Agama-- Thank you for your reply. I'm happy to hear that the purchases aren't going straight into the device or something... frankly, I don't want the Sony software renaming all my books or any such nonsense!
I tend to have a pretty hard time with software like this, especially iTunes-- it's such a managed experience, and I often find myself wanting to do something a bit outside the lines. Once I've found a good workaround, I'm loathe to give it up!