MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - What luck switching print subscriptions to digital?

Steven Lyle Jordan · 02-11-2011, 11:50 AM

I just thought I'd provide my own update on the print-to-digital subscription transition process (hereinafter referred to as P2DSTP).

I had 3 subscriptions I wanted to transfer. The second process was the easiest, because I didn't have to go through B&N: Home Power Magazine offers PDFs of their mags through their website, released at the same time as the print versions, and available to subscribers of the print magazine as well as digital-only subscribers. I emailed first, and received no response; but calling was easy. The woman I spoke to canceled my subscription, saw how much of the money I'd paid for the subscription was left , and used that to pay for the equivalent in digital subscriptions (in this case, 4 years).

The first, Popular Science, was a bit more involved: I logged onto the PS site through the Renew My Subscription, and left a message to Customer Support to cancel my subscription. Once I received an email confirmation, I went to B&N and subscribed to the mag through their site.

I also get Scientific American, but at the moment their digital magazine is "in transition," and not available. I'll have to wait and see if they get onto B&N, or offer the digital version directly from their site.

It seems no publisher I've seen will manage the B&N subscriptions through their site, and B&N will not handle the transition; you'll have to cancel at the publisher's end, then sign up at B&N's end. The additional problem with this seems to be that if the publisher's site has exclusive content for subscribers, you may lose access to it when you cancel and go to B&N. If, however, the publisher offers up their own magazines in PDF or ePub, you might be better off getting it from them as opposed to B&N.

02-11-2011, 11:50 AM	#18
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Progress update I just thought I'd provide my own update on the print-to-digital subscription transition process (hereinafter referred to as P2DSTP). I had 3 subscriptions I wanted to transfer. The second process was the easiest, because I didn't have to go through B&N: Home Power Magazine offers PDFs of their mags through their website, released at the same time as the print versions, and available to subscribers of the print magazine as well as digital-only subscribers. I emailed first, and received no response; but calling was easy. The woman I spoke to canceled my subscription, saw how much of the money I'd paid for the subscription was left , and used that to pay for the equivalent in digital subscriptions (in this case, 4 years). The first, Popular Science, was a bit more involved: I logged onto the PS site through the Renew My Subscription, and left a message to Customer Support to cancel my subscription. Once I received an email confirmation, I went to B&N and subscribed to the mag through their site. I also get Scientific American, but at the moment their digital magazine is "in transition," and not available. I'll have to wait and see if they get onto B&N, or offer the digital version directly from their site. It seems no publisher I've seen will manage the B&N subscriptions through their site, and B&N will not handle the transition; you'll have to cancel at the publisher's end, then sign up at B&N's end. The additional problem with this seems to be that if the publisher's site has exclusive content for subscribers, you may lose access to it when you cancel and go to B&N. If, however, the publisher offers up their own magazines in PDF or ePub, you might be better off getting it from them as opposed to B&N.