One of Eric’s comments has been ‘dragged to the front page’ today concerning a 247 article on eBooks and geographic restrictions-
The geographic restriction is annoying me immensely. Even Australians are getting walloped around by an archaic publishing model.
Two things can be said AGAINST geographic restrictions.
1) The model is applied print books and against parallel importation to protect the print book industry. But we are talking about electronic media which is sold through only one supplier – a completely different model. A bit like the Apple Appstore – except that it hates the rest of the world if you live outside the US.
2) The very practice itself is anti-competitive and a restraint of trade. Why can’t I buy something which someone in the US (or Canada) is able to purchase from a single source supplier (barring trade secrets and so on)?
Doesn’t the UK and Australia have a free trade agreement that should remove these trade barriers?
I have queried Fictionwise / EReader / Barnes and Noble on this and their response has been disappointing. The only other avenue is to source these books from some less than legitimate sources which rob the authors of their dues.
I love reading ebooks and to date, I have over 700 ebooks in the Fictionwise library. Since the geographic restrictions have been implemented, the selection has been severely limited.
I don’t see the logic on “geographic restrictions” on books published several years ago and difficult to obtain in the US and never imported into my country.
Yes this new complication is a real drag. I can order a “real” book from Amazon and get it shipped anywhere in the world but I can’t do it with e books from e-reader. I wonder what the new international Kindle will do?
I think e-reader and the others should start a “non USA” site so we wouldn’t be frustrated by getting interested in a book that we can’t buy.
With this kind of attitude book piracy becomes attractive – we are willing to pay but can’t buy anyway.
This is idiocy.
Shofar
Yup. Wanted to buy a book today (for the first time in ages!) from Mobipocket, but can’t because I live in the wrong country at the moment. I don’t feel like moving to the States just now, so I guess I’m shafted right? (Just like a lot of you are.)
It is really starting to p*ss me off. My choices are so limited now that I don’t read eBooks anymore, and I have been for many years. SORT IT OUT SOMEONE!
Join the club. I completed a survey for ereader.com and received a discount voucher for my troubles. Great, I thought, I need some new books. Zzzzt! Wrong answer. None of the dozen or so books I wanted to read were available to Australia. I emailed them thanking them for the voucher, had a rant (a polite one) and asked that they at least add a country filter. I received an email referring me to their web site FAQs. Nice.
The coupon duly expired and I received another email extending the discount. I emailed them again and received the same form answer. Obviously they don’t care about my paltry custom — 300+ books in the last 4 years — but what about ereader’s tens of thousands or more other non-US readers?
My dilemma is do I buy another reader or go back to hard copy? Will this issue be resolved, and if so, when?
Hi there – it’s Eric writing in. I was pleasantly surprised that a comment on ebooks had been “promoted” to front page news.
Just as a feedback to this crazy situation – I can tell you there are loopholes in this “geographic restriction wall of US”!
I contacted an author in relation to this issue and ask them whether there was any possible way to purchase an ebook. The author then referred me to a website which charged slightly more (about USD$0.50). I registered and pruchased the ebooks using my actual address (residing in Australia) and entered my credit card details (also from Australia) and hit “purchase”.
A few minutes later, I got a confirmation email which I could download the ebook and it was DRM keyed to my reader (ereader format)
Another piece of news – Amazon will be bringing the Kindle reader to Australia. As nice as it may be, I can’t imagine filling up one of these readers with 2,500 ebooks if there are geographic restrictions placed on purchases. (Perhaps Chaucer, Aesops fables and anything that predates the 1900′s…)
What’s the website Eric?
$0.50 dearer, I don’t care. Just so long as I can buy the books of my choice!
Due to a few requests – it’s diesel ebooks on https://www.diesel-ebooks.com/
They may not have the latest ebook releases, but you do get your hands on ereader format ebooks.
Otherwise, you need to hunt up an independent ebook retailer which can tap into ereader / fictionwise / B&N
Many thanks, Eric. Alas, it still means I can’t read authors like Lee Child and Tami Hoag, though. Sigh. BTW another site is http://www.smashwords.com/, which publishes indie authors and publishers in multiple formats and has just partnered with Sony.
Apologies… it would help if I searched on author and not title!