[delph]

I thought that sideloading simply meant loading the book manually onto the reading device via USB or from your own Calibre server.

I inadvertently skipped picking an option in a couple of the question couplets, though I think overall I answered in the spirit of your intended data points. I'm very much into sideloading (though I managed to skip picking that), for reasons of formatting and investment. If I'm going to pay for an ebook or "buy" a freebie, I want to read it the way I want to read it on my preferred device. I feel a little badly that I genuinely don't care about the time the publisher may have put into making the fonts "just so". It's just more important to me that I can read it comfortably, so I use the font and sizing that I prefer. I also don't want to chance a server going offline or a merchant pulling a title or going out of business.

This is causing me some consternation with regards to digital comics right now. With the exception of special graphic novels, I would prefer to read my comics digitally. There is a means to backup comics purchased from Comixology, and they have DRM-free offerings as well. Unfortunately, Dark Horse doesn't sell through Comixology, and there are a lot of Dark Horse titles that I really want to read. I'm not aquiring them "somewhere else", just simmering about it and not purchasing. Maybe I should tell them that...