How can I tell if a purchased ebook can be converted or not?

[Katelyn]

I own a GEb1150 and a REB1200 which uses .imp files. I can convert just about anything, reformat files using macros, even turn PDF files into readable images - thanks to the wonderful programs and advise I've found here and in other ebook forums.

That said, I've ended up purchasing ebooks that I can't do anything with because they are proprietary and can't be converted. I have a couple that aren't even on my PC but are stored on the ebook site so there is no file for me to convert.

Sorry for the elementary questions but how can I tell if the book will actually be a file I have on my PC? I understand DRMed PDF files but the other formats are driving me crazy. I bought a book fro Mobiread that I can only open with their reader. Is there a way to add the book to one of mt readers or do I have to have one of their devices? Same with a Palm book I have. How do I know what I can buy that is able to be converted, manipulated, put on an Ebookwise reader? I'm afraid to but anything these days and honestly, Ebookwise and Fictionwise have a very small selection.

Help?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Katelyn,
In many cases the site itself will tell you, somewhere, how their system works... whether their books are stored on your PC/device or their site, what formats they use, and often, what restrictions are on them. They may not tell you directly that they apply DRM, but they may explain that you are not allowed to print, copy, or transfer your book to another device (usually a sign that they do use DRM).

Look for an FAQ page, or a page that explains their purchase process and your agreement as a buyer. If they have a Contact Us e-mail, you can always ask them directly.

If you can't find that info, or the site does not volunteer it, you can always post a question here, or for that matter any forum that is familiar with them (try a Google search for the site, as in "questions about SiteX.com", and see if any threads about SiteX come up). You can also ask if anyone knows of software that will open a particular format and convert or de-DRM it... there are a lot of them out there.

[JSWolf]

These books you have purchased, what format did you purchase them in?

[Katelyn]

So far, I've purchased several formats in oder to test the sites.

.prc format from Mobiread - after conversion it looks like this: œ:Kkö ñš q9 0#>Œ0Ã�„”÷ Κ uy‘Öø �ZÞË*u Ñ' ôâ* Íb $E 5 +Ò7[q Ÿ¨ ¹éüs¸²*òUŽ´,ÏJ Lå �}: ËÍõ °–D ÄßF‚‹²çÆ V•–äG ' énÝÔQ ¿Ô C5 f¤”ÒÜá¢ÓJ/ÏÔ{à5 ƒ Ú ˆŒñ¸zî


One book in .pdf - I was hoping that the pages could be saves as images but nope, they are blank.

(PDFRead) I had to play around with this to get the images sized properly for best reading quality but it works great on most files. http://pdfread.sourceforge.net/

I also tried .pdb but the site wants to authenticate the device and of course, I just want the file to convert it. I can only open the file on my PC.

Very frustrating.

Anyone know what sites books can be downloaded from that can then be converted into other formats? Anyone know if there is such a list of sites anywhere? That would help!

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Katelyn

So far, I've purchased several formats in oder to test the sites.

.prc format from Mobiread - after conversion it looks like this: œ:Kkö ñš q9 0#>Œ0Ã�„”÷ Κ uy‘Öø �ZÞË*u Ñ' ôâ* Íb $E 5 +Ò7[q Ÿ¨ ¹éüs¸²*òUŽ´,ÏJ Lå �}: ËÍõ °–D ÄßF‚‹²çÆ V•–äG ' énÝÔQ ¿Ô C5 f¤”ÒÜá¢ÓJ/ÏÔ{à5 ƒ Ú ˆŒñ¸zî


One book in .pdf - I was hoping that the pages could be saves as images but nope, they are blank.

(PDFRead) I had to play around with this to get the images sized properly for best reading quality but it works great on most files. http://pdfread.sourceforge.net/

I also tried .pdb but the site wants to authenticate the device and of course, I just want the file to convert it. I can only open the file on my PC.

Very frustrating.

Anyone know what sites books can be downloaded from that can then be converted into other formats? Anyone know if there is such a list of sites anywhere? That would help!

As far as I know there is an older pdb drm remover that works on some pdb formats (pdb is a bunch of formats actually). For drm prc and pdf, the only way to do it is to snag them page by page with an efficient snag program (I use Snag It), and then use them as images or ocr them. It takes a little bit of time, but it's much faster than scanning, can be script-automated....

[wallcraft]

E-books without DRM are usually available in multiple formats (buy once, download as many formats as you want). These are always downloadable to a PC. Baen Books for science fiction and Fictionwise multiformat e-books are good examples.

For e-books with DRM, your best bet is MS Reader format (e.g. again from FictionWise). These can be downloaded to your PC, and, if it is legal to format shift where you live, the DRM can typically be broken with the ConvertLIT program.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Katelyn

So far, I've purchased several formats in oder to test the sites.

.prc format from Mobiread - after conversion it looks like this: œ:Kkö ñš q9 0#>Œ0Ã�„”÷ Κ uy‘Öø �ZÞË*u Ñ' ôâ* Íb $E 5 +Ò7[q Ÿ¨ ¹éüs¸²*òUŽ´,ÏJ Lå �}: ËÍõ °–D ÄßF‚‹²çÆ V•–äG ' énÝÔQ ¿Ô C5 f¤”ÒÜá¢ÓJ/ÏÔ{à5 ƒ Ú ˆŒñ¸zî


One book in .pdf - I was hoping that the pages could be saves as images but nope, they are blank.

(PDFRead) I had to play around with this to get the images sized properly for best reading quality but it works great on most files. http://pdfread.sourceforge.net/

I also tried .pdb but the site wants to authenticate the device and of course, I just want the file to convert it. I can only open the file on my PC.

Very frustrating.

Anyone know what sites books can be downloaded from that can then be converted into other formats? Anyone know if there is such a list of sites anywhere? That would help!

What you can do is purchase LIT format books and use CLIT to remove the DRM. You can either break the DRM and have a DRM free LIT file or convert the LIT to HTML. To convert to the Sony you have 3 options. LIT2LRF, HTML2LRF or Book Designer. LIT2LRF or HTML2LRF are the easiest choices in this case. But, it only converts to LRF. If you want some other format as well, then Book Designer is your only choice.