Review of Fictionwise – On-line Bookstore

Fictionwise.com is an on-line bookstore that only sells electronic books.

They’re my favourite on-line e-bookstore, which makes me a tad biased, so let me start with the (few) negatives I find about the site:

1) The appearance and interface are clunky.

The site looks a bit like a couple of hackers got together and came up with the idea over a couple of beers one weekend. While the site works flawlessly, and has never been down in the entire time I’ve been shopping there, the graphics and layout just look…messy. Like guys who care more for cool code have slapped together something that works.

At the same time, that down-home well-used look makes you feel like you’ve arrived somewhere where the product itself (stories!) is more important than the up-sell extras they can tack on when you check out.

2) The description of the books themselves is limited.

This one is a real gripe. I’ve been spoiled by Amazon, and from being able to access reader reviews and whole chapters on authors’ sites. I like to be able to look at the cover image up close and big. And I like to be able to comb through content pages (for non-fiction).

In fact, I often float over to Amazon to check out the paper version’s blurb, content, and reader reviews, before making my final selection at Fictionwise.com. And I’ve filled in every survey Fictionwise ever ask me to fill in, and belly-ached about the lack of content guidance on the site.

However, I would much rather give Fictionwise my money, and get the pixel version. Primarily, I prefer to read pixels instead of paper, but the other biggy is the reason Fictionwise remains my favourite on-line bookstore. So, on to the positives:

1) The best loyalty program in the world.

Fictionwise uses “Micropay dollars” – for each book you buy, you get a certain number of micropay points. You can also buy points (so that you don’t have to use your credit card to buy a 49 cent short story, for instance). And you can use the Micropay Dollars to buy books. So as you buy more and more books, you get more and more free books into the bargain. It’s highly addictive, let me warn you!

2) You can buy short stories on Fictionwise.com.

Amazon are only slowly getting into this idea, but Fictionwise have been doing it forever. You can buy a single, stand-alone short story for pennies, and be reading it in seconds.

3) They’re heavy on fiction.

I guess, with a name like “Fictionwise”, they’d have to be.  But they do carry a surprising range of non-fiction.  When it comes to fiction, though…

All the genres are represented. And all the major New York houses sell their books through Fictionwise (which is surely one of the best thumbs-up an on-line bookstore can get!).

In addition to all the New York houses, Fictionwise stock books from almost every small publisher, POD publisher and electronic publisher the world over. So their range of books is distinctly different from Amazon. If you’re looking for something new to read, Fictionwise might be a good place to start.

4) They have a unique security system.

It’s mind bogglingly simple. In order to unlock your secure e-book, you have to plug in your credit card number. There’s no way you’re going to give anyone else a copy of that book, if you have to hand over your credit card number for them to read it!

Simple. Brilliant.

I’m happy to buy from them because they’re supporting (very, very indirectly) the longevity of my career.

5) Fictionwise recently bought out eReader.com.

eReader.com is the “other” electronic bookstore, that used to be owned by Palm (who make the Palm Pilots). Fictionwise recently bought the store out, and are running it in tandem with Fictionwise, proving that they’re a sound business, and aren’t going to fold up overnight.

6) They let me store all my electronic books on their website.

It’s permanent storage, accessible from anywhere, and there’s functions that let you bulk download all your books in one hit, if you want. You can also arrange, re-arrange, sort and filter the display of your books, and search your books, too.

7) Their wishlist/shopping cart work together well.

The wishlist and shopping cart talk to each other, and draw on your Micropay balance, so you can add and subtract books from your cart, pull from your wishlist, select which books to use Micropay for…you can manipulate every facet, then say “buy” and everything is taken care of. Much more user friendly than Amazon!

Great special deals, especially if you’re on the mailing list.

Fictionwise send you a notice if any books in the categories you select are added to the shelves. They also send out a weekly notices of all new releases, and a Friday “weekend special”. All the newsletters have general discounts and specials, and they also have discounts especially priced for you and your tastes in fiction.

And you don’t have to remember any of them. When you go to check out, your library shelf has a listing of all current discounts and specials, and you can check off which ones you want to use as you hit “buy”.

For all these reasons and more, Fictionwise is my preferred on-line bookstore. I confess that Fictionwise is one of the major reasons I prefer to read electronically. Fictionwise caters to impulse buying; if you have enough micropay dollars stashed away, you can pay nothing and be reading inside 60 seconds. You don’t even have to drive home or take the book out of the bag.

For a fiction freak, that’s a major plus.

First appeared on Stories Rule! on August 17, 2008

_____________

Tracy Cooper-Posey © 2008. Cannot be copied or distributed without permission, or without this copyright notice attached.