Does anyone browse the darknet library before buying an ebook? - Page 2

Vintage Season · 07-31-2010, 10:19 AM

I guess I am the odd holdout here, because even though as an author my works are—and will continue to be—available in electronic form, the vast majority of my literary purchases are still in good ol' fashioned printed paper. (No doubt this is largely a factor of the fact that I don't own a proper eBook device, and that for my own electronic reading, I am currently using an iPhone with Stanza.)

I have no problem with the idea of my own works showing up on the darknet, though. Eventually, some of them probably will. It is my hope that, if they do, they will reach a few new readers who might then enjoy the stories enough to keep an eye out for them later, and perhaps spend money. If those individuals wind up spending money, I've made a sale I wouldn't otherwise have; if those individuals don't spend money, they probably wouldn't have anyway.

- M.

Sydney's Mom · 07-31-2010, 10:26 AM

I went to the darknet once, to get Under the Dome. I had pre-ordered it, too. I guess I never got beyond the emotional age of 4 - if you tell me I can't have something, I will move heaven and earth to prove you wrong. When I got the legitimate copy, I deleted the copy from the darknet, and I haven't done that again. Still haven't read it.

Except for books I know I want to buy, what I do instead of looking on the darknet is look in the library, both pback and ebook. Although I swore I would never go back to pbooks, they have a shorter wait time compaired with the ebook version. I spend a lot of time around the first of the month checking for new ebooks. Unfortunately, as near as I can tell, they load sometime after 2 am and before 6 am.

Vintage Season · 07-31-2010, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talldog

I've always said that I wouldn't consider darknet if the books were available legally, and I recently got to put my money where my mouth is when about 75% of the Nero Wolfe books finally became available on Amazon. It was a big nut, but I bought 'em all, and was happy to do it.

I am glad those books are once again available, and that Rex Stout's legacy can reach a new generation of readers through the wonders of technology. But here is a good example of where technology also fails: I was able to complete my Rex Stout collection (yes, all the Nero Wolfe titles, as well as Alphabet Hicks, Tecumseh Fox, and a ton of stand-alones) for approximately forty dollars, by purchasing used paperbacks over a span of a few years.

That same amount would only buy you six or eight of the Kindle editions, which is a far cry from a complete set. (Please understand, I am NOT criticizing your decision to purchase them this way!)

To me, the idea of selling back catalog titles at premium prices seems like a quick way to shorten your own shelf life. Price these items at a more attractive point, and there will be less temptation for individuals to resort to illegitimate means of acquisition in the first place.

- M.

Blue Tyson · 07-31-2010, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

What ebook shops are you using that won't let you see a list of what is available and read short samples of the ones you are interested in?

Kobo's excerpts are geographically restricted. One of the dumbest marketing fails ever, that one.

GeoffC · 07-31-2010, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Tyson

Kobo's excerpts are geographically restricted. One of the dumbest marketing fails ever, that one.

Surely that makes sense in the Kobo store ?

If the book is georestricted, then what would be the point of not doing same to the extract ?

pendragginp · 07-31-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

I only tap the "Darknet" for hard to find vintage titles.

This is what I've done too, although the one writer I was especially looking for turned out not to be available anywhere. So then I began thinking about shifting this writer's paper books (which I own) to ebook format.

I have found some other ebooks I've looked for, but when it came to downloading them I felt hesitant. These were books that I thought would someday be available as ebooks and then could be paid for, so I waited.

The only other time I downloaded a series I didn't realize the site was illegal. It was a 'sharing' site and I was so new to this I was unaware that you couldn't swap ebooks like that - which was what it was. 'I have this ebook someone might want, you share another one you think people might like.' I still don't see what's wrong with that, as long as you paid for it in the first place. Like the Book Swap sites for paper copies. But oh well. <shrug>

Blue Tyson · 07-31-2010, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Surely that makes sense in the Kobo store ?

If the book is georestricted, then what would be the point of not doing same to the extract ?

So if you are a publisher, you want fewer people to see your product, then?

In some cases, the actual publishers will even have them available.

It is just 100% dumb.

Marcy · 07-31-2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Tyson

So if you are a publisher, you want fewer people to see your product, then?

In some cases, the actual publishers will even have them available.

It is just 100% dumb.

Why is it dumb? I think it's good website design. Why tantalize someone with a product they can't buy. I'd be pissed if I was given a taste of something really amazing and then told, "Sorry, you can't buy the rest."

-Marcy

HarryT · 07-31-2010, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcy

Why is it dumb? I think it's good website design. Why tantalize someone with a product they can't buy. I'd be pissed if I was given a taste of something really amazing and then told, "Sorry, you can't buy the rest."

-Marcy

I agree. There's no point in letting someone download a sample of a book they can't buy. That would simply lead to annoyance on the part of the user.

pwalker8 · 07-31-2010, 01:26 PM

It's been a long time since I've actually browsed the darknet. I'm not sure I know how to find it now. There are so many books that I want to read that are available via the legit ebook stores, I don't have time to read all the books I have bought. Sure there are a lot of books that I would like to get that aren't available, but most of those are books where I would be replacing a book that I have in dead tree format.

With that said, I don't see anything morally reprehensibility with downloading a book from the darknet that isn't available via legitimate means.

Maggie Leung · 07-31-2010, 01:34 PM

I've checked out the darknet before, but haven't returned.

Marcy · 07-31-2010, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vintage Season

I am glad those books are once again available, and that Rex Stout's legacy can reach a new generation of readers through the wonders of technology. But here is a good example of where technology also fails: I was able to complete my Rex Stout collection (yes, all the Nero Wolfe titles, as well as Alphabet Hicks, Tecumseh Fox, and a ton of stand-alones) for approximately forty dollars, by purchasing used paperbacks over a span of a few years.

That same amount would only buy you six or eight of the Kindle editions, which is a far cry from a complete set. (Please understand, I am NOT criticizing your decision to purchase them this way!)

To me, the idea of selling back catalog titles at premium prices seems like a quick way to shorten your own shelf life. Price these items at a more attractive point, and there will be less temptation for individuals to resort to illegitimate means of acquisition in the first place.

- M.

This is not a failure. You have a big shelf of books that you have to store. They are gathering dust in your house. If you move you have to pack them up and then unpack them.

I own all the Rex Stout books in pbooks that I also bought used many years ago. I'm still replacing them all with ebooks because I like the format much better. I haven't gotten rid of the pbooks yet because he is one of my top favorite authors and my books are all vintage copies. But one day I'll want to reclaim the space they're taking up and I'll have to do something with them.

My Rex Stout ebooks travel with me everywhere. If I get stuck unexpectedly somewhere I can whip out my phone and read them. Plus I usually have my PB360 in my bag. If I only had the pbooks I'd just be bored.

-Marcy

shanghaichica · 08-01-2010, 04:20 AM

No. I usually download a preview on my iPhone and then buy it from a different store online.

GeoffC · 08-01-2010, 04:22 AM

If I'm that desperate I'll go to a book store and look at the book on the shelf . first .....though I rarely do that these days ....

TimMason · 08-01-2010, 04:42 AM

I don't use the dark net, but I think I will very seldom buy an ebook either. Most of the books I want to read are DRM restricted in their ebook format, and having tried once, I don't see myself going through that rigmarole again. If I were youthful and optimistic, I might do so: having all your books on a hard-drive in searchable form would be in immense boon. But for now, I'll still be getting those little packages delivered to my door by the mail-lady.

My ereaders will be for PDFs and Gutenberg.

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07-31-2010, 10:19 AM	#16
Vintage Season Pulps and dime novels... Posts: 343 Karma: 1952003 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kobo Aura/Kobo Aura One LE/iPad Air	I guess I am the odd holdout here, because even though as an author my works are—and will continue to be—available in electronic form, the vast majority of my literary purchases are still in good ol' fashioned printed paper. (No doubt this is largely a factor of the fact that I don't own a proper eBook device, and that for my own electronic reading, I am currently using an iPhone with Stanza.) I have no problem with the idea of my own works showing up on the darknet, though. Eventually, some of them probably will. It is my hope that, if they do, they will reach a few new readers who might then enjoy the stories enough to keep an eye out for them later, and perhaps spend money. If those individuals wind up spending money, I've made a sale I wouldn't otherwise have; if those individuals don't spend money, they probably wouldn't have anyway. - M.

07-31-2010, 10:26 AM	#17
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	I went to the darknet once, to get Under the Dome. I had pre-ordered it, too. I guess I never got beyond the emotional age of 4 - if you tell me I can't have something, I will move heaven and earth to prove you wrong. When I got the legitimate copy, I deleted the copy from the darknet, and I haven't done that again. Still haven't read it. Except for books I know I want to buy, what I do instead of looking on the darknet is look in the library, both pback and ebook. Although I swore I would never go back to pbooks, they have a shorter wait time compaired with the ebook version. I spend a lot of time around the first of the month checking for new ebooks. Unfortunately, as near as I can tell, they load sometime after 2 am and before 6 am.

07-31-2010, 01:26 PM	#25
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	It's been a long time since I've actually browsed the darknet. I'm not sure I know how to find it now. There are so many books that I want to read that are available via the legit ebook stores, I don't have time to read all the books I have bought. Sure there are a lot of books that I would like to get that aren't available, but most of those are books where I would be replacing a book that I have in dead tree format. With that said, I don't see anything morally reprehensibility with downloading a book from the darknet that isn't available via legitimate means.

07-31-2010, 01:34 PM	#26
Maggie Leung Wizard Posts: 1,449 Karma: 58383 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle, iPad	I've checked out the darknet before, but haven't returned.

08-01-2010, 04:20 AM	#28
shanghaichica Guru Posts: 989 Karma: 5782970 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Scribe,Kindle Oasis 3, iPad Pro 11, iPhone 13 Pro Max,iPad mini 6, PW5	No. I usually download a preview on my iPhone and then buy it from a different store online.

08-01-2010, 04:22 AM	#29
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	If I'm that desperate I'll go to a book store and look at the book on the shelf . first .....though I rarely do that these days ....

08-01-2010, 04:42 AM	#30
TimMason Big Ears Posts: 191 Karma: 2229 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pontoise, France Device: Onyx Boox 60, iPad	I don't use the dark net, but I think I will very seldom buy an ebook either. Most of the books I want to read are DRM restricted in their ebook format, and having tried once, I don't see myself going through that rigmarole again. If I were youthful and optimistic, I might do so: having all your books on a hard-drive in searchable form would be in immense boon. But for now, I'll still be getting those little packages delivered to my door by the mail-lady. My ereaders will be for PDFs and Gutenberg.

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