ePub flavors becoming cumbersome?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by TimW

On the thread "The Silkworm from Kobo is a furshlugginer Kepub!" (something like that) and someone posted that if Blackberry is a download option, then the standard ePub is available. I suppose the Kobo app for BlackBerry can't handle a Kepub. The Silkworm didn't have a BlackBerry listing...it sounds reasonable.

IIRC that's true for DRM'd ePub, but something else is true if it's non-DRM'd ePub or PDF.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Adding every book as a sample to your library is not easy. It's annoying. You have to add the sample, go to the library, have a look and then remove it from the library.

Sure it's easy. It's just not quick. You shoulda asked for quick if that's what you wanted.

[AnemicOak]

IIRC some older versions of IE still give the old site, which shows what your download option is. If I go to the Kobo site on my Nexus 7 using Next Browser I get the old site as well.

[pgaunt]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Add the sample to your library by clicking the "Save Preview" button on the book's main description page. Then go to your Library and look for the words:

"Download options: Adobe DRM EPUB"

Thanks. I hadn't realised you got that info with the preview. Seems a bit cumbersome but I'll check it next time I buy something from Kobo's store.

[kiwipippa]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Add the sample to your library by clicking the "Save Preview" button on the book's main description page. Then go to your Library and look for the words:

"Download options: Adobe DRM EPUB"

beneath the title/author (you won't be able to actually download the preview but that phrase should still be there).

If it's not there, the book's very likely kepub and only kepub.

"Regular" ePub:
Attachment 124858

Kepub only:
Attachment 124859

I have been a heavy kobo purchaser for years and have never come across this until today. I'm buying from a New Zealand account so perhaps the publishers always make the epub available.

Anyway, today I have bought a book, went to download it and struck exactly the situation you show above. And there appears to be no way of knowing before you purchase unless you download a preview (which is just an extra hassle I think). Interestingly, it is a New Zealand published book as well.

This is a bad move on kobo's part - and I've logged a ticket to see what they say (although I'm sure many others have). Their website should clearly state the formats up front.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by kiwipippa

This is a bad move on kobo's part - and I've logged a ticket to see what they say (although I'm sure many others have). Their website should clearly state the formats up front.

It's a good idea to log a ticket.

It's not an outrageous request that there be a clear indication when you MUST use a Kobo device/app to read a particular book.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

It's a good idea to log a ticket.

It's not an outrageous request that there be a clear indication when you MUST use a Kobo device/app to read a particular book.

Especially as Kobo inherited all of Sony's customers with their Sony devices. It would be quite cruel for Kobo to accept them but not permit them to read their purchases.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Especially as Kobo inherited all of Sony's customers with their Sony devices. It would be quite cruel for Kobo to accept them but not permit them to read their purchases.

Yes, it's happened to some Sony users on the forum already. Thankfully Kobo refunded them, but still...


Folks have been sending complaints since Kobo launched their new site and unfortunately so far they've shown no interest in changing it. There were quite a few negative comments on their blog when they first announced their great new site, but they deleted all of them.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by kiwipippa

I have been a heavy kobo purchaser for years and have never come across this until today. I'm buying from a New Zealand account so perhaps the publishers always make the epub available.

Anyway, today I have bought a book, went to download it and struck exactly the situation you show above. And there appears to be no way of knowing before you purchase unless you download a preview (which is just an extra hassle I think). Interestingly, it is a New Zealand published book as well.

This is a bad move on kobo's part - and I've logged a ticket to see what they say (although I'm sure many others have). Their website should clearly state the formats up front.

Was it a recently published book? Everything I've checked with a publication date of March 2014 onward (and maybe some of February as well) has been kepub only. Granted, I've been checking only one particular publisher, Crossway.org; Crossway sells the same books in epub format from their site (and DRM-free, from what I can tell) so it has to be Kobo just being a butt. It is so aggravating. (I hate their apps, and I can't get the obok-thingy to work for me so I'm pretty much stuck. )

[tilia]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Was it a recently published book? Everything I've checked with a publication date of March 2014 onward (and maybe some of February as well) has been kepub only. Granted, I've been checking only one particular publisher, Crossway.org; Crossway sells the same books in epub format from their site (and DRM-free, from what I can tell) so it has to be Kobo just being a butt. It is so aggravating. (I hate their apps, and I can't get the obok-thingy to work for me so I'm pretty much stuck. )

I haven't seen a lot of kepubs so far. After I noticed that Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey is sold as ADE epub in the UK and only as kepub in the US, I've started to wonder if this has just as much to do with where I live(Norway) as which books I look at.

Searching for Crossway at Kobo, they turn the search into esv(some version of the bible maybe?). It's always fun when Kobo does that. This on made sense, but often their replacement of the search criteria doesn't. Anyway, the search lists 18 books (changing it back to Crossway shows only 10). Only one book is published after march 2014, Solo ESV New Testament. It's listed as ADE epub. Is this sold as only kepub for you?

There's a couple of books published in February as well, also ADE epubs. A couple of the earlier seems to be kepub though.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by tilia

I haven't seen a lot of kepubs so far. After I noticed that Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey is sold as ADE epub in the UK and only as kepub in the US, I've started to wonder if this has just as much to do with where I live(Norway) as which books I look at.

Searching for Crossway at Kobo, they turn the search into esv(some version of the bible maybe?). It's always fun when Kobo does that. This on made sense, but often their replacement of the search criteria doesn't. Anyway, the search lists 18 books (changing it back to Crossway shows only 10). Only one book is published after march 2014, Solo ESV New Testament. It's listed as ADE epub. Is this sold as only kepub for you?

There's a couple of books published in February as well, also ADE epubs. A couple of the earlier seems to be kepub though.

Kobo's search function is horrendous. The copyright for the ESV translation is owned by Crossway but the book you linked to is published by Tyndale House. And for both of my Kobo accounts (local and US), there's an epub file available, so now I'm even more confused but, with Kobo, that's par for the course

This search link for Crossway books should work; the search results will only make sense if you use it with a Kobo account with the old checkout. The last book (on the second page) to show an epub format was published in Feb 2014. After this book, none of the others (from March 2014) show a no file format. I contacted the publisher about it and I was told they have no control over how Kobo chooses to distribute their books (and they invited me to use their storefront, where I was sure to get an epub file )

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

I contacted the publisher about it and I was told they have no control over how Kobo chooses to distribute their books

And of course Kobo CS has been telling folks it's the publisher who makes books available kePub only.

[tilia]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Kobo's search function is horrendous. The copyright for the ESV translation is owned by Crossway but the book you linked to is published by Tyndale House. And for both of my Kobo accounts (local and US), there's an epub file available, so now I'm even more confused but, with Kobo, that's par for the course

This search link for Crossway books should work; the search results will only make sense if you use it with a Kobo account with the old checkout. The last book (on the second page) to show an epub format was published in Feb 2014. After this book, none of the others (from March 2014) show a file format. I contacted the publisher about it and I was told they have no control over how Kobo chooses to distribute their books (and they invited me to use their storefront, where I was sure to get an epub file )

Searching at Kobo is always interesting. I don't usually search by publisher, and didn't notice, sorry! The search you linked to show the first 15 books as kepub.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

And of course Kobo CS has been telling folks it's the publisher who makes books available kePub only.

Sometimes I wonder if the Kobo CS people even know what's really going on; some many conflicting answers. (I'm trying to avoid the word 'lies' )

Originally Posted by tilia

Searching at Kobo is always interesting. I don't usually search by publisher, and didn't notice, sorry! The search you linked to show the first 15 books as kepub.

Thanks for checking! To search by publisher, I normally just find a book by that publisher, and look for the publisher link on the book page. There's probably a more sophisticated way but this one works fine for me

[kiwipippa]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Was it a recently published book? Everything I've checked with a publication date of March 2014 onward (and maybe some of February as well) has been kepub only. Granted, I've been checking only one particular publisher, Crossway.org; Crossway sells the same books in epub format from their site (and DRM-free, from what I can tell) so it has to be Kobo just being a butt. It is so aggravating. (I hate their apps, and I can't get the obok-thingy to work for me so I'm pretty much stuck. )

Yes, it was a recently published book - May 2014. Penguin New Zealand was the publisher. Kobo have confirmed that it's only available in epub3 format, and have now asked what kind of device I'm reading on. The device type is not the point - I simply want to download the file so I have a backup. I'm able to READ epub 3 on my device, but I can't ensure ownership and DRM-freeness. But I guess I can't tell kobo that!