Kindle and library support

s1mp13m4n · 01-14-2011, 10:48 AM

Hello everyone. My wife and I both have K3s and we love them. My mother just got a B&N Nook yesterday. Her Nook has ePub library support and the Kindle does not. Is there a way as a community that we can let them know at Amazon that we want this feature added to the Kindle? I would love to be able to check out library books.

abookreader · 01-14-2011, 10:56 AM

kindle-feedback@amazon.com

However there are approximately 3 to 10 threads a day about this issue on the Amazon Kindle Forum, plenty more here and I'm pretty sure Amazon well knows the ePub/azw debate backwards and forwards. Jeff Bezos even gave an interview a couple of weeks ago where he talked about why Amazon is holding firm with their proprietary format. I found his tech explanations a little shaky but I did get the clear impression that Amazon really doesn't want to change their focus right now.

By all means send off an email to let Amazon know your opinion - no harm in that. From what I can tell, as of right now Amazon seems to be holding their major market share of eBooks just fine without ePub support. Until that changes I personally don't see them budging on this - it's probably a better business decision for Amazon to not give the #1 digital reading device the ability to buy all their books from places other than Amazon.com

JSWolf · 01-14-2011, 10:58 AM

The only way to get library support is to buy a different reader. Amazon isn't planning in the known future to change to add in ADE/ePub. So if library eBooks are important enough to you, you'll just have to get another reader. The increase in the use of library eBooks and the lack of support in the Kindle line is not going to be good for Amazon in the long run (IMHO).

ProfCrash · 01-14-2011, 12:00 PM

Also try contacting OVerdrive and letting them know that you would like them to provide books using Mobi. Overdrive has some Mobi books and made a decision to stop supporting that format.

ProfCrash · 01-14-2011, 12:03 PM

No it is not. If you are willing to strip DRM you can download library books to a Kindle.

Lets try and skip the moral, legal, ethical debate for once. There are about 9,000 other threads were a person can go and find out that this is a dodgy area and there are different interpritations and no one really knows if it is legal in the US until the Supreme Court says what is legal.

HarryT · 01-14-2011, 12:16 PM

You can strip DRM it's true, but if being able to read library books is high on your priority list, it makes a lot more sense to buy a reader which can read them directly, rather than faffing around with DRM.

Excellent though the Kindle is (and I do think that it is an extremely good reader), this is not where its strengths lie.

grooks · 01-14-2011, 12:16 PM

If Amazon started allowing Adobe DRM ePubs then they would lose out on a lot of sales through their Kindle store. Amazon makes little to no money on Kindle devices but all of their margin is selling Kindle books.

s1mp13m4n · 01-14-2011, 12:44 PM

I did not even think of it that way, DUH on my part. You are right, they are not going to give up there format and open up another way for others to get books for there device. No library books are not that big of deal to me, it is just icing on the cake so to speak. It would be nice to be able to do that, but not necessary. I love my Kindle. They have screensaver and font hacks for the Kindle, so why not a book format hack? LOL

ProfCrash · 01-14-2011, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grooks

If Amazon started allowing Adobe DRM ePubs then they would lose out on a lot of sales through their Kindle store. Amazon makes little to no money on Kindle devices but all of their margin is selling Kindle books.

If BN, Kobo, and Sony started selling Mobi books this wouldn't be a problem. If Overdrive continued using Mobi, something they used to do, this wouldn't be a problem.

Sony is the only one of the well known EReaders that predates the Kindle that did not use Mobi. BN and Kobo came into the market and chose EPub instead of Mobi. Sony, BN, and Kobo all have a DRM on their EPub formated books. BN books cannot be read on a Sony or Kobo without stripping them.

I am sorry but it is not Amazon's fault that the later entries into the field choose a different format. It is not Amazon's fault that Overdrive decided to drop Mobi.

If we are going to complain about formatting issues then people should be compalining about the EPub only stores not selling Mobi as well as Amazon not selling EPub.

abookreader · 01-14-2011, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

I did not even think of it that way, DUH on my part. You are right, they are not going to give up there format and open up another way for others to get books for there device. No library books are not that big of deal to me, it is just icing on the cake so to speak. It would be nice to be able to do that, but not necessary. I love my Kindle. They have screensaver and font hacks for the Kindle, so why not a book format hack? LOL

Google the phrase "Apprentice Alf Blog" and you will find the information on how to get Library Overdrive books onto your Kindle.

Read any of the numerous threads here on how to remove DRM to get the various legal and ethical opinions of those actions.

ProfCrash · 01-14-2011, 01:10 PM

I believe those only work for Mac users. At least when I read them I couldn't find info for PC's

abookreader · 01-14-2011, 01:13 PM

Go look again. Alf has apparently rearranged his blog a bit to try and clear up some of the Mac/PC confusion and he's also trying to add better instructions.

ProfCrash · 01-14-2011, 01:34 PM

Awesome. I checked last week and was very, very confused

abookreader · 01-14-2011, 01:40 PM

Then you are probably a really good test case to see how easy it is to follow his new instructions.

diokdin · 01-14-2011, 02:20 PM

thanks for that abookreader, I get confuse too looking at Apprentice Alf blog.

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01-14-2011, 10:48 AM	#1
s1mp13m4n Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 1278 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Kindle Oasis	Kindle and library support Hello everyone. My wife and I both have K3s and we love them. My mother just got a B&N Nook yesterday. Her Nook has ePub library support and the Kindle does not. Is there a way as a community that we can let them know at Amazon that we want this feature added to the Kindle? I would love to be able to check out library books.

01-14-2011, 10:56 AM	#2
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	kindle-feedback@amazon.com However there are approximately 3 to 10 threads a day about this issue on the Amazon Kindle Forum, plenty more here and I'm pretty sure Amazon well knows the ePub/azw debate backwards and forwards. Jeff Bezos even gave an interview a couple of weeks ago where he talked about why Amazon is holding firm with their proprietary format. I found his tech explanations a little shaky but I did get the clear impression that Amazon really doesn't want to change their focus right now. By all means send off an email to let Amazon know your opinion - no harm in that. From what I can tell, as of right now Amazon seems to be holding their major market share of eBooks just fine without ePub support. Until that changes I personally don't see them budging on this - it's probably a better business decision for Amazon to not give the #1 digital reading device the ability to buy all their books from places other than Amazon.com

01-14-2011, 10:58 AM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,654 Karma: 130140792 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The only way to get library support is to buy a different reader. Amazon isn't planning in the known future to change to add in ADE/ePub. So if library eBooks are important enough to you, you'll just have to get another reader. The increase in the use of library eBooks and the lack of support in the Kindle line is not going to be good for Amazon in the long run (IMHO).

01-14-2011, 12:00 PM	#4
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Also try contacting OVerdrive and letting them know that you would like them to provide books using Mobi. Overdrive has some Mobi books and made a decision to stop supporting that format.

01-14-2011, 12:03 PM	#5
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	No it is not. If you are willing to strip DRM you can download library books to a Kindle. Lets try and skip the moral, legal, ethical debate for once. There are about 9,000 other threads were a person can go and find out that this is a dodgy area and there are different interpritations and no one really knows if it is legal in the US until the Supreme Court says what is legal.

01-14-2011, 12:16 PM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You can strip DRM it's true, but if being able to read library books is high on your priority list, it makes a lot more sense to buy a reader which can read them directly, rather than faffing around with DRM. Excellent though the Kindle is (and I do think that it is an extremely good reader), this is not where its strengths lie.

01-14-2011, 12:16 PM	#7
grooks Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 30250 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Fort Myers, FL Device: Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma	If Amazon started allowing Adobe DRM ePubs then they would lose out on a lot of sales through their Kindle store. Amazon makes little to no money on Kindle devices but all of their margin is selling Kindle books.

01-14-2011, 12:44 PM	#8
s1mp13m4n Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 1278 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Kindle Oasis	I did not even think of it that way, DUH on my part. You are right, they are not going to give up there format and open up another way for others to get books for there device. No library books are not that big of deal to me, it is just icing on the cake so to speak. It would be nice to be able to do that, but not necessary. I love my Kindle. They have screensaver and font hacks for the Kindle, so why not a book format hack? LOL

01-14-2011, 01:10 PM	#11
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I believe those only work for Mac users. At least when I read them I couldn't find info for PC's

01-14-2011, 01:13 PM	#12
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	Go look again. Alf has apparently rearranged his blog a bit to try and clear up some of the Mac/PC confusion and he's also trying to add better instructions.

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01-14-2011, 01:34 PM	#13
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Awesome. I checked last week and was very, very confused

01-14-2011, 01:40 PM	#14
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	Then you are probably a really good test case to see how easy it is to follow his new instructions.

01-14-2011, 02:20 PM	#15
diokdin Groupie Posts: 187 Karma: 46 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: TN, US Device: iPhone 4, Astak EZ Pocket Pro, Kindle 3 3G	thanks for that abookreader, I get confuse too looking at Apprentice Alf blog.