Star Wars: New Jedi Order – Traitor by Matthew Stover

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: BooksOnBoard.com
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 7 CAD – Canadian Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: Canada
What you did instead: Pirated a copy

Comments: I would have bought it at this price, even though it is quite expensive for an ebook.

Agent: Unknown

The Secret Hangman by Peter Lovesley

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Diesel ebook store
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 8.63 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: Canada
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: Apparently, I cannot buy this ebook in epub format anywhere in Canada. Other ebooks that I can buy are more expensive then physical books. Why bother with an e-reader? I am going back to paperbacks – cheaper, I can share them, I can give them away.

Agent: Unknown

djinn in a nightingale’s eye by antonia susan byatt

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase:
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 10 GBP – British Pound
Country of Lost Sale: United Kingdom
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: Ebook available in rest of world but not in the uk. Enforcing territorial rights – to the point of alienating good customers (and throwing away good money) is just madness.

Agent: Unknown

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Barnes and Noble *and* Amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Other Contacted Barnes & Noble to call their attention to the error.
Price of Lost Sale: 13.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: I can’t buy the book I actually want because there appears to have been an error, and the problem seems to have originated with the publisher, given that it’s the exact same issue at both Amazon *and* Barnes and Noble.

When you go to the page for The Greatest Generation, the digital copy actually links to a different book, The Greatest Generation Speaks. This is true for both Nook and Kindle editions, which is why I suspect that the error started with the publisher. As best I can tell, the book I want to actually purchase isn’t available in digital format.

I sent an e-mail to B&N’s customer service department to let them know about the problem, so hopefully, it will get corrected. In the meantime, I guess I’ll go do some chores.

Agent: Unknown

Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: The mass market paperback has a list price of $5.99, but the kindle edition is $7.99! No way am I paying more for a digital copy that has more restrictions than the print copy. I bought the book at a used book store for about $2.50.

Agent: Unknown

The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Random House.com Random House.ca, Chapters/Indigo, Kobo (tried all of them)
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 8.99 CAD – Canadian Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: Canada
What you did instead: Other Ended up frustrated with ebooks and publishers

Comments: The first book of the (original trilogy) series (Foundation) wasn’t available, so it didn’t matter is the second and third were or weren’t available – it made no sense to start in the middle of a series, nor did it make any sense to have to read the first book in paperback. I believe the third was available, and I am unsure about the second.

It had the secondary effect that I have been reluctant to bother trying to buy any more ebooks. Between DRM restrictions, foul-ups and retroactive reversal of transactions, Canadian prices often higher than retail paperback version, and now I have to contend with contractual issues (foreign rights) that I don’t care about — it wasn’t worth the effort to do business with these archaic companies.

I plan to seek smart companies that offer flexible sales, and preferably uniform global availability with DRM-free publishing. A number of non-fiction technology companies practice this, and since their readership are most likely to be very Internet savvy, their continued success suggests DRM-free and globally availability isn’t an economic impossibility.

Governments, publishers, and printers cannot claim that foreign publishing rights can generate start-up revenue for local national publishing / printing business, since an increasing number of books are simply printed in China and imported. I have purchased Canadian “published” books that were printed and imported from China because it was cheaper than buying that same Chinese printed copy domestically where the distributor and retailer clearly added no value or convenience whatsoever for 50% markup. And Canada is a country that traditionally was know for exporting paper products, and possibly exported the wood pulp used in the paper of the Chinese printed book.

Archaic.

Agent: Unknown

Sweet Reward by Christy Reece

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase:
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: New Zealand
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: No books by this author are available in my region digitally.

Agent: Unknown

Star-Crossed by Linda Collison

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 6.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: I don’t like to support Agency publishers, so when I saw this book used for $1 in a used bookstore, I bought it instead of the digital edition I would have preferred. But since it saves me $6, I’d rather read my non-preferred edition.

Agent: Unknown

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: B&N
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 12.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: 12.99 for a book I can neither share nor re-sell? No thanks.

Agent: Unknown

If You Hear Her by Shiloh Walker

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Kobo/BoB/Diesel
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Surfed the web

Comments: Shiloh Walker is one of my favorite authors, but this is the second of her books I am passing on because of agency pricing. I missed Nessa’s book and now the beginning of this new series. The excerpts sound great and I would love to give it a try, but not for $7.99 when I can buy the paper version for $5.99 at Target. For the most part, I love being e only, I just hate missing out on my favorite authors and series.

Agent: Unknown

In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: BoB/Diesel/Kobo
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: This is a new series I have heard a lot about, all good. One thing I heard was that it was like reading an Garwood historical, which I love. The cost for the digital book is $2 higher than the paper version. Sorry to say I will be skipping this series.

Agent: Unknown

This Fierce Splendor by Iris Johansen

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Kobo (unavailable for NZ buyers), BooksOnBoard (geographical restriction)
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 4.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: New Zealand
What you did instead: Surfed the web

Comments:

Agent: Unknown

Lie With me by Stepanie Tyler

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase:
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: New Zealand
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments:

Agent: Unknown

Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 11.99 EUR – Euro
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: I am slowly replacing all the books I own in paperback (all bought new) with digital copies for portability and space. The paperback of this title is available for 3.97 – 10.88; I refuse to pay more than paperback prices for a digital license to a book that I won’t even actually own after the transaction as a replacement for a paper copy that I can loan or resell at will.

Agent: Unknown

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 9.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Read fan fiction or a different book

Comments: I’m not paying $10 for an ebook, when the book has been out for 4 years. This series came highly recommended to me from both my mom and sister, so I would have bought this book even though I had never read the author. Now, Random House and the author have lost out on a sale for this book and all sequels because of their Agency pricing. I can buy a used copy and have it delivered to my door for $4, or I’ll borrow it from my library.

Agent: Unknown

Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Amazon.com
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 12.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: Not paying that much for one read and I can’t share the ebook. It’s already out in used book stores – I got it for $6.

Agent: Unknown

Deeper Than Midnight by Lara Adrian

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Kobo/Diesel/Books on Board
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Surfed the web

Comments: Too bad the publisher has agency pricing. I had all the books in this series, but that’s not the case any longer. Why would I pay $2 more for a digital copy????? I’ll find another series at reasonable prices and buy that instead.

Agent: Unknown

Jump! by Jilly Cooper

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Waterstones
Reason for Lost Sale: Not available digitally in region
Price of Lost Sale: 6.67 GBP – British Pound
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a different book

Comments: Was unable to purchase due to territorial restrictions. So frustrated by this, I can’t understand why I am unable to purchase this book.

Agent: Unknown

The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Borrowed a book from the library

Comments: I had every intention of purchasing this books (and the other two books in the series) on my kindle. However, when Random House joined the Agency model, I removed the books from my kindle wish list and am now borrowing them from my library. I won’t buy an ebook if it’s priced at the same MSRP of the MMPB… not when my library has it available to me for free. Random House hasn’t just lost this sale, because I would have purchased all the Shannara books for my kindle if they were priced cheaper… and that’s a LOT of books.

Agent: Unknown

Armegeddon’s Children by Terry Brooks

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Borrowed a book from the library

Comments: I had every intention of purchasing this books (and the other two books in the series) on my kindle. However, when Random House joined the Agency model, I removed the books from my kindle wish list and am now borrowing them from my library. I won’t buy an ebook if it’s priced at the same MSRP of the MMPB… not when my library has it available to me for free. Random House hasn’t just lost this sale, because I would have purchased all the Shannara books for my kindle if they were priced cheaper… and that’s a LOT of books.

Agent: Unknown

The Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Borrowed a book from the library

Comments: I had every intention of purchasing this books (and the other two books in the series) on my kindle. However, when Random House joined the Agency model, I removed the books from my kindle wish list and am now borrowing them from my library. I won’t buy an ebook if it’s priced at the same MSRP of the MMPB… not when my library has it available to me for free. Random House hasn’t just lost this sale, because I would have purchased all the Shannara books for my kindle if they were priced cheaper… and that’s a LOT of books.

Agent: Unknown

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: Amazon.com
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 12.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: I prefer digital because I travel quite a bit and my Kindle is easy to carry, but I won’t pay $12.99 for an ebook I will likely only read once and cannot pass on to someone else. Found a used copy already at my nearby used book store for less than half that. Yes, I’ll have to lug a HB with me, but for the money saved and the option to sell it back to the used store when I’m done, it’s worth the inconvenience.

Agent: Unknown

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: I don’t buy Agency titles because of their high prices. Coupled with the DRM restrictions, they’ve lost a customer.

Agent: Unknown

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Preferred format: Digital
Attempted place of purchase: amazon
Reason for Lost Sale: Price
Price of Lost Sale: 7.99 USD – US Dollar
Country of Lost Sale: United States
What you did instead: Bought a used copy

Comments: I don’t buy Agency titles because of their high prices. Coupled with the DRM restrictions, they’ve lost a customer.

Agent: Unknown