Fictionwise has shut down!

[pdurrant]

I think the FAQs got updated a bit for international customers:

Q7: I am a customer who is not based in the United States. What should I do?

We will only be able to provide the transfer option to customers who have a valid credit card with a billing address in the United States and the United Kingdom. If you do not have a valid credit card with a billing address in the United States or the United Kingdom, you should back up your files by downloading any of your past purchases that you are interested in reading in the future. If you haven't done so already, you have until January 31, 2013 to complete this process.

If you are an international customer with a valid credit card with a billing address in the United States and your preferred reading device is a smartphone, then you will be able to download content from your BN.com account the next time you (and your smartphone) are in the United States or the United Kingdom. Please note that as long as you have a valid credit card with a billing address in the United States, you will be able to transfer your Fictionwise.com account to BN.com by January 31, 2013; however, you would have to wait until the next time you and your device are physically in the United States or the United Kingdom before you can download your content to a device. Once your content has been downloaded to your device, you can use that device abroad for your reading pleasure.

[jersysman]

I never even received the original email. Luckily, I did not have that many books to download and deDRM.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by jersysman

I never even received the original email. Luckily, I did not have that many books to download and deDRM.

Same with me, I had less than 50 to download and convert.

[Graham]

Has anyone from the UK received an email yet (who didn't have a US B&N account)?

Graham

[Josieb1]

No I don't think so, I'm in the UK and still waiting. I've sent two support requests to customer services and both have been ignored, I'm pretty much giving up hope that they even care.

[bgalbrecht]

I received a second email with another code on 11/28 and it looks like the rest of my over 2000 ebooks purchased at Fictionwise are now available. I've been able to download several ebooks that I never actually downloaded from FW the first time around because I missed the fact that they didn't get downloaded with the mass downloader until after 4/1/10, and then they weren't available anymore. I had problems with about a dozen books from the first code, and about 4 so far out of 1200 from the second code. I also received an email from eReader.com missing the link.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

I received a second email with another code on 11/28 and it looks like the rest of my over 2000 ebooks purchased at Fictionwise are now available. I've been able to download several ebooks that I never actually downloaded from FW the first time around because I missed the fact that they didn't get downloaded with the mass downloader until after 4/1/10, and then they weren't available anymore. I had problems with about a dozen books from the first code, and about 4 so far out of 1200 from the second code. I also received an email from eReader.com missing the link.

Thanks for letting us know. Good news, I think. I hope they have the problems sorted by the time they get to UK transfers.

[gbm]

Originally Posted by gbm

Did a trial subscription to Asimov's, you need, a NOOK or NOOK For PC, Android, Etc. software to download. Will not let you do a direct download.

Now will have to reset my nook to change the password inorder to download my free trial.


bernie

See this post for some good news about Asimov's.

If somebody else would check and verify this my thanks.

bernie

[salyavin]

Thank you bgalbrecht I hope I the rest of us have similar luck.

gbm that would be great if they are really selling Asimov's DRM free, I may just end up continuing the magazine with B&N if that is so. I got no second email yet so I have not been able to transfer anything yet and cannot test.

[Byrdie]

Do they realize how incredibly stupid that sounds? I am a Canadian customer, therefore my billing address is NOT in the US or UK. In order to get books WHICH I PAID FOR, first I must somehow obtain an American or British credit card with the relevant address. Last time I checked, one had to actually reside in either country to do that. Then, oh joy! -- assuming I can somehow pull off that stunt, I can have my books IF I'm willing to take them in smartphone format only. Hooray for BN, aren't they clever to have come up with such a brilliant plan? OH, BUT WAIT! I cannot simply download them all to this hypothetical smartphone, that would be asking too much. Far easier -- and cheaper, and more environmentally-friendly -- for me to get a passport, get my shots, find a travel assistant whom I must pay expenses for since, being disabled, I cannot travel on my own, then hop on a plane and FLY ALL THE WAY TO THE US OR OVERSEAS TO GREAT BRITAIN IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MY LEGALLY PURCHASED E-BOOKS. Wow, isn't modern technology simply amazing! How on earth did we ever do without the wonders of DRM and the magic of Geo-Blocking?

Thankfully, I have already downloaded and decrapped all my Fictionwise purchases, otherwise that nonsense they are talking would be my only legitimate means of getting access to the books I bought there. BUT, this absolutely guarantees I will never be buying any books from BN, thank you very much. And I have to ask myself, if these publishers insist on making it so difficult, even onerous, to buy and use their content, is it any wonder even the most honest citizens will someday throw up their hands in disgust and say "Pirate Bay here I come!" next time they go on a hunt for Fifty Shades Of ... Whatever the next bestseller happens to be.

Not of course that I would advocate such action. But I can certainly understand the motivation when faced with such inane BS.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by Byrdie

Do they realize how incredibly stupid that sounds? I am a Canadian customer, therefore my billing address is NOT in the US or UK. In order to get books WHICH I PAID FOR, first I must somehow obtain an American or British credit card with the relevant address. Last time I checked, one had to actually reside in either country to do that. Then, oh joy! -- assuming I can somehow pull off that stunt, I can have my books IF I'm willing to take them in smartphone format only. Hooray for BN, aren't they clever to have come up with such a brilliant plan? OH, BUT WAIT! I cannot simply download them all to this hypothetical smartphone, that would be asking too much. Far easier -- and cheaper, and more environmentally-friendly -- for me to get a passport, get my shots, find a travel assistant whom I must pay expenses for since, being disabled, I cannot travel on my own, then hop on a plane and FLY ALL THE WAY TO THE US OR OVERSEAS TO GREAT BRITAIN IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MY LEGALLY PURCHASED E-BOOKS. Wow, isn't modern technology simply amazing! How on earth did we ever do without the wonders of DRM and the magic of Geo-Blocking?

Thankfully, I have already downloaded and decrapped all my Fictionwise purchases, otherwise that nonsense they are talking would be my only legitimate means of getting access to the books I bought there. BUT, this absolutely guarantees I will never be buying any books from BN, thank you very much. And I have to ask myself, if these publishers insist on making it so difficult, even onerous, to buy and use their content, is it any wonder even the most honest citizens will someday throw up their hands in disgust and say "Pirate Bay here I come!" next time they go on a hunt for Fifty Shades Of ... Whatever the next bestseller happens to be.

Not of course that I would advocate such action. But I can certainly understand the motivation when faced with such inane BS.

What a ridiculous rant. You're clearly being given a couple of months more to make sure you've downloaded your books.

Continued access to the books via B&N is a nice-to-have for the countries where they operate, but it is not something they're obliged to give anyone.

Fictionwise's terms and conditions have always made it clear that access to previously purchased books is something that may not continue indefinitely:

After purchasing any downloadable eBook or product from Fictionwise.com, it is the Fictionwise Member's responsibility to download the eBook or product within 1 hour of purchase. ... Please note: Because of the constantly evolving nature of the eBook industry and eBook formats, we do not guarantee that eBooks you purchase from Fictionwise will always be available in the formats that we "currently" support. That is why it is important that you download the eBook in the format of your choice immediately after purchasing.

Fictionwise, however, will make efforts to keep the product listed and available for download in the Fictionwise member's "Bookshelf" for one week, and longer when possible -- but this is not guaranteed.

Graham

[ficbot]

I got the email, even though I am in Canada. The link did not work. But since I am in Canada, I was not assuming it would. I do think it's a little unfair that some people but not others (i.e. the US/UK customers but nobody else) get a free upgrade to epub for all of their books. But I did make sure to download, liberate and convert all my books, so I won't be losing anything. Most of my purchases, I have read anyway (or else decided they were not for me). I wouldn't want to *lose* them. But I won't be. So, while the upgrade would be nice, I am not going to lose sleep over it.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I do think it's a little unfair that some people but not others (i.e. the US/UK customers but nobody else) get a free upgrade to epub for all of their books.

I'd agree with you if this were true. Of the 218 titles I purchased on FW, I got all of 9 titles transferred over; 5 of which were magazines (and oddly, I purchased 24 issues of this magazine on FW). B&N did me no favors.

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by Graham

What a ridiculous rant.

I hesitate to disagree given your unquestionable mastery of ridiculousness, on display below.

You're clearly being given a couple of months more to make sure you've downloaded your books.

Continued access to the books via B&N is a nice-to-have for the countries where they operate, but it is not something they're obliged to give anyone.

Fictionwise's terms and conditions have always made it clear that access to previously purchased books is something that may not continue indefinitely:

Obligation is an interesting thing. It can, for a company that depends on good will for survival, derive from sources other than law. Customers are allowed to complain about slights that are neither breaches of contract nor criminal in nature without being ridiculous. Complaints are a useful way for customers to achieve better treatment in future dealings with similar companies, who may, despite not being required to do so by contract, attend to their customers more carefully than B&N has.

[Byrdie]

Nothing ridiculous about it, that would indeed be the case IF I was not, as you say, being given a couple of months more to make sure I've downloaded my books. And no, B&N is not obliged to give anyone access to their goods but on the other hand, I am not obliged to give them my money. Lots of other shops around that carry the writers I like. Not to mention all the wonderful free sites out there, so I am not going to be stuck for reading material. And like ficbot, I won't be losing any sleep over not being able to buy from BN. Just saying that it strikes me as a really weird way to do business, they must not want to keep all the paying customers they've "inherited" from Fictionwise. Oh well ....

Amazon here I come!