Thinking of getting a Nexus 7. Do the ebooks get released at the same time as the hardbacks or paperbacks.
Can you get eBooks 2nd hand?
1. Sometimes. Generally more expensive than the hardback due to VAT, though depends on whether the publisher has an enlightened attitude.
2. No. However, some local libraries will "lend" them, and they delete themselves automatically after a few weeks.
Kindle books can easily be de-DRM'd and kept forever. Bear in mind that technically you're only renting them, but this way you can have them on anything you want in any format, and share them between a family.
The Nexus 7 is fantastic for eBooks - sure, the Kindle Paperwhite might be slightly better on the eyes, but it's not as versatile. I have a 16GB WiFi Nexus 7 for sale if you're interested (not needed now I have to carry around the ****in' work iPad.)
Before you buy ebooks visit [url= http://bookos.org/ ]bookos[/url] which indexes free ebooks and scientific articles and [url= http://www.gutenberg.org/ ]project gutenberg[/url] which is probably the best place on the internet as it is full of every classic book ever. There is enough to read on two places that you could never buy a book again.
By and large ebooks get released at the same time as the HB (if there is one), the ebook will then generally drop in price just before the PB is released. It all depends on the the digital rights situation. Would dispute that the ebooks are more expensive the physical though. It's a complicated situation, but nowadays the selling price is often set by the retailer.
...and on 'official' 2nd hand ebooks, you can't just now. However it's not outwith the realms of possibility that it could happen eventually, though it would require some very big changes in the industry. Though as Flaperon says, things can be de-DRM'd. Which is naughty.
How much Flaperon? my email's michaeldwilsonAThotmailDOTcoDOTuk