Amazon and DRM changes

[kgavin]

Reading all this stuff about the current DRM situation has caused me to run into a number of posts on this thread where people think the author is not getting paid for their book. That only happens if you want it to.

I don't like Kindle so I read my rented books on Kobo. I own a Kindle Oasis which I bought and use for one thing only. I should have bought a paperwhite, but I wanted to see what the Oasis was like. Once I have read my book on Kobo I then go to my Oasis, download the book, go to the end, get the ratings popup screen, rate the book.

The end result is that Amazon gets my rating, Goodreads gets my rating, Goodreads sends an email acknowledging that I read the book and slowly Amazon for the most part will send an email acknowledging I read the book. Author gets paid.

Amazon and I may disagree on this, but as long as the author is getting paid, I don't see the problem in reading the book on the device of my choice.

So now that things have changed I'll have to decide how to proceed with rented books from 2023. Maybe Amazon can make me like Kindle by taking that wonderful Scribe hardware I've read about and adding some wonderful firmware to it. Something that makes me want to get rid of all my Booxs and Kobos.

[Quoth]

No, for ages, long before the current changes, Amazon actually counts the pages you viewed on a Kindle (eink or app) and pays the author per page, from a pot of money decided by Amazon. It doesn't work unless the app or eink (or Fire app) connects to Amazon via WiFi or Mobile on the device, got the ebook from amazon, you actually viewed each page of the unmodified ebook etc.

I then go to my Oasis, download the book, go to the end, get the ratings popup screen, rate the book.

The author is only getting paid for a couple of pages.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by kgavin

Once I have read my book on Kobo I then go to my Oasis, download the book, go to the end, get the ratings popup screen, rate the book.

The end result is that Amazon gets my rating, Goodreads gets my rating, Goodreads sends an email acknowledging that I read the book and slowly Amazon for the most part will send an email acknowledging I read the book. Author gets paid.

The author doesn't get paid. One of the early scams in KU was getting customers to flip to the end of the book so the entire book would be marked as read. Amazon put paid to that and tracks your reading progress.

Amazon and I may disagree on this, but as long as the author is getting paid, I don't see the problem in reading the book on the device of my choice.

If you don't want to use a Kindle, then you just shouldn't bother with KU.

[Ma'am-I-Am]

So, the Bluestacks thing. Has anyone tried it with KU?

[frquixote]

I just got a notice about my first pre-order since the changes to the Amazon DRM and couldn't load it to my Kindle for PC (version 1.17), so I came here and see that I can no longer use that method of DeDRMing and getting the book into Caliber. I've never used the Download and Transfer method, can someone point me to detailed instructions for how to use that method to get a DeDRMed version of the book into my Calibre library? The top entry in this forum is a bit vague for those of us who have relied on KindleForPC for all these years.

Thanks very much!

[frquixote]

Originally Posted by NullNix

Yeah. Of course, part of that is Amazon's fault. I know several Kindle readers who recently switched to phones because they couldn't make head or tail of the horribly inconsistent new post-5.10 Kindle UI (I mean they literally couldn't figure out how to tell if a book was downloaded or switch books), and they seem most unlikely ever to buy a Kindle again now Amazon has uselessified something they spent a nontrivial amount of money on. Way to own goal, Amazon.

That's me! I am totally disgusted with the post-5.10 Kindle UI. I ended up buying a KOBO Libra 2 and LOVE it. Just got my first post 1/1/2023 book and can't for the life of me figure out how the download and transfer via USB will help me get the book loaded to Calibre. I buy about 30-40 books a year from Amazon. Guess now my best bet is to ditch Amazon altogether and go with Rakutan.

[frquixote]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I tried to summarize everything in the original post. Is it still too complicated?

Actually, the problem with the original post now is that it doesn't provide enough user-level detail for me to figure out how to download and transfer into Calibre so I can move the book to my KOBO Libra.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by frquixote

Actually, the problem with the original post now is that it doesn't provide enough user-level detail for me to figure out how to download and transfer into Calibre so I can move the book to my KOBO Libra.

Detailed help with DRM removal isn't permitted at MobileRead. Ask at github where you obtained the software. Or read the ReadMes included with the software.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Ma'am-I-Am

So, the Bluestacks thing. Has anyone tried it with KU?

That would cheat the authors. They'd not get paid.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by frquixote

Guess now my best bet is to ditch Amazon altogether and go with Rakutan.

That would be the smart move, yes.

I know it is smart, because it is what I am doing

[maxxbb]

Hi everyone, I would have a question for the experts of the forum. Are there alternative sites to Amazon to buy the same eBooks but without the annoying DRM KFX? I like to buy ebooks and convert them to PDF to read them on the PC, tablet or smartphone. As a buyer and owner of an ebook I can legally remove the DRM for personal use (in my country it is like this). Now Amazon's changes no longer allow me to do it. Where can I buy the same eBooks? Thank you

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by maxxbb

Hi everyone, I would have a question for the experts of the forum. Are there alternative sites to Amazon to buy the same eBooks but without the annoying DRM KFX? I like to buy ebooks and convert them to PDF to read them on the PC, tablet or smartphone. As a buyer and owner of an ebook I can legally remove the DRM for personal use (in my country it is like this). Now Amazon's changes no longer allow me to do it. Where can I buy the same eBooks? Thank you

If they're Amazon exclusive books, you can't buy them anywhere else. If they're usual commercial ebooks from well-known publishers, you can buy them from many places: Kobo, Google Play, Ebooks.com, for example. If they're self-pubs, but not Amazon exclusives, they might be available also from Kobo or Google, but also from Smashwords.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Ma'am-I-Am

So, the Bluestacks thing. Has anyone tried it with KU?

Sorry but that is something I would not like to see. Downloading and reading on a different device cheats the authors of their payment. Much like removing DRM from library books that I can natively read on my ereader, loan books from Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus are not mine.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

If they're Amazon exclusive books, you can't buy them anywhere else. If they're usual commercial ebooks from well-known publishers, you can buy them from many places: Kobo, Google Play, Ebooks.com, for example. If they're self-pubs, but not Amazon exclusives, they might be available also from Kobo or Google, but also from Smashwords.

Self pub ebooks are on Barnes & Noble, Apple, Smashwords, Kobo, Google Playbooks and others.
The books from big publishers are not exclusive if on KU.
Self-pub ebooks & pbooks can be on Amazon non-exclusively.
All KU books can be bought, and downloaded and deDRMed if you have eink, and don't use KU or Prime subscription.

[ownedbycats]

Note: Due to the authors get paid per page, I disagree with taking Kindle Unlimited books out of the ecosystem and will not provide any assistance or advice with that. If you like the book enough, buy a copy and DeDRM with eInk or Android.

Originally Posted by maxxbb

Hi everyone, I would have a question for the experts of the forum. Are there alternative sites to Amazon to buy the same eBooks but without the annoying DRM KFX? I like to buy ebooks and convert them to PDF to read them on the PC, tablet or smartphone. As a buyer and owner of an ebook I can legally remove the DRM for personal use (in my country it is like this). Now Amazon's changes no longer allow me to do it. Where can I buy the same eBooks? Thank you

There's a few sites in the original post. However, no alternatives for the KDP Select titles as Amazon binds them to exclusivity.