Simon & Schuster surprised me.

cgsmom · 06-11-2012, 12:49 PM

I was considering purchasing a book from Barnes & Noble on my Nook. I was sure that I had read the previous book in the series several years ago on my PDA (LIT format). I wanted to look through it to refresh my memory of the storyline. I used to buy LIT format books from various sources. When my PDA died and I switched to epub books, I liberated all my LIT books and loaded them into Calibre (or so I thought). However, when I looked for that particular book, it was not there.

I checked my Fictionwise account and did not see the book, so I went to Simon & Schuster. I hadn't logged on to my account there for several years. However, there was the book I was looking for with a link to download to Adobe Digital Editions. So I downloaded the epub version, and I was good to go.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. With all the bad press that publishers are getting these days, it was nice to have something good happen.

Quexos · 06-11-2012, 02:35 PM

Well once you purchase a book, it is supposed to stay on your account so it does not strike me as a big deal that it was still there.
However if it made your day then good

Mikou · 06-11-2012, 03:08 PM

I'll have to keep this in mind for future purposes. It is nice to have a backup at the site where you buy a book. Some stores I frequent limit downloads by limiting the total # or setting a time limit on downloads.

AnemicOak · 06-11-2012, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quexos

Well once you purchase a book, it is supposed to stay on your account so it does not strike me as a big deal that it was still there.

The point though is that S&S updated everyones books to ePub when they dumped other formats (they actually did this a couple of years ago). Most others haven't done that.

As for a book staying on your account. I wouldn't ever count on that as 100% as it's bitten people more than once.

Quexos · 06-11-2012, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

As for a book staying on your account. I wouldn't ever count on that as 100% as it's bitten people more than once.

I would consider it standard for books to stay on your account so anything less is a letdown. But I guess letdowns are common in this business.

cgsmom · 06-12-2012, 08:53 AM

I never depend on a seller to store my books for me. I always backup my purchases. Somehow I let this one book fall through the crack. Out of all the places that I bought books in LIT format, this is the only time I was able to get a new copy in epub. I purchased LIT format books from several different places.

Fictionwise: They will let me download my books in LIT format only.

Amazon: They won't even acknowledge that I bought books in LIT format. The books I bought from them don't even show in my account.

Harper-Collins: They don't even have customer accounts anymore. My books are gone from there.

That's why I was so surprised that Simon & Schuster had my books and let me download an epub file.

pidgeon92 · 06-12-2012, 05:32 PM

Fictionwise and Random House parted ways a while back, and I was unable to download the Random House books I had purchased a few months prior.

Neither Fictionwise nor Random House would provide me with the ebooks, and I learned a valuable and very expensive lesson about downloading and backing up books immediately after purchase.

HarryT · 06-13-2012, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quexos

I would consider it standard for books to stay on your account so anything less is a letdown. But I guess letdowns are common in this business.

Relying on someone else to store your books for you is foolish in the extreme, IMHO. Once you've bought a book, the person who has to take responsibility for it is you.

HarryT · 06-13-2012, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgsmom

Amazon: They won't even acknowledge that I bought books in LIT format. The books I bought from them don't even show in my account.

It's news to me that Amazon have EVER sold LIT-format books. When did they do so?

MikeB1972 · 06-13-2012, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's news to me that Amazon have EVER sold LIT-format books. When did they do so?

Back in 2005/6 if I remember right, up to just after the time they bought mobi.

There was a mini uproar as you only had a couple of months to download everything.

HarryT · 06-13-2012, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Back in 2005/6 if I remember right, up to just after the time they bought mobi.

There was a mini uproar as you only had a couple of months to download everything.

Thanks. I don't remember that. I remember them selling PDF-format books, but not LIT.

Fluribus · 06-14-2012, 08:25 AM

It should be standard for obsolete files to be freely replaceable since DRM attempts to prevent folks from converting the files themselves.

You should probably thank Simon, though. Schuster is a bastard. Or so Simon says.

Mikou · 06-15-2012, 09:11 PM

I've been burned twice with vendor bookshelves. I bought a Lit ebook from Amazon, removed the drm and converted it. At some point, I lost the original file. When I tried to find it in my Amazon account, I discovered that the ebook service was gone, as was my link to the book. I never had any warning.

The 2nd time was with ereader.com. My credit card was stolen. I replaced it & updated my ereader account with the card#. I was able to redownload all the books so they were linked to the new card... all except one. With that one, there was a link, but it was connected to the wrong book... a book I hadn't purchased & didn't want. Customer support (via Fictionwise) was completely unhelpful because the book I had bought was no longer for sale on their site. To get this book would involve me going to my bank in hope that I could the old card#. Instead, I tracked down the last 8 digits of my previous card that was saved in my Mac's Terminal app from previous drm removals. I already had software tools that could open the book with only the last half of the number.

I would always advise making at least 1 backup of ebooks, but I appreciate and prefer to support vendors who makes things easier for their customers.

J. Strnad · 06-18-2012, 01:25 PM

People's expectations run high sometimes, IMHO. I don't really expect anything stored anywhere else to stay there forever and be retrievable by me. Yeah, I'm cynical. I download and back-up and email off-site anything that is truly important to me...and I still get burned sometimes (usually because I did something stupid or was lazy).

For S&S to come through in this way, with a converted book, after years of account inactivity, is pretty mindboggling to me. Good for them!

06-11-2012, 12:49 PM	#1
cgsmom Addict Posts: 317 Karma: 3141593 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: USA Device: Kindle Colorsoft, Nook GL4+, Nook GL4, Kindle Oasis 3, iPhone 14	Simon & Schuster surprised me. I was considering purchasing a book from Barnes & Noble on my Nook. I was sure that I had read the previous book in the series several years ago on my PDA (LIT format). I wanted to look through it to refresh my memory of the storyline. I used to buy LIT format books from various sources. When my PDA died and I switched to epub books, I liberated all my LIT books and loaded them into Calibre (or so I thought). However, when I looked for that particular book, it was not there. I checked my Fictionwise account and did not see the book, so I went to Simon & Schuster. I hadn't logged on to my account there for several years. However, there was the book I was looking for with a link to download to Adobe Digital Editions. So I downloaded the epub version, and I was good to go. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. With all the bad press that publishers are getting these days, it was nice to have something good happen.

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06-11-2012, 02:35 PM	#2
Quexos Member Retired Posts: 1,999 Karma: 11348924 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Limbo Device: none	Well once you purchase a book, it is supposed to stay on your account so it does not strike me as a big deal that it was still there. However if it made your day then good

06-11-2012, 03:08 PM	#3
Mikou Zealot Posts: 148 Karma: 5052779 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Device: Kobo Libra, Amazon Fire 10, Kobo Clara, Kobo Aura One	I'll have to keep this in mind for future purposes. It is nice to have a backup at the site where you buy a book. Some stores I frequent limit downloads by limiting the total # or setting a time limit on downloads.

06-12-2012, 08:53 AM	#6
cgsmom Addict Posts: 317 Karma: 3141593 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: USA Device: Kindle Colorsoft, Nook GL4+, Nook GL4, Kindle Oasis 3, iPhone 14	I never depend on a seller to store my books for me. I always backup my purchases. Somehow I let this one book fall through the crack. Out of all the places that I bought books in LIT format, this is the only time I was able to get a new copy in epub. I purchased LIT format books from several different places. Fictionwise: They will let me download my books in LIT format only. Amazon: They won't even acknowledge that I bought books in LIT format. The books I bought from them don't even show in my account. Harper-Collins: They don't even have customer accounts anymore. My books are gone from there. That's why I was so surprised that Simon & Schuster had my books and let me download an epub file.

06-12-2012, 05:32 PM	#7
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	Fictionwise and Random House parted ways a while back, and I was unable to download the Random House books I had purchased a few months prior. Neither Fictionwise nor Random House would provide me with the ebooks, and I learned a valuable and very expensive lesson about downloading and backing up books immediately after purchase.

06-14-2012, 08:25 AM	#12
Fluribus Guru Posts: 891 Karma: 8893661 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kindle	It should be standard for obsolete files to be freely replaceable since DRM attempts to prevent folks from converting the files themselves. You should probably thank Simon, though. Schuster is a bastard. Or so Simon says.

06-15-2012, 09:11 PM	#13
Mikou Zealot Posts: 148 Karma: 5052779 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Device: Kobo Libra, Amazon Fire 10, Kobo Clara, Kobo Aura One	I've been burned twice with vendor bookshelves. I bought a Lit ebook from Amazon, removed the drm and converted it. At some point, I lost the original file. When I tried to find it in my Amazon account, I discovered that the ebook service was gone, as was my link to the book. I never had any warning. The 2nd time was with ereader.com. My credit card was stolen. I replaced it & updated my ereader account with the card#. I was able to redownload all the books so they were linked to the new card... all except one. With that one, there was a link, but it was connected to the wrong book... a book I hadn't purchased & didn't want. Customer support (via Fictionwise) was completely unhelpful because the book I had bought was no longer for sale on their site. To get this book would involve me going to my bank in hope that I could the old card#. Instead, I tracked down the last 8 digits of my previous card that was saved in my Mac's Terminal app from previous drm removals. I already had software tools that could open the book with only the last half of the number. I would always advise making at least 1 backup of ebooks, but I appreciate and prefer to support vendors who makes things easier for their customers.

06-18-2012, 01:25 PM	#14
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	People's expectations run high sometimes, IMHO. I don't really expect anything stored anywhere else to stay there forever and be retrievable by me. Yeah, I'm cynical. I download and back-up and email off-site anything that is truly important to me...and I still get burned sometimes (usually because I did something stupid or was lazy). For S&S to come through in this way, with a converted book, after years of account inactivity, is pretty mindboggling to me. Good for them!

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