Comparing the eBook Stores 2 comments
I’ve done a few price and availability comparisons of ebooks at the various ebook stores before with a handful of titles, but thought it would be useful to do a comparison with a larger sample. After all, the content provider for a particular ereader is a feature that definitely needs to be considered when choosing which ebook reader you will buy, especially if the ebook reader in question is primarily confined to one provider for DRM’ed ebooks.
Choosing the Books
First of all I went to Borders and made a list of 110 books. I chose Borders as they do not apparently sell ebooks (not in the U.S. anyway) and I didn’t want to know in advance if a paper book was also available as an ebook when I compiled my list. I tried to stay away from very new books, as most ebook stores make a point of selling current bestsellers for $9.99. Therefore, you will not find The Lost Symbol on my list, but Angels and Demons is there. I chose paperback versions in all but a very few cases where they were not available.
My list totals 110 books, of which 34 are non-fiction and 76 are fiction. The non-fiction selection contains no textbooks, but rather is made up mostly of history and science titles that might appeal to the general reader.
The eBook Stores
The ebook stores that I used for the comparison were the Sony eBook Store, the Kindle Store, Barnes and Noble and Shortcovers. The big three because they each support their own ereaders; Shortcovers I added because I have noticed a few titles had very good prices in past searches.
So how many of the 110 paper books on my list were available as ebooks?
| Kindle Store | Sony eBook Store | Barnes and Noble eBook Store | Shortcovers |
| 81 | 72 | 65 | 50 |
I already knew that Shortcovers offers fewer titles; I included them because I wanted to see how well they hold up on price across a basket of books. I was somewhat surprised that Barnes and Noble had just over 20% less ebooks available than Kindle. After all, it’s not as if a lot of the books on my list are obscure titles; many are by popular authors. If Barnes and Noble’s new nook ebook reader is going to “kill” the Kindle I think they are going to want to stock up with some more ammunition.
Comparing Prices
The chart below shows how much it would cost in total to purchase all of the 66 ebooks available in common at the Kindle, Sony and Barnes and Noble ebook stores. I have also included the paper book cost from Borders.
| Kindle Store | Sony eBook Store | Barnes and Noble eBook Store | Borders (Paper) |
| $530.30 | $659.25 | $677.74 | $775.37 |
Since Shortcovers has a smaller basket of ebooks than the other 3 stores, I do a separate comparison with the 51 ebooks that they have in common with the rest.
| Kindle Store | Sony eBook Store | Barnes and Noble eBook Store | Shortcovers | Borders (Paper) |
| $413.70 | $515.02 | $534.07 | $453.17 | $609.67 |
Conclusions
The Kindle Store is obviously the winner, both in number of titles and prices. In the first group of 66 books you would have saved enough buying Kindle vs. paper books to almost pay for your Kindle.
Sony and Barnes and Noble come in 2nd and 3rd place respectively, until you throw Shortcovers into the mix that is. Actually the prices on Shortcovers were all over the place – from slightly cheaper than Kindle to more expensive than any of the other stores. Also, one of the books on my list The Angel Experiment by James Patterson was free everywhere except Shortcovers where it was $8.79.
If your ereader supports Adobe Digital Editions it would probably be a good idea to check Shortcovers’ price on any title you plan to buy as you will probably find some bargains.
Update: For brevity’s sake I didn’t want to include the list of books I used for my sample here. Instead I tried to put it elsewhere and link to it. When I tested the link it seemed to be working, but I found out later that it in fact wasn’t – sorry about that. So I am adding it below.
A couple of notes: Putting together this list was quite tedious and most of it was done late at night. I tried to put myself in the place of a new ereader owner and not be influenced by what I already knew about which titles were or were not available as ebooks. Perhaps I got a bit too much in character and included a couple of books by John Grisham who doesn’t release his books as ebooks yet. After I realized my mistake I decided to leave these in the list as a new ereader owner may very well not realize this either. Also I threw one title out of the list: The Stand by Stephen King. This ebook sells for $15.00 (I think it was cheaper when I made my list) in the Kindle Store, $17.50 at the Sony Store and $40.00 at Barnes and Noble. Sony and B&N label this clearly as the “Complete and Uncut” version, while there are indications that the Kindle version is as well, but I couldn’t be 100% sure. Also I wasn’t looking for one title with such a huge price difference to skew the results.
My book list follows:
| Book Title and Auther | Kindle Store | Sony eBook Store | Barnes & Noble | ShortCovers | Borders Paper |
| A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking | $11.97 | $12.60 | $17.60 | $12.59 | $22.00 |
| A Case of Two Cities by Qiu Xiaolong | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $13.95 |
| Dirty Job by Christopher Moore | $8.76 | $9.85 | $8.76 | $8.32 | $13.95 |
| A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present by Howard Zinn | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $18.95 |
| A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini | $9.99 | $9.99 | $12.80 | N/A | $14.40 |
| Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx | $9.99 | $10.50 | $12.00 | $9.11 | $15.00 |
| Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $18.00 |
| Angels & Demons by Dan Brown | $7.99 | $8.99 | $9.99 | $7.50 | $9.99 |
| Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $13.00 |
| Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden | $7.99 | $9.90 | N/A | N/A | $13.95 |
| Black Holes and Baby Universes by Stephen Hawking | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $18.00 |
| Blasphemy by Douglas Preston | $9.99 | $12.60 | $11.20 | N/A | $9.99 |
| Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell | $6.39 | $8.99 | $7.99 | N/A | $7.99 |
| Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space by Chan Kim | $12.76 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $29.95 |
| Breaking Blue by Timothy Egan | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $15.95 |
| Brisingr Deluxe Edition by Christopher Paolini | $14.52 | $16.49 | $14.99 | $17.99 | $21.95 |
| C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton | $7.99 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond | $9.40 | $11.90 | $13.60 | N/A | $18.00 |
| Coraline by Neil Gaiman | $5.99 | $11.69 | $10.39 | N/A | $6.99 |
| Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman | $6.99 | $13.49 | $11.99 | $5.59 | $7.99 |
| Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison | $7.99 | $13.49 | $11.99 | $5.87 | $7.99 |
| Deep Storm by Lincoln Child | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.07 | $7.99 |
| Digital Fortress by Dan Brown | $9.99 | $12.60 | N/A | N/A | $9.99 |
| Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon | $7.19 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $7.19 | $8.99 |
| Duma Key by Stephen King | $7.99 | $8.99 | $7.99 | $7.59 | $9.99 |
| East of the Mountains by David Guterson | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $13.95 |
| Eragon by Christopher Paolini | $6.99 | $9.86 | $8.76 | $8.79 | $7.99 |
| Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins | $9.99 | $12.60 | $11.20 | $11.19 | $14.00 |
| Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins | $9.99 | $12.60 | $12.00 | $9.49 | $15.00 |
| Forever Odd by Dean Koontz | $5.15 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard | $6.00 | $7.12 | $7.50 | $11.99 | $7.99 |
| God and the Astronomers by Robert Jastrow | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $12.95 |
| Godel, Escher, Back: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $22.95 |
| Gone by Jonathan Kellerman | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $14.99 |
| Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane | $6.39 | $7.59 | $11.99 | $6.71 | $7.99 |
| Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $20.00 |
| Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond | $9.99 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $17.95 |
| H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O’Brian | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $14.95 |
| Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris | $7.19 | $8.54 | $7.19 | $7.19 | $8.99 |
| Hyperspace by Michio Kaku | $8.70 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $16.00 |
| Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $19.95 |
| In Our Image: America’s Empire in the Philippines by Stanley Karnow | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $27.00 |
| Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| Kiss the Girls by James Patterson | $7.99 | $13.49 | $9.99 | $11.99 | $7.99 |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris | $9.99 | $13.49 | $9.99 | $11.99 | $14.99 |
| Microcosm: E. Coli and the New Science of Life by Carl Zimmer | $9.99 | $18.77 | $20.76 | $10.49 | $15.00 |
| Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson | $7.99 | N/A | $9.99 | N/A | $7.99 |
| Mr. Muo’s Travelling Couch by Sijie Dai | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $13.95 |
| Mystic River by Dennis Lehane | $6.39 | $7.59 | $11.99 | N/A | $7.99 |
| Naked Prey by John Sandford | $7.59 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $7.99 | $9.99 |
| No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy | $9.99 | $10.50 | $12.00 | $9.49 | $14.00 |
| Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood | $9.99 | $13.46 | $11.96 | N/A | $14.95 |
| Pagan Babies by Elmore Leonard | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | N/A | $7.99 |
| Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton | $7.19 | $8.54 | $7.99 | $7.19 | $8.99 |
| Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku | $9.99 | $11.17 | $12.76 | $11.19 | $16.00 |
| Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer | $9.99 | $11.17 | $12.76 | $9.59 | $15.95 |
| Post Captain by Patrick O’Brian | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $14.95 |
| Red Giants and White Dwarfs by Robert Jastrow | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $13.95 |
| Relic by Douglas Preston | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| Right as Rain by George Pelecanos | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $5.99 | $7.99 |
| Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William Shirer | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $29.99 |
| S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| Shadow Prey by John Sandford | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie | $9.99 | $13.46 | $11.96 | $11.99 | $14.95 |
| Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson | $9.99 | $10.50 | $12.00 | $10.49 | $15.00 |
| Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $14.95 |
| Summer Knight by Jim Butcher | $6.39 | $7.59 | $6.99 | N/A | $7.99 |
| Talking God by Tony Hillerman | $5.59 | $6.64 | $11.99 | $11.99 | $7.99 |
| The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho | $6.39 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $6.07 | $13.49 |
| The Angel Experiment by James Patterson | Free | Free | Free | $8.79 | $7.99 |
| The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nicholas Taleb | $9.99 | $9.99 | N/A | N/A | $28.00 |
| The Book Thief by Markus Zusak | $8.63 | $10.79 | $9.59 | N/A | $10.97 |
| The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson | $9.99 | $10.50 | $12.00 | $10.49 | $15.00 |
| The Discoverers by Daniel Boorstin | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $18.95 |
| The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene | $9.99 | $13.96 | N/A | N/A | $15.95 |
| The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson | $7.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $10.47 |
| The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins | $8.30 | $9.99 | N/A | N/A | $14.35 |
| The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman | $9.99 | $12.59 | $14.39 | $10.49 | $14.39 |
| The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood | $3.95 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $14.95 |
| The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $21.95 |
| The Host by Stephenie Meyer | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $25.99 |
| The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini | $9.08 | $9.99 | $11.20 | N/A | $13.50 |
| The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell | $7.99 | $7.59 | $7.99 | N/A | $9.99 |
| The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman | $7.99 | $8.99 | $7.99 | $7.99 | $9.99 |
| The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos | $7.50 | $13.49 | $11.99 | $5.99 | $7.50 |
| The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.99 | $6.39 | $7.99 |
| The Parallax View by Slavoj Zizek | $9.99 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $14.95 |
| The Pelican Brief by John Grisham | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $15.00 |
| The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $22.00 |
| The Reef by Nora Roberts | $6.39 | $7.59 | $7.50 | $6.39 | $15.00 |
| The Road by Cormac McCarthy | $7.99 | $9.99 | $11.96 | $11.99 | $13.45 |
| The Seekers by Daniel Boorstin | $9.99 | $11.17 | $12.76 | $11.19 | $15.95 |
| The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins | $9.95 | $11.30 | N/A | N/A | $19.95 |
| The Shipping News by Annie Proulx | $9.99 | $11.20 | $12.80 | $9.49 | $16.00 |
| The Street Lawyer by John Grisham | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson | $7.99 | $12.60 | N/A | N/A | $7.99 |
| The World Without Us by Alan Weisman | $9.99 | $10.50 | $9.99 | N/A | $15.00 |
| The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan | $9.99 | $13.45 | N/A | N/A | $13.45 |
| Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin | $9.99 | $13.96 | $9.99 | N/A | $19.95 |
| Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $21.00 |
| Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen | $9.99 | $9.99 | N/A | N/A | $13.95 |
| When Red Is Black by Qiu Xiaolong | $9.99 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $13.00 |
| You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore | $8.76 | $9.85 | $8.76 | $8.79 | $13.95 |
| Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin | $9.86 | $9.99 | $11.16 | $10.35 | $13.95 |
| Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $12.95 |
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2 Responses to 'Comparing the eBook Stores'
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Thanks! Very good point about sales tax on B&N’s ebooks – it does make them even more expensive. I was also hoping for Kindle 3 to show up soon, but I now think it may be at least a few months away. Hope I’m wrong about that.
I noticed you reference the sales tax to purchase the nook device….you and your readers should also be aware that tax is also charged for the ebooks themselves (found this out on the B & N ebook bookclub forum)….so when you did you price comparison chart (I did one for myself to help decide between Kindle 2 and nook), you might want to add in tax….for me to replace my dead tree library in ebook format and to add the 3 new titles I want right now, it would be a price difference of $305 from Amazon vs B&N due to B&N charging more to start with and tax….with a $20 price between hardware…I could get my husband a second device and still have $ left over….I want to love nook and I’m still pre-ordered, but I’m waivering really fast….I also have a feeling that Amazon will release a new version soon that will address and hardware differences