I didn’t realize that the Nook could download library books. I have the kindle so I haven’t really tried to check out e-books. Still it is disturbing about the price change by Harper Collins.

E-books cost seems to be on very ones mind. I run across several articles lately about this.

For me, the only advantage of my e-reader is its portability and the ability to also borrow library books on it. I bought a Nook instead of a Kindle, simply because I can check out library books on it. I liked the Kindle machine much better.

But it annoys me to no end when electronic files cost the same as a lovely, print book. I really do feel that the printed books have a greater value than an electronic file. And, as you pointed out, the costs to produce them must be less, since they save on physical costs and shipping.

I fear that if libraries are prohibited from being able to lend e-books they have legitimately purchased, that I will find my e-reader is only a novelty toy, and that I will be returning to printed books. I’m sure my cash-strapped library system can’t afford to keep re-purchasing the same titles over and over again. Or if they did want to do so, it would simply mean a much narrower pool of available titles, since they wouldn’t have the money to broaden their collection beyond the very most popular titles.

I prefer to read hard copy books anyway, I just wanted the portability of having many with me on a trip in such a small machine. But if publishers are going to let greed affect their treatment of customers to such a degree, pff… I’m not so enamored of reading electronically that I won’t let it go.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/03/18/ns-library-ebooks.html

Elizabeth, this made me smile. I have an online friend that when she started her blog wrote in UK English and put the US equivalent’s in quotes. I have to admit I went “huh”, but I never thought about how different Canadien, eh? English can be from the US version. We seem to use a combination of British and US.

Leigh AAR: Elizabeth Rolls – that is crazy.I just finished a book by an English author and loved the brief introduction to life there.The slang words, brand names were almost as entertaining as the story.I would love to visit Australia, and reading a book based there while not quite the same, would at least allow me to visit in my imagination.

Well, would you believe that I occasionally get letters from American readers correcting my spelling – my books use UK English – and even punctuation, because the London office house style is single quotation marks for direct speech. Early North American editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorceror’s Stone changed various things, like Mom instead of Mum, booger instead of bogies, to make it more comprehensible to U.S readers. Admittedly we’re dealing with kids reading the books, but kids are not stupid.
I agree that it’s crazy, but the view is that readers like familiarity and the bottom line is that publishers will always cater to the majority. The thing to remember is that readers here at AAR are not necessarily typical of the majority of readers. Readers and reviewers here, and at other similar sites and blogs, might express the same view that you have, Leigh, but unless the Market Gods are convinced it is a majority view, they aren’t interested.
Take Susan Elizabeth Philips’ football books. You could just as easily have had an Australian author decide to write the same type of series set around our national football game. Assuming the author had SEP’s level of talent, would it get the U.S audience? Quite probably not. Unless SEP wrote it, and I’m blowed if I know why she would, or should.

Tinabelle, like you I love my kindle, and it is my preferred way of reading books. But over the next six months, I am going to consciously pick the least expensive route for books, whether library, paper, or e-book. I am not saying, I won’t buy e-books. It is so tempting. But I am going to try do utilized some delayed gratification. A pretty big challenge for me with books (grin)

That said, I confess that I have not bought a paper fiction book since I got my Kindle 3 years ago. I am a big rereader and just don’t have any space to store books anymore. Plus, I love reading on my Kindle. Unlike a lot of others, the authors I want to read are mostly published by the agency model group. I have learned that I can take a pass on many books if the ebook is overpriced. Although it grates, I am willing to pay the same price for an ebook but I will NOT pay more. I can only compromise so much.