DRM-free stores?

outlander78 · 01-13-2011, 05:27 PM

Hi folks.

I was given a Sony PRS650 recently, and am a huge fan of the device. I use Calibre to add content (great software), but do not care for the Sony software, store or DRM.

I am hoping at some point that DRM-free stores open up for eBooks, as iTunes and Amazon eventually ended up selling DRM-free music, as I like eBooks as a medium but do not want my planned collection to be locked up and possibly taken away one day.

Currently, are there any good DRM-free stores you can recommend that sell epub books? I am looking for mystery, history, science fiction and fantasy, but not specific artists - I would be quite happy to discover new ones. Do you have any stores or indie authors you can suggest?

thank you,
Andrew

susan_cassidy · 01-13-2011, 05:33 PM

Baen Books (www.webscription.net) - science fiction and fantasy
smashwords.com - mostly independent writers

MmavisO · 01-13-2011, 09:09 PM

BeWrite:http://bewrite.net/ also mostly indie--and our own NeilMarr is the editor!

There are loads of out-of-copyright books right here in the MobileRead library, and also at gutenberg.org, but I don't know if that's what you're looking for.

jabberwock_11 · 01-13-2011, 09:16 PM

There are plenty of on-line stores selling DRM free ebooks out there. Even though it is going down hill as far as selection and quality is concerned, www.fictionwise.com still has an ok selection of books. www.manybooks.net is a good source for free ebooks (all of which are, of course, DRM free as well). www.feedbooks.com has a good selection of indie books.

There are plenty more out there, but this should give you a good starting point.

nashira · 01-13-2011, 09:31 PM

http://ebooks.dreamwidth.org/21306.html There's a list here. Not all of them, I'm sure, but a good start.

ATDrake · 01-13-2011, 09:32 PM

BookViewCafé: previously published backlist sf/fantasy plus some historical, romance, mystery, direct from the authors themselves.

First book of Vonda N. McIntyre's Starfarers quartet is currently available as a time-limited promotional free download, if you'd like to give her a try (she used to write Star Trek novels).

Fictionwise also has some good stuff in their MultiFormat selections. Both newer and older authors, from Golden Age classics like Frederick Pohl and Poul Anderson to more modern ones like Greg Bear and Ted Chiang. Every so often they offer a 40%+ discount coupon which some nice person who still gets the newsletter is kind enough to post in the Deals forum here.

E-reads is an imprint that sells through Fictionwise, and while their formatting is sometimes a bit lacking, they do a pretty good job bringing back into "print" a lot of fairly high quality older works across all the genres.

They've got plenty of sf, fantasy, and mystery, among other things, and seem to be expanding their historicals lately. But their books are a touch pricey and the formatting can sometimes be mildly messed up, so I only buy them during Fictionwise coupon sales.

Small Beer Press is another imprint that sells through Fictionwise and you can also buy from them direct. They're a small press which publishes some very high quality sf/fantasy, and they've generously offered a few e-reader formatted freebie Creative Commons books to try on their website.

I especially recommend Maureen F. McHugh's Mothers and Other Monsters story collection (CC-licensed free) and Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others (not free, but well worth it).

There's also Mundania Press, which does some mid-quality light fantasy/sf + horror/mystery/romance. They do 25% off coupon sales every so often and while some of their books are only PDF on their website, you can get many of them MultiFormat via Fictionwise. They reprint some Piers Anthony and other previously established authors, as well as publish new ones.

Hope this helps, and welcome to MobileRead!

nashira · 01-13-2011, 09:35 PM

Oh! The wiki, too.

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-bo...rs_without_DRM

neilmarr · 01-14-2011, 06:58 AM

Good to have your company, Andrew. There are a few publishers stoically resisting DRM, as mentioned above. They tend to be independents rather than the bigger operations with brand-name authors, though. Mmavis mentioned our own store (thanks). Take a look around from the link below. Very best wishes. Neil

ghostyjack · 01-14-2011, 08:17 AM

Also you can add The Black Library to the list of DRM-free sites.

I've just purchased books 2 and 3 of the Gaunts Ghosts series and after completing my order I had a "My Downloads" section in my account area that listed them in both epub and mobi. I downloaded the epubs and then to check, I loaded one into Sigil and was able to edit them.

The selection isn't massive, but it is fairly reasonable and they are loading more on all them time.

outlander78 · 01-14-2011, 10:43 AM

That's a lot of sites for me to work my way through. Thank you!

01-13-2011, 05:27 PM	#1
outlander78 Zealot Posts: 104 Karma: 263218 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Arc 7	DRM-free stores? Hi folks. I was given a Sony PRS650 recently, and am a huge fan of the device. I use Calibre to add content (great software), but do not care for the Sony software, store or DRM. I am hoping at some point that DRM-free stores open up for eBooks, as iTunes and Amazon eventually ended up selling DRM-free music, as I like eBooks as a medium but do not want my planned collection to be locked up and possibly taken away one day. Currently, are there any good DRM-free stores you can recommend that sell epub books? I am looking for mystery, history, science fiction and fantasy, but not specific artists - I would be quite happy to discover new ones. Do you have any stores or indie authors you can suggest? thank you, Andrew

01-14-2011, 06:58 AM	#8
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Good to have your company, Andrew. There are a few publishers stoically resisting DRM, as mentioned above. They tend to be independents rather than the bigger operations with brand-name authors, though. Mmavis mentioned our own store (thanks). Take a look around from the link below. Very best wishes. Neil Attached Images

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
International iBooks stores: free content only	Fotoman	Apple Devices	8	01-07-2011 02:06 PM
Which ebook stores won't allow DRM-free books?	djgreedo	General Discussions	13	08-31-2010 08:09 AM
DRM Free stores	Loss Stop	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	10	07-08-2010 07:45 AM
Stores offering books without DRM	GA Russell	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	12	03-09-2010 09:40 PM
most popular non DRM eBook stores	Kris777	Reading Recommendations	9	01-27-2009 11:05 PM

01-13-2011, 05:33 PM	#2
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	Baen Books (www.webscription.net) - science fiction and fantasy smashwords.com - mostly independent writers

01-13-2011, 09:09 PM	#3
MmavisO Seeker Posts: 349 Karma: 479648 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Liberty, MO USA Device: Asus TF, PB 360, Jetbook Lite	BeWrite:http://bewrite.net/ also mostly indie--and our own NeilMarr is the editor! There are loads of out-of-copyright books right here in the MobileRead library, and also at gutenberg.org, but I don't know if that's what you're looking for.

01-13-2011, 09:16 PM	#4
jabberwock_11 Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 1591305 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Savannah, GA USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Aluratek Libre Pro	There are plenty of on-line stores selling DRM free ebooks out there. Even though it is going down hill as far as selection and quality is concerned, www.fictionwise.com still has an ok selection of books. www.manybooks.net is a good source for free ebooks (all of which are, of course, DRM free as well). www.feedbooks.com has a good selection of indie books. There are plenty more out there, but this should give you a good starting point.

01-13-2011, 09:31 PM	#5
nashira Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 73734 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	http://ebooks.dreamwidth.org/21306.html There's a list here. Not all of them, I'm sure, but a good start.

01-13-2011, 09:32 PM	#6
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	BookViewCafé: previously published backlist sf/fantasy plus some historical, romance, mystery, direct from the authors themselves. First book of Vonda N. McIntyre's Starfarers quartet is currently available as a time-limited promotional free download, if you'd like to give her a try (she used to write Star Trek novels). Fictionwise also has some good stuff in their MultiFormat selections. Both newer and older authors, from Golden Age classics like Frederick Pohl and Poul Anderson to more modern ones like Greg Bear and Ted Chiang. Every so often they offer a 40%+ discount coupon which some nice person who still gets the newsletter is kind enough to post in the Deals forum here. E-reads is an imprint that sells through Fictionwise, and while their formatting is sometimes a bit lacking, they do a pretty good job bringing back into "print" a lot of fairly high quality older works across all the genres. They've got plenty of sf, fantasy, and mystery, among other things, and seem to be expanding their historicals lately. But their books are a touch pricey and the formatting can sometimes be mildly messed up, so I only buy them during Fictionwise coupon sales. Small Beer Press is another imprint that sells through Fictionwise and you can also buy from them direct. They're a small press which publishes some very high quality sf/fantasy, and they've generously offered a few e-reader formatted freebie Creative Commons books to try on their website. I especially recommend Maureen F. McHugh's Mothers and Other Monsters story collection (CC-licensed free) and Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others (not free, but well worth it). There's also Mundania Press, which does some mid-quality light fantasy/sf + horror/mystery/romance. They do 25% off coupon sales every so often and while some of their books are only PDF on their website, you can get many of them MultiFormat via Fictionwise. They reprint some Piers Anthony and other previously established authors, as well as publish new ones. Hope this helps, and welcome to MobileRead!

01-13-2011, 09:35 PM	#7
nashira Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 73734 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Oh! The wiki, too. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-bo...rs_without_DRM

01-14-2011, 08:17 AM	#9
ghostyjack Guru Posts: 718 Karma: 1085610 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bristol, England Device: PRS-T1, 1825PT, Galaxy Tab, One X, TF700T, Aura HD, Nexus 7	Also you can add The Black Library to the list of DRM-free sites. I've just purchased books 2 and 3 of the Gaunts Ghosts series and after completing my order I had a "My Downloads" section in my account area that listed them in both epub and mobi. I downloaded the epubs and then to check, I loaded one into Sigil and was able to edit them. The selection isn't massive, but it is fairly reasonable and they are loading more on all them time.

01-14-2011, 10:43 AM	#10
outlander78 Zealot Posts: 104 Karma: 263218 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Arc 7	That's a lot of sites for me to work my way through. Thank you!

Advert

Advert