Gifting e-books

pondscum · 01-07-2020, 07:04 PM

I recently bought my elderly father a Kobo Forma. Some of my siblings have said they would send him e-books as gifts, but I can't figure out how we could do that -- I see the option to buy gift cards in the Kobo/Walmart store, but not specific books. Is this even possible?

Alternatively, does Kobo have a way to send .epub files to the device by e-mail? My dad's pretty old and lives hundreds of miles away from me, so I can't help him with USB file transfers if he can't figure out how to do that himself.

davidfor · 01-07-2020, 07:21 PM

Unfortunately, Kobo doesn't have a way to gift ebooks. You can do gift cards to add credit to his account and let him buy the books from Kobo, but, that isn't quite the same thing.

Kobo also do not sync sideloaded books or allow adding books via email. The Forma does have Dropbox support. If you set this up, someone could add the books to the Dropbox account and they will be downloaded on the next sync.

Deskisamess · 01-07-2020, 07:36 PM

Couldn't you just share his Kobo account info, so they could buy books online using his account?

petercreasey · 01-07-2020, 07:37 PM

If the ebooks don't need to go through Adobe Digital Editions, then the epub format can be forwarded without any trouble as an attachment to an email.

pondscum · 01-07-2020, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petercreasey

If the ebooks don't need to go through Adobe Digital Editions, then the epub format can be forwarded without any trouble as an attachment to an email.

Yes, this is what I was thinking -- as long as the books are not DRM'ed and my dad can figure out how to transfer the attachments to the Kobo over USB. I'm not sure he'd use DropBox since it's just another confusing account he'd have to set up.

So, I suspect we'll end up sending him gift cards and links to books we suggest now and then, instead of buying the books for him. Before I sent him the Kobo, I did load it up with some books from my own collection just so he'd have something to try it out on and get "hooked" on using the device without having deal with the e-book store or forking out money up front.

petercreasey · 01-07-2020, 08:52 PM

Or just give him access to your kobo.com library.

DNSB · 01-07-2020, 11:42 PM

In the case of one of my elderly relatives, I still have his Kobo account information from when I set it up for him. I use gift cards to add funds to his account, he or I purchase books from the Kobo website and his Kobo automatically syncs them OTA. I also set up his Kobo with his local library account information which allows him to check books out from the library website and have them synced to his Kobo--this does require the library to be using Overdrive. When I originally setup his Kobo, I also added a collection of PD books which he is still enjoying.

haertig · 01-08-2020, 12:06 AM

Do you have remote access to his computer? Could you set that up? That's what I did for my parents before we moved close enough to drive between our homes. The parents job is to plug the USB cord from the computer to their device (Kobo or whatever), the childrens job is to remotely access the parents computer over the internet, do all the transferring and whatnot, then tell the parents to unplug their device and enjoy!

We all run Linux in our family, so remote access was trivially easy. If you're running Windows instead, remote access is still doable, but will not be as straightforward. You'll probably have to buy and install some proprietary remote access app, unless you're running the expensive "Pro" version of Windows, which comes with "Remote Desktop" I believe.

davidfor · 01-08-2020, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pondscum

Yes, this is what I was thinking -- as long as the books are not DRM'ed and my dad can figure out how to transfer the attachments to the Kobo over USB. I'm not sure he'd use DropBox since it's just another confusing account he'd have to set up.

The suggestion for using Dropbox was because of your concern about him getting the books on the device via USB. If you set this up, you can put the books on Dropbox for him, and they will download at the next sync. It is the closest the the email method that a Kindle has.

4691mls · 01-08-2020, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

In the case of one of my elderly relatives, I still have his Kobo account information from when I set it up for him. I use gift cards to add funds to his account, he or I purchase books from the Kobo website and his Kobo automatically syncs them OTA.

That's what I was thinking - if family members buy books on Dad's Kobo account then all Dad would have to do is sync the reader.

Deskisamess · 01-08-2020, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4691mls

That's what I was thinking - if family members buy books on Dad's Kobo account then all Dad would have to do is sync the reader.

That's what I said also...I think it would be the easiest way to do it. No connecting to a computer, OTA is the easiest way.

haertig · 01-08-2020, 02:37 PM

As a birthday/Christmas recipient of many books that I will never read, I might suggest that a gift card can sometimes be better than a specific book. I have received a few books as gifts that I read and enjoyed, but the majority are sitting on my "to be donated" shelf, never to be read (by me).

Uschiekid · 01-08-2020, 05:41 PM

i'm sorta the same, but it really does depend on the person. some people feel that having to find the next book to read or choose what book to buy doesn't actually make it a "gift"...just more work :-) Sometimes the recommendation (and in this case, the effort of doing the online related part) is the present!

JSWolf · 01-08-2020, 06:14 PM

You could always do what I used to do with my mom. I setup remote access to her laptop and I was able to upload books, and out them on her Reader. All she had to do was plug it in and press the connect button on screen. It worked well for both of us. I was able to use Calibre to keep track of her books.

You could do the same thing with your father.

haertig · 01-08-2020, 11:58 PM

A Raspberry Pi is a great thing to have in an elderly relatives place. You can buy one super cheap, set it up at your place, then mail it to your relative and just say "plug it in". You can pre-configure it to connect to their WiFi on powerup. You can preconfigure it with an SSH server and VNC server so you have remote access. You can preconfigure it with Calibre. And you have four USB ports on it for them to connect to at your command. You can upload/download stuff to their devices, you could have them plug in a webcam, a printer, a scanner - all kinds of stuff that would be useful for you to help them out from your home far away. They can plug it into an HDMI input on their TV so now you have a big display that you can remotely show them stuff on.

The whole thing is the size of a bar of soap. The entire setup will cost only about $50 if you go for the "Pi 3" model. If you want a "Pi 4" (which probably isn't necessary), then you're looking at about $90.

01-07-2020, 07:04 PM	#1
pondscum Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 7556 Join Date: Jan 2019 Device: none	Gifting e-books I recently bought my elderly father a Kobo Forma. Some of my siblings have said they would send him e-books as gifts, but I can't figure out how we could do that -- I see the option to buy gift cards in the Kobo/Walmart store, but not specific books. Is this even possible? Alternatively, does Kobo have a way to send .epub files to the device by e-mail? My dad's pretty old and lives hundreds of miles away from me, so I can't help him with USB file transfers if he can't figure out how to do that himself.

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01-07-2020, 07:21 PM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Unfortunately, Kobo doesn't have a way to gift ebooks. You can do gift cards to add credit to his account and let him buy the books from Kobo, but, that isn't quite the same thing. Kobo also do not sync sideloaded books or allow adding books via email. The Forma does have Dropbox support. If you set this up, someone could add the books to the Dropbox account and they will be downloaded on the next sync.

01-07-2020, 07:36 PM	#3
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,752 Karma: 45301087 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022	Couldn't you just share his Kobo account info, so they could buy books online using his account?

01-07-2020, 07:37 PM	#4
petercreasey Wizard Posts: 1,188 Karma: 1119516 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony: PRS 950 & T1, Kobo: Aura One & Forma	If the ebooks don't need to go through Adobe Digital Editions, then the epub format can be forwarded without any trouble as an attachment to an email.

01-07-2020, 08:52 PM	#6
petercreasey Wizard Posts: 1,188 Karma: 1119516 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony: PRS 950 & T1, Kobo: Aura One & Forma	Or just give him access to your kobo.com library.

01-07-2020, 11:42 PM	#7
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 46,245 Karma: 168983734 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	In the case of one of my elderly relatives, I still have his Kobo account information from when I set it up for him. I use gift cards to add funds to his account, he or I purchase books from the Kobo website and his Kobo automatically syncs them OTA. I also set up his Kobo with his local library account information which allows him to check books out from the library website and have them synced to his Kobo--this does require the library to be using Overdrive. When I originally setup his Kobo, I also added a collection of PD books which he is still enjoying.

01-08-2020, 12:06 AM	#8
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,897 Karma: 31522252 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	Do you have remote access to his computer? Could you set that up? That's what I did for my parents before we moved close enough to drive between our homes. The parents job is to plug the USB cord from the computer to their device (Kobo or whatever), the childrens job is to remotely access the parents computer over the internet, do all the transferring and whatnot, then tell the parents to unplug their device and enjoy! We all run Linux in our family, so remote access was trivially easy. If you're running Windows instead, remote access is still doable, but will not be as straightforward. You'll probably have to buy and install some proprietary remote access app, unless you're running the expensive "Pro" version of Windows, which comes with "Remote Desktop" I believe.

01-08-2020, 02:37 PM	#12
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,897 Karma: 31522252 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	As a birthday/Christmas recipient of many books that I will never read, I might suggest that a gift card can sometimes be better than a specific book. I have received a few books as gifts that I read and enjoyed, but the majority are sitting on my "to be donated" shelf, never to be read (by me).

01-08-2020, 05:41 PM	#13
Uschiekid Tenrec Posts: 724 Karma: 1076988 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: Kobo Aura One, Kobo Glo	i'm sorta the same, but it really does depend on the person. some people feel that having to find the next book to read or choose what book to buy doesn't actually make it a "gift"...just more work :-) Sometimes the recommendation (and in this case, the effort of doing the online related part) is the present!

01-08-2020, 06:14 PM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,760 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	You could always do what I used to do with my mom. I setup remote access to her laptop and I was able to upload books, and out them on her Reader. All she had to do was plug it in and press the connect button on screen. It worked well for both of us. I was able to use Calibre to keep track of her books. You could do the same thing with your father.

01-08-2020, 11:58 PM	#15
haertig Wizard Posts: 1,897 Karma: 31522252 Join Date: Sep 2017 Device: PW3, Fire HD8 Gen7, Moto G7, Sansa Clip v2, Ruizu X26	A Raspberry Pi is a great thing to have in an elderly relatives place. You can buy one super cheap, set it up at your place, then mail it to your relative and just say "plug it in". You can pre-configure it to connect to their WiFi on powerup. You can preconfigure it with an SSH server and VNC server so you have remote access. You can preconfigure it with Calibre. And you have four USB ports on it for them to connect to at your command. You can upload/download stuff to their devices, you could have them plug in a webcam, a printer, a scanner - all kinds of stuff that would be useful for you to help them out from your home far away. They can plug it into an HDMI input on their TV so now you have a big display that you can remotely show them stuff on. The whole thing is the size of a bar of soap. The entire setup will cost only about $50 if you go for the "Pi 3" model. If you want a "Pi 4" (which probably isn't necessary), then you're looking at about $90.