Least annoying "normal" (DRM) UK/US e-book shops to buy EPUB from (Thinking Alf)

[soulfuldog]

As they all use Adobe DRM I'd imagine its the same process to get your books from all those shops so none are any less "painful"?

I bought one book from WH Smith a long time ago pre-Kobo (and can't remember what I did with it anyway!), but more recently, when I bought epubs from Books On Board my process was to buy the book, click on the .acsm file to load it into Adobe Reader, locate the .epub file in My Digital Editions and then load it into Calibre.

I *think* they will all be the same. Though Nook is different, I'd avoid them if I were you, and just be careful you don't get the kepub version of a book from Kobo (though I think it's fairly obvious what version you are getting, Kobo users will be able to tell you more).

However, I think your logic on buying epubs instead of Kindle format is flawed. As others have advised, buy on price, not some idea that epubs are better and you are supporting the development of epub (its only better in terms of it being an open format, and if you own a Kindle, that is a pointless benefit, and you are only supporting the shop you buy from, not the development of the format).

[avid01]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can you explain, please, how the money you pay for a book goes "directly to ePub development"?

Fixed.

Edit: the book is not cheaper on Amazon by a single cent.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can you explain, please, how the money you pay for a book goes "directly to ePub development"?

Hard to 'directly' contribute...but...'indirectly' if the industry sees that ePub format is outselling the others by a large margin then those industries will tend to prefer ePubs. This would then squeeze out the competing formats.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Hard to 'directly' contribute...but...'indirectly' if the industry sees that ePub format is outselling the others by a large margin then those industries will tend to prefer ePubs. This would then squeeze out the competing formats.

So what has got you so bitter that you want the other formats squeezed out?

Just curious.

Helen

[user_none]

Originally Posted by l_macd

I *think* they will all be the same.

Anything that gives you an .acsm file is using Adobe's system and will be the same process regardless of the store.

Originally Posted by l_macd

Though Nook is different, I'd avoid them if I were you...

Why do you say that? The DRM Nook uses is one of the least painful to deal with (I use B&N/Nook US). You don't have to deal with .acsm files or having a special piece of software to download the actual book.

The Nook's DRM system is a variation (essentially an updated version) of the DRM developed and used by eReader for their eReader .pdb format. Which means you don't have to any phone home validation.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by user_none

The DRM Nook uses is one of the least painful to deal with (I use B&N/Nook US). You don't have to deal with .acsm files or having a special piece of software to download the actual book.

I use B&N, too. I download books using the PC app and import them into Calibre, though the PC app has been kind of spotty lately and that concerns me a little. One reason I like B&N is that there doesn't seem to be a limit to the number of times any book can be downloaded, while some other stores have unpublished limits (often three or six depending on publisher).

I also like ebooks.com. They still carry PDFs when available and that's actually my preferred format. Furthermore, you can download all available formats with a single purchase. The downside is that they're full retail price all the way, so they only get my business when I really want a PDF or when the book is from a publisher that forces everyone to sell at the same price. As a kind of aside, their Adobe system must be configured differently than everyone else's because you can download a book multiple times to multiple Adobe IDs (I haven't activated Digital Editions with an email address, so each of my computers has a different ID).

[Jane Oldaker]

Why not buy either according to price? I have both on my Vox and you can easily do the same on any tablet or ereader with some tablet capability.

[church mouse]

I think I have bought from all of your listed UK sites and Waterstones is probably the easiest in my experience, but I rarely buy from it because it is more often than not more expensive on non-fixed price books.

Amazon is probably the best site I have used, but I prefer to buy elsewhere whenever there is not too much price difference.

Google books also do epub. Though selecting the epub to download is slightly longer winded than other sites.

What I love is Luzme (.com). Create a free account, set up a wishlist and it will search the best price from all the main sellers. You can have emails sent to you when the price drops below a limit you have set.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by user_none

Why do you say that? The DRM Nook uses is one of the least painful to deal with (I use B&N/Nook US). You don't have to deal with .acsm files or having a special piece of software to download the actual book.

Purely because it is different, that's all. Whereas if you buy a book from Waterstones, WH Smith/Kobo or Sony, you'll deal with them all the same way. Apologies if it is in fact easier to deal with a book bought from Nook though!

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by user_none

Anything that gives you an .acsm file is using Adobe's system and will be the same process regardless of the store.



Why do you say that? The DRM Nook uses is one of the least painful to deal with (I use B&N/Nook US). You don't have to deal with .acsm files or having a special piece of software to download the actual book.

The Nook's DRM system is a variation (essentially an updated version) of the DRM developed and used by eReader for their eReader .pdb format. Which means you don't have to any phone home validation.

My take also. Nook is the best of the DRM solutions - as long as you have the credit card number you can basically un-DRM content until the end of time. And you can download epubs straight from B&N's website.

[avid01]

Originally Posted by Jane Oldaker

Why not buy either according to price? I have both on my Vox and you can easily do the same on any tablet or ereader with some tablet capability.

Did I say that prices are the exact same at all of these stores? Or maybe I said it in another topic.

I didn't get your second sentence; anyone else?

Edit. I only said https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...8&postcount=17
so now I hope to further clarified.

[avid01]

Originally Posted by church mouse

What I love is Luzme (.com). Create a free account, set up a wishlist and it will search the best price from all the main sellers. You can have emails sent to you when the price drops below a limit you have set.

Strange site.

I write
- First name, last name - it finds author
- Last name, first name - zero hits
- Word from author name, word from title - don't expect

Anyways, how it could be a good search engine if it doesn't find readily available titles on Amazon - even if I feed it with its desired format?

[avid01]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Purely because it is different, that's all. Whereas if you buy a book from Waterstones, WH Smith/Kobo or Sony, you'll deal with them all the same way. Apologies if it is in fact easier to deal with a book bought from Nook though!

Do not understand your argument: different. Could you pls. elaborate on it a little more?

[owly]

I use the Diesel ebook store sometimes http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/

[HarryT]

Diesel have fairly frequently been lambasted on this forum for having spectacularly terrible customer service. Might be something to bear in mind, just in case something does go wrong with an order.