where to buy books

ArcAngel · 01-03-2011, 12:26 AM

hello, i am a college students and book prices are just killing me so i got the Sony Ereader 600 series but im going crazy trying to find the right books and finally i found them but im getting mixed reports on whether they will work on my Sony or not so my question is will amazon Ebooks, Barnes and Noble Ebooks, or borders Ebooks work if i buy them
or if its possible is there a list somewhere of all the places that work

i know

Google Ebooks work

and Barnes and Nobles do well the free ones at least i don't wanna waste money if they don't work

KenJackson · 01-03-2011, 01:13 AM

There's a million places to buy eBooks.

Amazon definitely does not work with Sony Readers. (Unless you strip the DRM and convert the format to EPUB or another format Sony can read.)

Unfortunately, B&N might be the one bad choice for the EPUB and the Sony Reader, according to a TeleRead article.

I don't know where you can buy college text books, but eBooks.com has a whole section of Academic eBooks in many disciplines, though sadly many of them seem to be only available in PDF. PDF in my limited experience seem to not scale very well when reading them on a 6" eReader. PDF for Digital Editions means they are DRM encrypted, which is undesirable and unavoidable but will work for you.

Other EPUB stores include Smashwords, Diesel, Books-A-Million, BooksOnBoard, Direct eBooks, eReadable, Fictionwise, KoboBooks, CyberRead, OmniLit, and LibraryBin, to name a few.

Though I usually just go to Inkmesh and let them search for a low price. (Or AddAll, Overdrive, eBookPrice or Luzme).

ArcAngel · 01-03-2011, 01:25 AM

that is stupid in the article it says you can read sony books on nook but im assuming you cant read nook or B&N books on the sony....

SaraD · 01-03-2011, 03:26 AM

To my knowledge the 2 big places you cannot get e-books for a Sony reader are Amazon and B&N. Borders and the Sony bookstores should be just fine (I have no personal experience). Books from small publishers such as BeWrite books and somewhat larger ones like Baen that have decided not to use DRM will certainly work just fine (my personal experience). Check Books on Board as an independent ebook store.

The question of whether or not a particular seller's ebooks work with a Sony reader mostly has to do with what kind if any DRM is used. B&N and Amazon both subsidize the price of their readers with profits from book sales so they lock their reader and books together. Sony simply sells a piece of hardware that uses Adobe Epub. Since B&N uses epub with something else thrown on top of it other epub books will work on a Nook, but not B&N books on a Sony.

After you spend some more time on the Sony subforum and perhaps check out the part of the wiki that covers the Sony readers much of the frustration you have about finding compatable ebooks will pass as you add knowledge. Also check out Calibre for ebook management instead of the Sony software. It can help you convert books from one format to another if there is no DRM blocking you.

Good luck! And remember that ebooks are just starting to become normalized and not on the bleeding edge of technology. Sometimes the learning process still involves getting cut a time or two, but it is getting better.

I took 2 1/2 years to finally choose a reader after finding Mobileread so I am in a unique place of knowing quite a bit of theory, but I'm just now getting the practical experience to go with it. After so much reading I should not feel this awkward about what I'm doing, but...

Poppaea · 01-03-2011, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenJackson

There's a million places to buy eBooks.

I don't know where you can buy college text books, but eBooks.com has a whole section of Academic eBooks in many disciplines, though sadly many of them seem to be only available in PDF. PDF in my limited experience seem to not scale very well when reading them on a 6" eReader. PDF for Digital Editions means they are DRM encrypted, which is undesirable and unavoidable but will work for you.

PDF is absolutly no problem for Sony Readers! They are able to zoom in and you will be able to read them without the slightest bit of awkwardness contrary to other readers.

You can buy lots of books out there. If you want to buy with B&N you can always strip their DRM in Calibre very easily. Epub DRM in itself is no problem as the Sonys are prepared to read it, but as has been mentioned already B&N has their own DRM on top of it. It is easy to remove if you decide to do so.

Enjoy your reader!
Poppaea

neilmarr · 01-03-2011, 04:38 AM

Good to have your company, ArcAngel. As Poppaea suggests, stripping DRM isn't difficult and there are instructions all over the net. But do keep in mind that, morally justified as many of us believe it to be, the practice is, in fact, illegal. You must reach your own ethical conclusion. I'm a long time Sony user, too. I can assure you that the Sony-Calibre marriage is made in heaven. I've not used Sony library software since I downloaded Calibre a couple of years ago. Good luck and best wishes. Neil

PS: Calibre doesn't strip DRM and cannot convert DRM-carrying ebooks from one format to another. N

KenJackson · 01-03-2011, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poppaea

PDF is absolutly no problem for Sony Readers! They are able to zoom in and you will be able to read them without the slightest bit of awkwardness contrary to other readers.

I'm pleased to hear that.

I hope it means the ones I've had trouble with are not a representative sample.

Poppaea · 01-03-2011, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenJackson

I'm pleased to hear that.

I hope it means the ones I've had trouble with are not a representative sample.

Let me guess: you are referring to text books, aren't you. In your post you supposed the Threadstarter wants to read college books, but there is no word about that. He/she only states to be a college student...

When reading fiction in PDF format the Sony is a wonderful device. As long as there is no explicit statement one wants to read PDF's with a lot of tables, there is no need to thwart that function in Sony Readers. Even when there is, I understand the PRS 950 in landscape mode to be quite good at it.

Bookworm_Girl · 01-03-2011, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenJackson

I'm pleased to hear that.

I hope it means the ones I've had trouble with are not a representative sample.

I have had issues with Adobe DRM'ed PDF files too. And, these are just plain text fiction books with no images. When I purchased them it was before the EPUB format went mainstream, and many books were still only available in PDF format. Usually the text is too light, and the font sizing either is too tiny or too large for me to read comfortably. With the new X50-series of ereaders some of these files are now readable since Sony has finally allowed you to change the screen brightness and font contrast.

doreenjoy · 01-03-2011, 04:57 PM

Check the sticky thread at the top of this very forum:

Sony Book Sources

KenJackson · 01-03-2011, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcAngel

... but im going crazy trying to find the right books ...

I just found a site that sells eTextbook: CourseSmart.

They're definitely textbooks. I can tell by the exorbitant prices.

doreenjoy · 01-04-2011, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenJackson

I just found a site that sells eTextbook: CourseSmart.

They're definitely textbooks. I can tell by the exorbitant prices.

ArcAngel · 01-04-2011, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Let me guess: you are referring to text books, aren't you. In your post you supposed the Threadstarter wants to read college books, but there is no word about that. He/she only states to be a college student...

1. he
2. yes i was refer to textbooks ebooks are SOOOO much cheaper
3. and if anyone is wondering i got to school in ohio and am a Visual comunication tech major

ArcAngel · 01-04-2011, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

made my night!

now you understand my pain lol

ILikeBooks · 01-06-2011, 03:11 PM

You can also get epub books at Lazy Day Books and they all work on the Sony reader.

01-03-2011, 12:26 AM	#1
ArcAngel Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: OHIO Device: sony ereader 600	where to buy books hello, i am a college students and book prices are just killing me so i got the Sony Ereader 600 series but im going crazy trying to find the right books and finally i found them but im getting mixed reports on whether they will work on my Sony or not so my question is will amazon Ebooks, Barnes and Noble Ebooks, or borders Ebooks work if i buy them or if its possible is there a list somewhere of all the places that work i know Google Ebooks work and Barnes and Nobles do well the free ones at least i don't wanna waste money if they don't work

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01-03-2011, 01:13 AM	#2
KenJackson Addict Posts: 256 Karma: 112042 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Sony PRS-650	There's a million places to buy eBooks. Amazon definitely does not work with Sony Readers. (Unless you strip the DRM and convert the format to EPUB or another format Sony can read.) Unfortunately, B&N might be the one bad choice for the EPUB and the Sony Reader, according to a TeleRead article. I don't know where you can buy college text books, but eBooks.com has a whole section of Academic eBooks in many disciplines, though sadly many of them seem to be only available in PDF. PDF in my limited experience seem to not scale very well when reading them on a 6" eReader. PDF for Digital Editions means they are DRM encrypted, which is undesirable and unavoidable but will work for you. Other EPUB stores include Smashwords, Diesel, Books-A-Million, BooksOnBoard, Direct eBooks, eReadable, Fictionwise, KoboBooks, CyberRead, OmniLit, and LibraryBin, to name a few. Though I usually just go to Inkmesh and let them search for a low price. (Or AddAll, Overdrive, eBookPrice or Luzme).

01-03-2011, 01:25 AM	#3
ArcAngel Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: OHIO Device: sony ereader 600	that is stupid in the article it says you can read sony books on nook but im assuming you cant read nook or B&N books on the sony....

01-03-2011, 03:26 AM	#4
SaraD Groupie Posts: 161 Karma: 2670 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mead, WA, USA Device: Sony 650, Basic Kindle 7th generation	To my knowledge the 2 big places you cannot get e-books for a Sony reader are Amazon and B&N. Borders and the Sony bookstores should be just fine (I have no personal experience). Books from small publishers such as BeWrite books and somewhat larger ones like Baen that have decided not to use DRM will certainly work just fine (my personal experience). Check Books on Board as an independent ebook store. The question of whether or not a particular seller's ebooks work with a Sony reader mostly has to do with what kind if any DRM is used. B&N and Amazon both subsidize the price of their readers with profits from book sales so they lock their reader and books together. Sony simply sells a piece of hardware that uses Adobe Epub. Since B&N uses epub with something else thrown on top of it other epub books will work on a Nook, but not B&N books on a Sony. After you spend some more time on the Sony subforum and perhaps check out the part of the wiki that covers the Sony readers much of the frustration you have about finding compatable ebooks will pass as you add knowledge. Also check out Calibre for ebook management instead of the Sony software. It can help you convert books from one format to another if there is no DRM blocking you. Good luck! And remember that ebooks are just starting to become normalized and not on the bleeding edge of technology. Sometimes the learning process still involves getting cut a time or two, but it is getting better. I took 2 1/2 years to finally choose a reader after finding Mobileread so I am in a unique place of knowing quite a bit of theory, but I'm just now getting the practical experience to go with it. After so much reading I should not feel this awkward about what I'm doing, but...

01-03-2011, 04:38 AM	#6
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Good to have your company, ArcAngel. As Poppaea suggests, stripping DRM isn't difficult and there are instructions all over the net. But do keep in mind that, morally justified as many of us believe it to be, the practice is, in fact, illegal. You must reach your own ethical conclusion. I'm a long time Sony user, too. I can assure you that the Sony-Calibre marriage is made in heaven. I've not used Sony library software since I downloaded Calibre a couple of years ago. Good luck and best wishes. Neil PS: Calibre doesn't* strip DRM and cannot convert DRM-carrying ebooks from one format to another. N*

01-03-2011, 04:57 PM	#10
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	Check the sticky thread at the top of this very forum: Sony Book Sources

01-06-2011, 03:11 PM	#15
ILikeBooks Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony Reader	You can also get epub books at Lazy Day Books and they all work on the Sony reader.

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