I had a few concerns and am very puzzled as to just how you're supposed to sell an eBook online.
1. I was originally under the impression that if you publish an eBook, you can ONLY choose ONE online retailer to sell it on (Amazon, Google, eBooks.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.).
However, I just browsed through all three sites, and I found that most books, including books such as the Twilight and Hunger Games series, are being sold on Amazon's Kindle Store, Google Play, barnesandnoble.com, AND ebooks.com (and I'm assuming other places as well) simultaneously.
These are eBooks for download, not hardcover/print, and they are for sale.
So what's the deal here?
I was told that you had to choose ONE retailer and give them the rights to EXCLUSIVELY sell for up to TWO years (and hand over 25-35% of the profits).Is that true or not?
So why are these books being sold EVERYWHERE? Is there some kind of double standard in place here for "established" or "successful" authors?
2.In addition, Google Play states that eBooks purchased from them can be viewed online, on your computer, AND on various mobile devices …
… while Amazon just calls their the "Kindle" version and state that you need a KINDLE reader in order to read them.
Doesn't that severely cripple the number of potential customers if you try to sell an eBook on Amazon?
Am I missing something here? I must be.
Because I also remember hearing that you could read eBooks downloaded in various file formats on OTHER tablet PCs (such as the iPad) as long as you downloaded an app from Amazon or another retailer that could "convert" their file formats into something that the iPad (or other tablet) can read?
3. Can eBooks be COPIED or not? Meaning if someone purchases them, do they have complete control over the digital file? Could they then make multiple copies and send them to friends/family (so that they wouldn't have to buy their own)? If so, wouldn't that hurt not only an author's digital sales, but also sales of physical copies? And if you are UNABLE to make a copy of the file, then what happens if the storage medium containing the eBook file gets damaged or destroyed (and you effectively lose the book)? Then do you have to REBUY what you already paid for if you want it back? If the retailer lets you redownload for free, how could you prove that the digital copy was lost at all?
Is there some sort of encryption or something that prevents the eBook from being read on a device that isn't logged into an account associated with the purchase? That's close to how PlayStation Network and Xbox Live manage their downloaded content, so I would imagine that that would be the most logical method.
But the whole system just doesn't make much sense to me.
>>> How exactly are eBooks sold?