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Originally Posted by Stensie4JC
I know the forums are for questions, but I need a road map. This ereader thing is complicated. I just want a to buy a gadget and then put some books on it. Color me conservative, but I'd actually prefer to pay for copyrighted/non-public domain materials I read...I want the good karma, I still plan on publishing my opus some day and then retiring on an island. There's different software and different book formats, and the mysterious DRM. I know what it means, and sort of what it does, but I don't really know how it will impact me. I'd like to have my books on my device but also backed up on my computer because, well, sometimes I drop things in toilets or swimming pools and my cell phone once took a trip through the washing machine. I'd hate to invest in a library and then lose it if I lost the device. I'd like to use a bookstore(s) that is available abroad, specifically in China, the land of censorship. Is there a specific thread or forum someone could point to for a beginner?
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That's the thing about DRM, you can't have both. To publishers, that's the same as owning 2 physical books and they think you should pay for both copies. If you purchase a book in a specific format (I'll use .lrf since I have a Sony 700 and much about other devices), you are stuck with that format and can only read it on a device made to read .lrf files. If you own multiple readers like I do which are not format compatible, you cannot transfer your newly purchased ebook from one unit to the other. However if you use an online ebook source that sells books in DRMed .lit format, there is a way to strip the drm called Convertlit. Once you've done that, there is software out there that can convert the deDRMed lit file to a format that you can use on your reader (you can google both the convertlit and conversion software if you are interested -as you can with software to strip drm from mobi and ereader formats). Publishers (and the US government, actually) think this is wrong, even though you've legally purchased the book and have no intention of sharing the file with anyone (and even though you can share a paper book
). The whole thing IS complicated and a nuisance. There are a number of threads here at MR that discuss this very subject. The majority of people are not trying to steal from the publisher or take anything away from the author, they just want the freedom and flexibility to read their purchased ebook on whatever device they own. Also, knowing the nature of technology and digital storage, I would like to be able to back up my ebooks for the day when my hard disk crashes, my reading device implodes or the server where I purchased the ebook decides to break it's contract with the ebook store and no longer allow you to download the ebook in your reader's required format (this has happened with Fictionwise.com). I, for one, wouldn't care about the DRM if there was one standardized format that could be read on all readers. But since the ebook industry is still in it's infancy, I have a feeling we will be waiting a while.
I hope all this information helps a little and doesn't confuse you more. DRM tends to be a sore spot with most people here at MR (on both sides of the argument).
