshout, and check out the book I wanted from my local library.

[issybird]

Since This Side of Paradise is in the public domain, I really don't see the point unless S&S has added some value in terms of commentary and even then it's not much of a come-on.

[JSWolf]

This is from the Bookshout forum.

Hi,
How can I get the book downloaded to my PC in epub format, so I can read it in iBooks? It seems that booksout app for iOS keeps book files in XML format, which is not very convenient. I really prefer epub format for reading on iOS devices.
Thank you,
O.

In plain English, don't bother with Bookshout as you won't get an eBook usable outside of their specialized apps.