Amazon and DRM changes

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I read the first book in paperback back then. I remember very little of it, but as I recall, it left me pretty indifferent. The characters were boring and the pace was glacial (which is not always a bad thing, as there can be other interesting things going on in the book and I've liked many exceedingly slow books, but in Pinto's case it was pretty mind-numbing, IMO). I wonder if the new releases are any better... but I'm not really tempted to try again.

I've read the first two so far and the first one in particular is slow paced. It's more about describing the world and characters than epic battles. The first book is an arduous journey from a storm swept island to the capital of the empire. That's about it.

My main problem with the books is they are just so dark. The world described is so gross. Almost a fantasy version of 1984.

They are very well written and interesting. I've not read other books like them. The pace picked up in the second book. It's just that this is more series about court intrigues than clashing armies.

But it was grimdark before grimdark was a thing.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Are there any other authors of any importance?
Or is J.K.R. a shiny one-off?

Leigh Bardugo’s _Ninth House_ is in KU. I don’t know about *importance* but she is a very popular fantasy author.

[Unseen Entities]

Originally Posted by Karen Myers

Sorry to be dense, but I want to make sure I understand the ecosystem change (for a process I've been using for many years). I have a beloved Kobo ecosystem which I intend to maintain, but apparently my buying habits are about to change drastically.

I was forced to upgrade my Kindle download software (was the 2017 release) to download any ebook with the new change

As you saw, you must update Kindle4PC to download ebooks published after January 3rd. The file format of books downloaded by the new update of Kindle4PC is not compatible with DeDRM. (The file format change even applies to pre Jan 3rd books if you are on the new version of Kindle4PC)

Thus you cannot DeDRM and transfer any books published after Jan 3rd unless you have a Kindle device and use the "Download and Transfer to USB" method.

You might be able to install both the old versions of Kindle4PC and the newer one if you try to install them to different folders? This would at least let you backup and transfer books published before Jan 3rd while the newer version could be used to read, but not DeDRM, any newer books.

[imno007]

Originally Posted by stumped

Not a nasty comment , more of a let peeve.

I wish the ku books devoted less pages to urging readers to do social media stuff, sign up, follow me on... Appeals,. And quit stuffing end of book with sample chapters of something else the same author has written.

The annoyance of seeing dedications to Tom, Eick, Harrry And anyone else the author is on first name terms with pales in comparison to the above, but is still annoying. Dedications should be hand written when you greet the author face to face after buying his book, not published to the world.

Publisher's should share some of the blame. I don't want to follow anybody on any social platform, thank you very much.
Signed. A Luddite.

It's probably the publishers who insist on appending "a riveting mystery with an amazing twist" and similar nonsense to the actual book title.

Ps as for poor writing, my comments are based on the many prime reading best sellers I have swiftly returned, having quit after 1st chapter. There may well be good writers, somewhere in the 20,000 or more books on offer, but I have no way of finding them, since Amazon's algorithmic recommendations are so awful.

Well, to be fair, the authors on KU have a LOT of competition, so it's kind of mandatory for them to participate in all the things you dislike, because they have to in order to stand out and make any money. Amazon publishes around 2 million titles a year, so you can imagine how likely you are to get any notice, especially as a new author, if you don't shout to the world, "I'm here!"

And while I agree that the majority of self-published titles on KU that I've personally come across aren't likely to ever make anyone's top 100 books of all time, in any genre (at least by anyone you take seriously), there are a small number of good ones, and some of these authors do eventually get noticed and picked up by the big publishers.

[Wiggo]

Originally Posted by imno007

Amazon publishes around 2 million titles a year, so you can imagine how likely you are to get any notice, especially as a new author, if you don't shout to the world, "I'm here!"

Oops…really? No wonder it‘s so hard for me to find any good ones.
Just googled for Germany about 100k selfpublished and 70k big publisher books for 2022 - wow.

To be fair I know some German good ones, who got contracted by big publishers, but as already mentioned, SF. It's also another story when authors republish their old books themselves.

Anyhow, I'd better stop now before I’m going to lament the decline of our civilisation!

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Karen Myers

I was forced to upgrade my Kindle download software (was the 2017 release) to download any ebook with the new change, ...

Since updating Kindle for PC/Mac will still not get you a usable file (except for those rare books that are not deliverable in KFX format) I suggest going back to the old version where you can at least download books published prior to this year. That capability will likely also go away eventually so use it while you can.

[ownedbycats]

Also, I'd like to note that major publishers aren't forced to exclusivity in order to be available on Kindle Unlimited; I assume they have their own deals with Amazons.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by John F

Yes (depending on what you consider "importance").

Harry potter books are bait to sucker you into a kindle unlimited subscription.

Probably they are there because pottermore closed down and most people 2ho like HP will have. Bought or stolen copies already.

Some are free to read in Ukranian, on the official website, which is a good and kind thing to offer
https://www.pottermorepublishing.com/ukrainian-ebooks/#

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I've read the first two so far and the first one in particular is slow paced. It's more about describing the world and characters than epic battles. The first book is an arduous journey from a storm swept island to the capital of the empire. That's about it.

My main problem with the books is they are just so dark. The world described is so gross. Almost a fantasy version of 1984.

They are very well written and interesting. I've not read other books like them. The pace picked up in the second book. It's just that this is more series about court intrigues than clashing armies.

But it was grimdark before grimdark was a thing.

Don't get me wrong, I hate epic battles, so the lack of those is only a plus. But for me to be interested in a book I must be interested in its characters, at least to some extent. Pinto's characters completely failed to capture my interest. Not saying the book was bad, it just wasn't interesting to me personally. I've had the same problem (characters who leave me totally indifferent) with many other books, so Pinto is certainly not unique in this. YMMV.

[DuckieTigger]

I found my old PW1, charged it, and tested Kindle Unlimited concerning DeDRM ability. My DeDRM hasn't been updated since 7.2.1, because why fix what isn't broke. Also Calibre is on 5.34.0, because of the same reason. The issues will still be around, I am sure, unless a new version of Calibre has a more sophisticated book import. The outlook is bleak, I would say.

Here is what happens: If downloading an old book (published last year) that is borrowed in KU, but not purchased, with the PW1, then no issues exist (#2). The azw3 file that can be found on the PW1 goes right into calibre, DRM gets removed, and everything is in the book and in color. Newly published books behave quite differently. It does not matter if it is a purchased book (#1) or a borrowed book (#3), but the direct download to the PW1 (either initiated from the device itself or from computer with deliver to device) is incompatible with import to Calibre. First all images are black and white (no real issue here, I suppose), but more irritating is the missing images in the azw3 file except the title and thumbnail of the title. There now is a folder containing a lot of the missing data. On the book that I purchased (for free, one of First Reads) the Download and Transfer via USB file contains all images and in color. The other one that I didn't purchase, I obviously could not download via USB.

The three books in question for my test were:

1. Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America’s National Parks (published Feb 1, 2023 - First Read purchased)
2. Fated in Winter (Talon Pack Book 11) (published May 2, 2022 - borrowed KU)
3. The Dark: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (published Jan 19, 2023 - borrowed KU)

Here is the difference of #1 in files (file names truncated):

Spoiler:

Download and Transfer via USB:

 Feral...azw3  - 2225KB (the downloaded file)

After copying to the PW1, the PW1 creates the usual directory with two or so little files.


Direct download to device loads all these to the PW1:

documents/Feral...azw3 - 679KB (includes only title and thumbnail of title)

documents/Feral...sdr/AssetDownloadMetadata.meta    - 1KB
                      B09..9.mf                     - 4KB
                      EndActions.data.B09..9.asc    - 35KB
                      Feral...apnx                  - 2KB
                      Feral...azw6                  - 959KB
                      Feral...phl                   - 1KB
                      Feral...azw3f                 - 1KB
                      Feral...azw3r                 - 2KB
                      LanguageLayer.en.B09..kll     - 162KB
                      StartActions.data.B09..asc    - 59KB
                      XRAY.entities.B09..asc        - 80KB

#3 has about the same structure as #1 when downloaded to the device - both have only BW images. #2 is different, but that might be, because it doesn't have any pictures other than the title itself, but the cover is in color as it always used to be.

[Mari123]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

I found my old PW1, charged it, and tested Kindle Unlimited concerning DeDRM ability. My DeDRM hasn't been updated since 7.2.1, because why fix what isn't broke. Also Calibre is on 5.34.0, because of the same reason. The issues will still be around, I am sure, unless a new version of Calibre has a more sophisticated book import. The outlook is bleak, I would say.

Here is what happens: If downloading an old book (published last year) that is borrowed in KU, but not purchased, with the PW1, then no issues exist (#2). The azw3 file that can be found on the PW1 goes right into calibre, DRM gets removed, and everything is in the book and in color. Newly published books behave quite differently. It does not matter if it is a purchased book (#1) or a borrowed book (#3), but the direct download to the PW1 (either initiated from the device itself or from computer with deliver to device) is incompatible with import to Calibre. First all images are black and white (no real issue here, I suppose), but more irritating is the missing images in the azw3 file except the title and thumbnail of the title. There now is a folder containing a lot of the missing data. On the book that I purchased (for free, one of First Reads) the Download and Transfer via USB file contains all images and in color. The other one that I didn't purchase, I obviously could not download via USB.

The three books in question for my test were:

1. Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America’s National Parks (published Feb 1, 2023 - First Read purchased)
2. Fated in Winter (Talon Pack Book 11) (published May 2, 2022 - borrowed KU)
3. The Dark: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (published Jan 19, 2023 - borrowed KU)

Here is the difference of #1 in files (file names truncated):

Spoiler:

Download and Transfer via USB:

 Feral...azw3  - 2225KB (the downloaded file)

After copying to the PW1, the PW1 creates the usual directory with two or so little files.


Direct download to device loads all these to the PW1:

documents/Feral...azw3 - 679KB (includes only title and thumbnail of title)

documents/Feral...sdr/AssetDownloadMetadata.meta    - 1KB
                      B09..9.mf                     - 4KB
                      EndActions.data.B09..9.asc    - 35KB
                      Feral...apnx                  - 2KB
                      Feral...azw6                  - 959KB
                      Feral...phl                   - 1KB
                      Feral...azw3f                 - 1KB
                      Feral...azw3r                 - 2KB
                      LanguageLayer.en.B09..kll     - 162KB
                      StartActions.data.B09..asc    - 59KB
                      XRAY.entities.B09..asc        - 80KB

#3 has about the same structure as #1 when downloaded to the device - both have only BW images. #2 is different, but that might be, because it doesn't have any pictures other than the title itself, but the cover is in color as it always used to be.

So you can only get the text of the book, and not the pictures and cover?

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Joykins

Leigh Bardugo’s _Ninth House_ is in KU. I don’t know about *importance* but she is a very popular fantasy author.

Never heard of it and it's not in German KU.
I borrowed another book from her from German Onleihe - but I finished reading it quickly because there were annoying grammatical errors on the first few pages of the translation.
My experience with such authors and publishers:
they have a certain clientele, but you don't need the best translators for them. The language quality is accordingly.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Never heard of it and it's not in German KU.
I borrowed another book from her from German Onleihe - but I finished reading it quickly because there were annoying grammatical errors on the first few pages of the translation.

"I finished reading it quickly" does not mean what you think it means. Small translation error on your part. You made it sound like the book was so good, that you quickly read it cover to cover. Rather, you gave up on reading after just a few pages, I assume.

If you are very finicky about proper German, I suggest you borrow (or buy) Peter Handke, Die Obstdiebin or read a view pages of the sample. I enjoyed reading it, but it is very different from normal books.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Never heard of it and it's not in German KU.
I borrowed another book from her from German Onleihe - but I finished reading it quickly because there were annoying grammatical errors on the first few pages of the translation.
My experience with such authors and publishers:
they have a certain clientele, but you don't need the best translators for them. The language quality is accordingly.

Don't accuse the authors when the translators can't do their job well.

The language quality of self-published books can be very different. Some have pretty good quality (I mean the original English-language books, not translations). And I have seen grammatical errors in tradpubs as well.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels are in KU.

Not in Amazon.de