Amazon to allow downloads of DRM free books

[jonathan2022]

Just tried now for a book I had. Got an epub . no options for pdf. it downloaded with a whole bunch of numbers. Opened easily in Calibre and can confirm it was convertable. The only problem was not all the details were listed in this book in Metadata. The Author was blank . Note I dont see on product details anywhere that a book is drm free or has drm

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by jonathan2022

Just tried now for a book I had. Got an epub . no options for pdf. it downloaded with a whole bunch of numbers. Opened easily in Calibre and can confirm it was convertable. The only problem was not all the details were listed in this book in Metadata. The Author was blank . Note I dont see on product details anywhere that a book is drm free or has drm

Where is the download option? I don't see it with my recent books (no idea if it's enabled for them, of course).

[PiperKev]

Originally Posted by jonathan2022

Just tried now for a book I had. Got an epub . no options for pdf. it downloaded with a whole bunch of numbers. Opened easily in Calibre and can confirm it was convertable. The only problem was not all the details were listed in this book in Metadata. The Author was blank . Note I dont see on product details anywhere that a book is drm free or has drm

Any chance you could post a screenshot of the download option, just so we can see where it's supposed to be?

[jonathan2022]

https://www.amazon.com/hz/mycd/digit...ksAll/dateDsc/

[jonathan2022]

https://prnt.sc/oanNW8hwscEj

[hyegeek]

Helpful. Thank you.

Interestingly enough, a free title that I "purchased" today that was not marked as simultaneous use unlimited, had a link to download an EPUB and that EPUB was indeed DRM free.

[rashkae]

It does not look like any of the books I have previously purchased are enrolled. But how can you tell if a book will be downloadable before purchase? Looking at Jonathan's screenshot, the book, Kernel of Truth by Maisy Marple, does not even have the old "Simultaneous Devices: Unlimited" feature in the product details.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rashkae

It does not look like any of the books I have previously purchased are enrolled. But how can you tell if a book will be downloadable before purchase? Looking at Jonathan's screenshot, the book, Kernel of Truth by Maisy Marple, does not even have the old "Simultaneous Devices: Unlimited" feature in the product details.

Yeah. Not a very useful feature if there's no way to tell before purchase.

[hyegeek]

In the past, there seemed to be options to return kindle books. The only time I tried was a preorder that would not allow you to remove DRM (shortly after one of their other changes). That was also the last time I ever preordered on Amazon as the return window starts when you order, not when you get it.

I did note one of the reasons you could give for returning had to do with DRM. I wonder if enough books got returned because of no EPUB if it would cause them to change anything.

As to books purchased before today, none that I looked at had a download EPUB link.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by hyegeek

I wonder if enough books got returned because of no EPUB if it would cause them to change anything.

I think it's more likely that some authors objected to their supposedly DRM-free books having DRM and threatened to sue or something.

But ofc that's pure speculation.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by jonathan2022

https://prnt.sc/oanNW8hwscEj

I purchased for $0 one of the books that lists as "download available" in your screen shot, A Novel Way to Die. It does not show that option for me, nor do any of my other purchases. Amazon appears to be rolling this out gradually.

Originally Posted by rashkae

It does not look like any of the books I have previously purchased are enrolled. But how can you tell if a book will be downloadable before purchase? Looking at Jonathan's screenshot, the book, Kernel of Truth by Maisy Marple, does not even have the old "Simultaneous Devices: Unlimited" feature in the product details.

I no longer see the old "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" listed in the product details for any of the books that I know showed it previously. I suspect that Amazon in the the process of replacing it with something new related to download availability. (At least I hope so.)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I purchased for $0 one of the books that lists as "download available" in your screen shot, A Novel Way to Die. It does not show that option for me, nor do any of my other purchases. Amazon appears to be rolling this out gradually.

I too cannot download A Novel Way to Die as ePub. I hope I can do so eventually to see what it is we get.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by hyegeek

Helpful. Thank you.

Interestingly enough, a free title that I "purchased" today that was not marked as simultaneous use unlimited, had a link to download an EPUB and that EPUB was indeed DRM free.

Amazon only offered DRM free mobi or azw3 on downloads, if publisher requested it. AFAIK they never offered epub.
The KFX always had DRM and was for direct to device, not usually PC download, when azw3 would be offered (DRM or DRM free as publisher requested).
Was it really an epub?

[Sirtel]

None of my books have the new download option at the moment.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Amazon only offered DRM free mobi or azw3 on downloads, if publisher requested it. AFAIK they never offered epub.
The KFX always had DRM and was for direct to device, not usually PC download, when azw3 would be offered (DRM or DRM free as publisher requested).
Was it really an epub?

Not quite the same since you are getting ePub instead of KF8 or Mobi.