Paperback or ebooks?

[Montero]

I have been annoyed by Amazon messaging me on my Android to say "hey, haven't you done a lot of reading this month!"
Mind your own ***** business.

Where I can I buy eBooks from Smashwords.

 

[Vertigo]

I have been annoyed by Amazon messaging me on my Android to say "hey, haven't you done a lot of reading this month!"
Mind your own ***** business.

Where I can I buy eBooks from Smashwords.

I now buy the majority of mine from Kobo. In my last batch of buying (about 25 books) all bar two were either cheaper or the same price as Amazon. Of those two one wasn't available on Kobo and the other was on a special offer at Amazon. So nowadays I'm very pleased to say I hardly buy any from Amazon.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I have been annoyed by Amazon messaging me on my Android to say "hey, haven't you done a lot of reading this month!"
Mind your own ***** business.

Where I can I buy eBooks from Smashwords.

I have had just the same situation, and I occasionally look at my kindle app where I put my free books for future reading.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I doubt I will ever switch reading physical media for digital. I think my collection of around about 100 books is just right, and the only possible additions are the occasional Steven King, Bernard Cornwell and CJ Sansom novels - and GRR Martin when he finally releases the end of his story.

 

[Montero]

@Vertigo - huh, hadn't realised you could buy on Kobo in the UK.

Must see if there is an app for my Android, or if ReadEra will just cope with Kobo.

Do you get to keep the copy like with Smashwords? As in you download the file and it isn't something they can track you on?

 

[Vertigo]

@Vertigo - huh, hadn't realised you could buy on Kobo in the UK.

Must see if there is an app for my Android, or if ReadEra will just cope with Kobo.

Do you get to keep the copy like with Smashwords? As in you download the file and it isn't something they can track you on?

Yes I've been buying from them for years; they took over W H Smiths' customers when they dropped out of the ebook market, and I now have bought a Kobo reader (in the UK again). However I don't synch my Kobo reader but download and the side load to the reader.

So you can either sync your kobo reader or, like me, download the file.

However it does this for all DRM books by downloading to Adobe Digital Editions (just like Amazon either synchs to a kindle or downloads to Kindle for PC). I then copy the file out into my own database and strip the DRM and then convert it so I have DRM free copies in both epub and mobi (for kindle) formats. Some books such as Tor books do not have DRM and those download as unsecured epubs.

Note if you are reading on a kindle then you will need to strip the DRM and convert to Mobi as I'm pretty sure they only supply in epub format.

If you have Calibre then all this is very easy once set up! ( I can probably help!)

 

[Montero]

Thanks for the offer of help.
What I am doing at present is using ReadEra on Android and that copes with ePub. I read on my Android phone in either Kindle app, or ReadEra app - ReadEra copes fine with what I download from Smashwords in terms of ePub and in fact Mobi - but not of course DRM mobi.

I started to read Kobo's terms and conditions today and they said that if you have downloaded more than 15 eBooks, they delete the oldest when they download the next one. You clearly don't have that happening to you......

 

[Valtharius]

I'm a traditionalist; I prefer clay tablets.

 

[Vertigo]

Thanks for the offer of help.
What I am doing at present is using ReadEra on Android and that copes with ePub. I read on my Android phone in either Kindle app, or ReadEra app - ReadEra copes fine with what I download from Smashwords in terms of ePub and in fact Mobi - but not of course DRM mobi.

I started to read Kobo's terms and conditions today and they said that if you have downloaded more than 15 eBooks, they delete the oldest when they download the next one. You clearly don't have that happening to you......

I have a little less than 100 books online with them going back to 2018 which is probably about when I started getting stuff from them (prior to that they weren't competitive pricewise). But actually it doesn't bother me as I don't trust online stores to hold me books indefinitely anyway. There have been at least two gone out of existence already where I would have lost all books bought with them. So I keep all mine in a local database.

You should be aware that, other than one or two publishers like Tor, all Kobo epub books are DRM protected. Can you register ReadEra as you epub reader? I would advise trying one very cheap book first to be sure you can manage it okay.

 

[Montero]

I have a little less than 100 books online with them going back to 2018 which is probably about when I started getting stuff from them (prior to that they weren't competitive pricewise). But actually it doesn't bother me as I don't trust online stores to hold me books indefinitely anyway. There have been at least two gone out of existence already where I would have lost all books bought with them. So I keep all mine in a local database.

You should be aware that, other than one or two publishers like Tor, all Kobo epub books are DRM protected. Can you register ReadEra as you epub reader? I would advise trying one very cheap book first to be sure you can manage it okay.

OK ,thanks. What do you mean by can you register ReadEra as your ePub reader?

And what sort of local database are you using? As in software?

My only non-kindle experience is Smashwords and they email you individual files, or you download them, one or more per book (if you choose several formats) that opens on whatever reader you choose that is compatible.

 

[Vertigo]

OK ,thanks. What do you mean by can you register ReadEra as your ePub reader?

And what sort of local database are you using? As in software?

My only non-kindle experience is Smashwords and they email you individual files, or you download them, one or more per book (if you choose several formats) that opens on whatever reader you choose that is compatible.

Just like with the Kindle AZW ebooks traditionally published epub books all come with DRM. This means that they can only be read on a device/app that has been registered with the vendor. With Amazon I think you can register the Kindle phone app, the Kindle computer app and a Kindle reader. Not sure what the limit is but you can't take your ebook and just load it onto anyone else's reader.

There are exceptions to this; for example Tor do not DRM their ebooks (well done them!!!) and I think most non-Amazon self published books don't DRM their ebooks. So I don't think SmashWords DRM theirs.

Personally I think the whole DRM thing is an invasion of personal liberties. So, for example, if I have a Kindle and buy loads of ebooks (remember you don't own them; you have only purchased a (non-inheritable) licence to use/read them) and then decide to buy a Kobo (different format) there is no way I can get any of those AZW Amazon books onto my new Kobo without some slightly dodgy practice. I consider this to be an immoral monopoly. The only way around this is to strip the DRM from your books so they can be converted to a different format.

The easiest way to do this is with an ebook database program like Calibre (freeware) and then using a plugin which can strip the DRM allowing Calibre to convert to many different formats including ePub, mobi, pdf, rtf etc. This is easy to do once set up but not so easy to set up initially. Also worth noting that this practice is a slightly grey area legally but, so long as you don't go giving them away, is, I believe, morally more sound than the DRM practice in the first place. Which Tor, at least, seem to agree with. I think it is less grey and more specifically illegal in the US.

 

[Montero]

Thanks.

 

[therapist]

I just bought a kobo. I think it is superior software to the kindle: larger screen, physical page turning buttons, nightmode options. But it was quite a struggle converting books across. Needed to download Calibre, 'dedrm' plugin and a plugin that allows Calibre to read Kindle's latest AZW format.

 

[Vertigo]

I just bought a kobo. I think it is superior software to the kindle: larger screen, physical page turning buttons, nightmode options. But it was quite a struggle converting books across. Needed to download Calibre, 'dedrm' plugin and a plugin that allows Calibre to read Kindle's latest AZW format.

Yes that's exactly what's needed and your situation is precisely why I consider the whole thing to be morally indefensible. If you had a Sony CD player you would reasonably expect your CDs to work in both the Sony player and, say, a Toshiba player but it seems that's an unreasonable expectation for book readers.

And yes it's a pain and probably just about impossible for people with no tech experience at this level. However once set up it's very easy. Do watch out, though, as you need your registered copy of the Kindle app on your computer for it to work and Amazon keep trying to block this mechanism. I would strongly recommend you try to block the kindle app from auto updating as the de-drm process can stop working until the Calibre plugin folk put together yet another work around.

 

[Parson]

Yes that's exactly what's needed and your situation is precisely why I consider the whole thing to be morally indefensible. If you had a Sony CD player you would reasonably expect your CDs to work in both the Sony player and, say, a Toshiba player but it seems that's an unreasonable expectation for book readers.

And yes it's a pain and probably just about impossible for people with no tech experience at this level. However once set up it's very easy. Do watch out, though, as you need your registered copy of the Kindle app on your computer for it to work and Amazon keep trying to block this mechanism. I would strongly recommend you try to block the kindle app from auto updating as the de-drm process can stop working until the Calibre plugin folk put together yet another work around.

I think you make some very good points here. I am reminded of Apple and how they are always making exclusive software and hardware. They refuse to share and make it prohibitive for others to use their platform. It irks me a lot that Apple trades a lot on snob appeal. But I would bet that Kindle sees Apple as their model because they see themselves as the supplier of both the hardware and the software in the ebook business. Why share when there is money to be made and you have the clout to make competition really hard to impossible?

 

[AlexH]

I just bought a kobo. I think it is superior software to the kindle: larger screen, physical page turning buttons, nightmode options. But it was quite a struggle converting books across. Needed to download Calibre, 'dedrm' plugin and a plugin that allows Calibre to read Kindle's latest AZW format.

Kobo have a shop too. Most ebooks I buy are available from Kobo.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I totally cheat! TOTALLY!!!

I have an app on my phone called AIReader.

It does text to speech from epub files and other formats. The computer voice was rather annoying when I started using it but I am mostly used to it.

I prefer audio books but they cost too much.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I guess that last post was too short. Had to rush out.

Anyway obviously I can drive or walk down the street while reading which the normal use of an e-book or paperback would not allow.

This would have been so great when I was in high school. I used to walk 6 blocks. Up hill both ways of course. With Project Gutenberg I could get The Classics like The Scarlet Letter for free and listen to them to and from school. Why is there so much bitching about schools? I wonder if teachers and administrators know what to do with this tech.

Of course there is so much sci-fi better than The Scarlet Letter. Some years ago I met a high school teacher the tried to get kids to read Harry Potter but didn't know a meter from a kilometer. There is stuff by Isaac Asimov about atomic power in Project Gutenberg. Of course it is from the 60s but the atoms still work the same way, don't they?

AIReader does have a problem with abbreviations though. Dr. comes out as drive instead of doctor and St. as street instead of saint. I have tried posting on a Mobile devices website about this but no response. You would think there was an adjustment in settings but NO.

Anyway e-books win.

 

[Dataisthefuture]

I prefer ebooks that way when I am done reading one book I can start on another one right away. Especially if it is a series.plus it takes up less room too

 

[Mon0Zer0]

I just bought a kobo. I think it is superior software to the kindle: larger screen, physical page turning buttons, nightmode options. But it was quite a struggle converting books across. Needed to download Calibre, 'dedrm' plugin and a plugin that allows Calibre to read Kindle's latest AZW format.

What's the screen like on the Kobo? You can just load epubs directly into it?

Personally, I'll always prefer a paper book - I find that I read more attentively when I know there's just one text in front of me without feeling that I should be reading ten others at the same time. My mum has a kindle which I have a few books on, but I just haven't started them yet.

Having said that, I am beginning to rue having every space taken up by books!