Amazon and DRM changes

[C-novice]

With KU books I totally get Amz wanting to prevent people from 'keeping' them. But why purchased books too?

A couple authors responded to my question whether their books are available elsewhere or will be, the answer is no, only on Amz they said. Some of them have only the audio versions on kobo. So books published and sold on Amz Jan 3, 2023 and after have not shook hands with my wallet; I'm stubbornly not buying a kindle [when I already have an old ereader that is in perfect reading order] or update the app just to read them.

So I am really going through 'AmzBooks 2023 withdrawal' and while irritating, I find I have saved some money. So that is never a bad thing. IMO, that is.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by C-novice

With KU books I totally get Amz wanting to prevent people from 'keeping' them. But why purchased books too?

A couple authors responded to my question whether their books are available elsewhere or will be, the answer is no, only on Amz they said. Some of them have only the audio versions on kobo. So books published and sold on Amz Jan 3, 2023 and after have not shook hands with my wallet; I'm stubbornly not buying a kindle [when I already have an old ereader that is in perfect reading order] or update the app just to read them.

So I am really going through 'AmzBooks 2023 withdrawal' and while irritating, I find I have saved some money. So that is never a bad thing. IMO, that is.

Because Amazon doesn't see any need to allow anyone to read their books on other devices/apps. Have you tried the Kindle for Android method?

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Because Amazon doesn't see any need to allow anyone to read their books on other devices/apps. Have you tried the Kindle for Android method?

Thing is, 1. I'd like to have the book I purchased as my own on my computer; When I buy, say, a pair of trousers, the seller don't tell me to leave it with them at the store and come get it each time I want to wear it.

2. as these types of apps get upgraded they want access to more and more information that in my mind is none of say, Amz business. All I need to do is read a book I buy; this app wants access to run wild with my camera, phone, documents, files -my entire tablet. . . what for?

All that rant to say for me there isn't any likely solution to buy and read newer books from Amz -unless it's the hard copy version.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by C-novice

2. as these types of apps get upgraded they want access to more and more information that in my mind is none of say, Amz business. All I need to do is read a book I buy; this app wants access to run wild with my camera, phone, documents, files -my entire tablet. . . what for?

All that rant to say for me there isn't any likely solution to buy and read newer books from Amz -unless it's the hard copy version.

You can install the Android app in Bluestacks on your computer. It won't have access to anything there and you'll have a method to download and deDRM newer Kindle books.

[Darqref]

Interesting fallout. Like everyone else, I've needed to use the download for usb transfer for new books. But, unlike whenever the last time I tried to use this option some umpty years ago, now I just noticed that the files download with the book's title in the filename. Unlike the idiocy when using k4pc and their booknumber or other code.

Since it really isn't a terribly different step count to download for usb transfer, I'm going to use that for all my books, instead of just the newly published ones. And I'm NEVER going to delete that e-ink kindle from my account. (although I'm perfectly happy to read with it anyway)

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by C-novice

With KU books I totally get Amz wanting to prevent people from 'keeping' them. But why purchased books too?

To lock you into the ecosystem. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed seeing everyone going "I bought a new Kindle to get around this" rather than dumping Kindle for this anti-consumer behaviour. But maybe I'm a touch more radical than most.

I'm a bit surprised they only half-blocked the Android method. Maybe they figure not enough people would bother setting up an emulator to be worth the pissed-off users reading on older Androids.

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

You can install the Android app in Bluestacks on your computer. It won't have access to anything there and you'll have a method to download and deDRM newer Kindle books.

Thank you. That may worth trying as a last resort if the book is only available from Amz and I'm really 'no options desperate' to read it.

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

To lock you into the ecosystem. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed seeing everyone going "I bought a new Kindle to get around this" rather than dumping Kindle for this anti-consumer behaviour. But maybe I'm a touch more radical than most.

. . . and that is where I draw the line. Buying a Kindle just because. . .
I need a lot better reason than that to buy such a thing.

I remember when I started with kobo vox years ago, still have it. Then it was kobo ARCs, still have them (about 3). Then android, 2 of 'em, using only 1. I must have been a nut case then -probably still is.

At least with the kobos, I could sideload on them plus I could download my books from my kobo library locally.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by C-novice

At least with the kobos, I could sideload on them plus I could download my books from my kobo library locally.

You can sideload to a Kindle just as easily. Not epubs, of course, but it's trivial to convert an epub to a Kindle format with Calibre.

I'm not saying this to urge you to buy a Kindle. Just that Kindles are not quite so locked down as people sometimes think.

[ownedbycats]

I think Send to Kindle recently added ePub support, though they convert it.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

To lock you into the ecosystem. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed seeing everyone going "I bought a new Kindle to get around this" rather than dumping Kindle for this anti-consumer behaviour. But maybe I'm a touch more radical than most.

I'm with you there. I was actually given a Kindle Paperwhite 3 and still do not buy from Amazon any longer.

[DiapDealer]

Lets face it: there's no shortage of people who buy new Kindles (or new ereaders in general) just because they like to have the newest/shiniest. The "bought a new one to get around this" crowd at least have a meaningful purpose. Wishing more people would dump Kindle over all this is an exercise in futility in my opinion. I'm guessing that most people who bought a new Kindle to get around this were probably already thinking about getting a new Kindle to begin with.

The DeDRM/format-shifting crowd is growing increasingly niche. Time to face the music on that front.

[ownedbycats]

Every so often, I search "kindle drm" on Reddit to see if anyone outside of MR has noticed. The vast majority of the complaints are from the piracy subreddit, and a lot of them are "because I can't rip Kindle Unlimited books anymore."

Sigh.

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Lets face it: there's no shortage of people who buy new Kindles (or new ereaders in general) just because they like to have the newest/shiniest. The "bought a new one to get around this" crowd at least have a meaningful purpose. Wishing more people would dump Kindle over all this is an exercise in futility in my opinion. I'm guessing that most people who bought a new Kindle to get around this were probably already thinking about getting a new Kindle to bin with.

The DeDRM/format-shifting crowd is growing increasingly niche. Time to face the music on that front.

On two fronts really 'cause many authors are now on KU -Azmn only.

Though thank goodness a good chunk of them [KUs] are not that great in the genre that read.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by C-novice

On two fronts really 'cause many authors are now on KU -Azmn only.

Though thank goodness a good chunk of them [KUs] are not that great in the genre that read.

This also applies to the so-called "deals," most of which are often the KU rubbish.