Patrick Stewart

Hey #ebook #readers

If given the choice, would you prefer to purchase your ebook directly from the author as an #epub format or would you rather buy your ebook from a digital retailer?

EDIT: You asked for it...

Download the new second edition of In Progress! DRM FREE!

https://patrickstewart.net

OR from the major online eBook retailers!

Paperbacks are available through Amazon! $5.50 (B&N is pending approval)

@bookstodon

Ebook store (kindle, apple, kobo, b&n)
22.9%
Purchase Directly from the Author's site
77.1%
Poll ended at .
Patrick Stewart - The Taoist Online

Father, Husband, Taoist Learner, Author, Writer, Philosopher

Patrick Stewart - The Taoist Online
Feb 13, 2023 at 5:40pmWeb
Show threadKevin Karhan Feb 13, 2023

@patrickstewart @bookstodon I refuse to buy anything with #DRM in terms of #eBooks.

Gimme a #PDF + #ePub - you can individualize copies if you want - but let me choose what devices I read it on.

Show threadTamar YellinFeb 13, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon I would love there to be an option to purchase directly from the author (since I know they'd get more money that way).
Show threadShouty personFeb 14, 2023
@TamarYellin @patrickstewart Increasingly, indie authors are offering this. At least Wide (non-KU) authors are.
Show threadTyler MumfordFeb 13, 2023

@patrickstewart This is a dilemma for me. I like how easy it is to buy Kindle books and start reading quickly. They have my payment info saved, and it's just easy.

But I'd prefer to support authors directly, even if it costs 5 dollars more.

For me to choose a direct purchase, it would have to be almost as convenient as buying on Amazon. No account creation, plenty of Apple Pay and PayPal support, and easy to open on all my devices.

Show threadYulian KuncheffFeb 14, 2023

@tylermumford @patrickstewart have you heard of BookFunnel, some of the LitRPG authors I follow use it. Does everything without an account if you want or 1 account and anyone author can distribute to your BookFunnel account or email (no account sign up needed, but if you do it will pull.all your books right away.

It's more a distribution method, but if you setup a store to sell, this could be a way to send to a user easily. it supports epub, mobile, pdf, and audiobooks

Show threadTyler MumfordFeb 14, 2023
@yulian @patrickstewart Oh nice, that looks like the right idea.
Show threadShouty personFeb 14, 2023
@tylermumford @patrickstewart Most authors who are selling direct are using either Shopify or Payhip. Both sync with Paypal. Shopify connects to both Apple Pay and Paypal. It's how I buy a lot of the books I read. It works pretty seamlessly. I buy, click download, and the book opens in Apple Books.
Show threadDr Dan MarshallFeb 13, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon It might be easier to discover a book through a retailer, but it would be good to have the option to buy it directly from the author.
Show threadsplicerFeb 13, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon I voted "author's site" but there are a lot of caveats attached to that. I only purchase DRM-free. In the past I've contacted authors directly for a DRM-free version. That's usually worked out great. If an author offered DRM'ed books I'd be more concerned about losing access to the book in the future than I would when buying from a publisher. I've gotten burned by publishers closing up shop and losing my entire library of books I'd paid for. Do I trust that an individual author is going to have the time and expertise to support their book format forever? I do not.
Show threadOliver J. TooleyFeb 13, 2023
@splicer I never understood DRM when I started out.
Now I never do it.
I'm seriously not famous enough to worry about people pirating my books.
I mean, if I have trouble giving them away, what chance has the pirate got of selling them? 😂
Show threadPatrick StewartFeb 13, 2023
@splicer wise words.
Show threadProf. Julia LeydaFeb 13, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon and the good publishers do actually contribute to the book, via developmental editing, copy editing, design and layout, art, distribution, as well as marketing and submitting it for reviews, award nominations etc. There is hidden labor of many behind most successful books, and those folks need to get paid.
Show threadIntransitive Lie(moved)Feb 13, 2023
@patrickstewart
I would prefer to do whatever gives the author the most money for the least hassle, but unfortunately a lot of times I have coupons or gift cards from a particular retailer and that kind of locks me in.
Show threadSomersetWhovian 🇺🇦💙Feb 13, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon
I prefer physical books, but given the choice I would always prefer to buy directly from the author. I guess the main issue is visibility.
Show threadJohnWFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon I'm out of patience for middlemen ripping off creators. Always from the Authors (creators) site!
Show threadSlightly to the leftFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon Direct is preferred, but there is also some responsibility on that side of it, too. For instance, if the price is 2-3 times higher, or the process to purchase is convoluted, then I would go through a retailer. I see buy local the same way. Support direct / local when you can, but you're not wrong to look out for your time, money, stress at the same time.
Show threadAnkeFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon
My favourite options would be itch.io, gumroad, smashwords, or kobo WITHOUT DRM. Author's page IF I don't need to create a login there is fine, too.
Author's page if it requires account creation I might do if I've heard a lot of good about the book.
Kobo with DRM I refuse to bother with, and amazon/kindle, apple, and b&n are not options for me.
Show threadDavid ZaslavskyFeb 14, 2023

@patrickstewart @bookstodon My knee-jerk reaction was to vote for purchasing on the author's site because I'm assuming that's a better way to support authors... but on second thought, it's so much more convenient to use a digital retailer that, if I'm being honest, that might be my preference. Like, if I had to enter payment info on a different author's site every time I buy a book, I probably wouldn't bother for any but my few favorite books. Plus it's easier to discover new books using a consolidated site such as a digital retailer or marketplace.

Perhaps the ideal situation is a marketplace where authors can list their own books, leaving it to the marketplace to handle payments and promotion of related books. But it'd be critical that the marketplace takes only a reasonably small fee and passes on most of the money directly to the author.

Show threadDCFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon I don't want DRM on ebooks. While I like the idea of buying directly from an author's site, that does mean quite a lot of variability in how easy the process is, or at times if it even works at all.
Show threadSchroedingerFeb 14, 2023

@Tanngrisnir @patrickstewart @bookstodon You have highlighted the reason so many go to Amaz0n or similar - safe, clean experience.

DRM - my first self-pub work I added this initially, and them explored and realised it was a dreadful idea, so removed it. I get the need to safeguard work, but DRM is not the way to do it.

Show threadDCFeb 14, 2023
@SteveClough @patrickstewart @bookstodon Yes, it's a real problem. I like going elsewhere, but I've found myself unable to purchase stuff from authors' own sites.
Show threadHelen in WalesFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon The immediate reaction is that buying direct from the author would be best. However, very few writers make a full-time living from their writing. They're already juggling a job and their writing. Running their own sales website as well is going to eat into writing time. There's also the question of visibility. I've bought books via "People who liked also liked..." that I woud never have heard of otherwise. Ideal is perhaps author co-ops e.g.
https://bookviewcafe.com/
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Show threadGav ReadsFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart in the theory buying from the author is a great idea but in practice I am going to lose those files. I am chaotic when it comes to filing stuff.
Show threadEnergetic NovaFeb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon I only read off my phone… So I tend to prefer buying through Apple store…
Show threadRobert MacAnthonyFeb 14, 2023
@Energetic_Nova @patrickstewart I said directly from the author, though I would have to convert it to read on my Kindle
Show threadFratm Feb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart @bookstodon I was on the fence on this one, and I voted ebook store, mainly because I have no idea how to add directly purchased ebooks onto my kindle. Include instructions on how to do that, and I would gladly purchase directly.
Show thread8Petros [MOVING!!]Feb 14, 2023
@fratm @patrickstewart It is certainly doable, as z-library delivers e-books via email to kindle. I have no experience with it, as I ditched the wretched device as soon as I saw the lock-in clutches closing on me, but those dreadful pirates apparently know their trade.
Show threadeMarginaliaFeb 14, 2023

@fratm @patrickstewart @bookstodon
If a book is not encrypted with #DRM, simply plug the Kindle into your PC with a USB cable and copy it over, or drag & drop. Just like putting a file on a thumb drive.

If it is encrypted, reading it elsewhere than on your Kindle varies from easy to impossible depending on several things, all explained here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=283371

Personally, I like to buy from Amazon, but read on my Kobo. And not be locked in. Author site would be a plus.
#ebooks

Dealing with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.19 and KFX in calibre - MobileRead Forums

Dealing with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.19 and KFX in calibre Calibre

Show thread8Petros [MOVING!!]Feb 14, 2023
@patrickstewart #smashwords + #fediverse
Show threadPatrick StewartFeb 14, 2023
@8petros true.
Show threadFor I am CJ   Feb 15, 2023

@patrickstewart @bookstodon

DRM-free epub.

it's less hassle if there's a centralized site for making purchases. One with a proper "download all of my stuff for offline backups" type client

but if it's not a centralized site and DRM-free epub is only available from the author's site, I would still choose that over DRm-riddled crapware from the sites used as examples of "store fronts"