Comments on: I want to exchange my paper books for electronic versions. How about it Kobo?

By: Dslennox

Dslennox — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:36:00 +0000

I agree – I have hundreds of books – and even if I were to receive a 15 to 20% reduction on the price of an ebook by trading in the paper versions, I would be game for transfering a few a week over…

By: Duane Storey

Duane Storey — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:16:26 +0000

I don't think there's a market for some books (i.e., my entire engineering collection, since the versions aren't up to date anymore), but I still would like to own them. I'd love to see a business where you could bring your books in and have them scan the entire thing and turn it into a eBook for you.

By: AramZS

AramZS — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:26:44 +0000

That is a great idea. I have a lot of books that are just too much trouble to haul around and read all the time, but it would be great if they could become Kindle books.

By: Tris Hussey

Tris Hussey — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:52:39 +0000

I know this is a strange thing…why not buy the ebook first. In my case I didn't have an ebook reader then. Buying a paper and e-version combo pack is exactly what Pearson does with their books (therefore mine as well).

The one complication that I can see…the price for used books is pretty paltry. I don't see Chapters, or any other store, taking back books at close to full cover price. Maybe, just maybe, if you got it as a gift and returned it right away, even then, I'm not sure.

Hey, I'd still like to see if Chapters or Kobo would do this even as a promo. “Turn in your paper for eversions from Kobo…” and I think this might be a great way to get more people to use their ereaders more. Here's to hoping!

By: Corinna Carlson

Corinna Carlson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:29:57 +0000

there are books i am always going to want to have the first edition first printing hard cover copies of, in that sense i collect books, but some i want to read but don't care if i own but when im spending the sort of money that books cost i make myself finish every book i read that i've bought. so no matter which eReader i think more books being available on an eBook is fantastic. and being able to trade in ones i've bought for eBooks would rule.

By: davemmett

davemmett — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:01:35 +0000

Hey Tris, I think this is a great idea, but I think a more likely and also better experience would be if bookstores just began offering the epub version of a book along with the physical version (so you get both when you buy either). I know books from O'Reilly currently give you access to the online version for something like 30 days, and hopefully more publishers will adopt a similar practice (but ideally give you a download not timed access).

Similarly, I bought a record recently, and got a code for the MP3s of the songs. CDs don't have to do this because we can easily convert them to digital ourselves.

also, Blink was great, you'll love it when you get a chance to read it.

By: Tris Hussey

Tris Hussey — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 09:56:19 +0000

I'll certainly keep you posted!

By: Danielle K

Danielle K — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:50:34 +0000

I think it is a very interesting idea. I was actually thinking something similar myself. I'm buying and reading books on my iPad now too and was looking for a website/service that allows users to sell books and get credit towards ebooks. I wonder if you can do something along those lines with Amazon? You can sell your books on their site, but they should have a program set up where sellers can have the money directly converted to ebook credits. Let me know if you discover anything along these lines! (@red_pencil)