Kobo reveals big plans

[laughingdragons]

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

Really do hope Kobo does well. I find myself a fan of Amazon by default. In that I mean I am a fan of reading and for me Amazon is about the only show in town. Competition would be great.

They have a tough act to follow though. Amazon service for me has been impeccable.

I don't think too tough to follow. People like me can buy from kobo. Which I do frequently I can't buy from Amazon.

I think the only thing that would keep Amazon on top is if the went multi-format

[ProfCrash]

And I cannot buy from Kobo without removing DRM and converting to read on my Kindle.

[laughingdragons]

At least kobo supports readers that use epub. Not just kobo readers.

My thoughts since I got my Sony reader was that Amazon was stupid for not supporting more than the kindle. They would have had me as a customer from the start. Especially since the Sony store sucks. Which is why I buy most of my books from kobo.

[ProfCrash]

I don't think Amazon is all that worried about the format. It has done quite well not using EPub

[darryl]

What! Competition for Amazon! It's evil monopoly will not after all come to pass? Thanks to the Big 6 for breaking the law to protect us, but I think we will be okay anyway. Perhaps we can set up a collection for the hold-out publishers to help pay their damages at the end of the case. After all, we would not want them to go the way of the dinosaur, would we?

Good one Kobo.

[flipreads]

Looking forward to what Kobo has in store.

And glad that Kobo supports ePub.

Amazon is great and all, but not everyone uses/prefers the format that they provide. Or charge $2.00 extra to eBooks sold outside a few countries. Or provide lesser royalties to authors/publishers if the purchaser is outside of Amazon's chosen countries.

So my answer is to diversify, and it's honestly hard to compete with some of Amazon's services, but hopefully Kobo (or other retailers) are up to it.

[Leonardo7000]

I have a Kobo Touch and it is faulty. I contacted Kobo on the 5th April and they opened a form but ANY FURTHER CONTACT is IGNORED.
Incident number 120404:001838
Come on Kobo, respond as a responsible company should!

[PeterT]

@Leonardo7000; the standard advice here is that once an incident has been opened, to post that tracking info at the https://getsatisfaction.com/kobo website.

Also; if you really feel you are being ignored, there is also KOBOExecutiveCare@kobo.com which has helped many people.

Also; it would be good if before getting so irate, you would come to the Kobo forum here and get involved (in a non inflamatory manner) with other Kobo users.

[Leonardo7000]

Originally Posted by PeterT

@Leonardo7000; the standard advice here is that once an incident has been opened, to post that tracking info at the https://getsatisfaction.com/kobo website.

Also; if you really feel you are being ignored, there is also KOBOExecutiveCare@kobo.com which has helped many people.

Also; it would be good if before getting so irate, you would come to the Kobo forum here and get involved (in a non inflamatory manner) with other Kobo users.

Thanks for the info Peter, I have emailed KoboExecutive care and will see what (if any) the response is to this missive.

[carpetmojo]

QUOTE:"....Our strategy is to find the premier bookseller partner...." QUOTE:Kobo

Is it just me,but has the term "premier" lost a lot of its elitest connotations ?

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

And I cannot buy from Kobo without removing DRM and converting to read on my Kindle.

Now that complaint rings a vague bell in the cleaning cupboard under the stairs, but the Kobo 's a new one ..............

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

QUOTE:"....Our strategy is to find the premier bookseller partner...." QUOTE:Kobo

Is it just me,but has the term "premier" lost a lot of its elitest connotations ?

Uhh, yeah...

Last I heard "premier bookseller" = chain not under bankruptcy protection.


Seriously, my first thought was: some markets, they just might have to relax their criteria just a weee bit.

[SeaKing]

I hope that the competition keeps up.
I still use my K3-3G especially in the sun. I love my Samsung too.
But I am still waiting for Amazon to bring a new eInk tablet that has a light like the new Nook, more memory, etc. I suppose they will never again give you FREE 3G.

Anyway, I am waiting for something significantly better from Amazon/Kindle and the Nook and Kobo seem to be pushing hard and Amazon will respond I am sure.

[taming]

Interesting article in Publisher's Weekly With More Funding Kobo steps Up.

In the wake of its 2011 acquisition by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, e-book retailer Kobo continues to make news. In a phone interview, CEO Mike Serbinis offered a look at the company’s plans and initiatives for the rest of the year. On the heels of Kobo’s plan to set up Kobo “stores within a store” at 100 WH Smith locations, Serbinis said that Kobo will start an “easy-to-use program for authors to self-publish that will provide access to social media tools and let them connect to readers. It’s something we have to do.” Kobo has started a beta self-publishing program, Serbinis said, and “we hope to launch a broader beta program by BookExpo America,” in June.

Kobo will provide the infrastructure, not decide what is to be published. “We’re not a gatekeeper,” Serbinis said. “It will be an open platform with social integration tied into Kobo Pulse, our social reading platform.” Kobo offers a suite of e-reading devices—two e-ink e-readers and the Kobo Vox, a 7-in. tablet—and e-book reading software that is very competitive with what’s offered on the Kindle and Nook devices. Thanks to Rakuten, Serbinis said, “our bank account just got a lot bigger,” emphasizing that he’s got the capital to compete globally with his much larger competitors.

Kobo partnered with FNAC, the French retailer, in the fall of 2011, offering the Kobo devices and its e-book catalogue. “We’ve taken a 50% market share [in the France e-book market] since November and we’re expanding our [device] distribution,” Serbinis said. Kobo also has a 50% market share in Canada, and Serbinis said that Kobo is seeing triple digit growth in its home country. In the U.S., he acknowledged that the collapse of Borders, a Kobo investor, “was a setback, but we’re getting new U.S. customers constantly through our apps and OEM partners,” noting that “international is growing faster than domestic.”

Serbinis said the company has sold “millions” of its e-readers, added about 100 employees this year, and expects to add “more employees over the next year. We expect triple digit growth in Canada again.” Kobo has opened new offices in Dublin and Luxembourg and is looking for more retailer-partnerships along the lines of the WH Smith deal.

Pointing out Google’s withdrawal from its e-book retailing partnership with U.S. indie bookstores, Serbinis said, “It’s important to have bookselling partners.” Asked if Kobo wants to provide a turnkey e-book retailing program for U.S. indies, Serbinis said, “We can partner with U.S. booksellers—we’re doing it around the world.” Serbinis emphasized, “It’s something we’re interested in. We think Kobo would be a great indie bookstore solution for the U.S.”

If Kobo does try to step up and partner with US Indie stores, it should be something to watch, for sure.

[Fbone]

I noticed they set up in Luxembourg. Smart move to reduce taxes.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by laughingdragons

At least kobo supports readers that use epub. Not just kobo readers.

My thoughts since I got my Sony reader was that Amazon was stupid for not supporting more than the kindle. They would have had me as a customer from the start. Especially since the Sony store sucks. Which is why I buy most of my books from kobo.

So there is no problem buying books from Kobo and putting them on a Sony? So far I haven't done that. I've been thinking of giving it a try but so far I thought you could only put their books on a Kobo device (by association from Amazon-Kindle and B&N-Nook I suppose).
So, where do you get those coupons?
Give me a good coupon and I'll give it a good try.