eDelivery at Smashwords Looking for Private Beta Users

nikkie · 09-27-2013, 03:21 PM

Hello Mobilereaders!

At Smashwords we are hard at work making your reading experience better. We have a feature in private beta which we think you will be very excited about: the ability to deliver books to your Kindles and Dropbox accounts.

With this feature you can have books delivered automatically to your devices on check-out, or choose to send previously purchased or free books from your library at any time.

To kick this feature off, we'd like to conduct a private beta. The first 25 people to PM me a link to their Smashwords profile will be sent an email at their Smashwords email account on how to get started.

We will be closing the call for beta users as soon as we reach 25 or Monday at 10:30AM PST (whichever comes first), and your invitation email will arrive shortly after.

Thanks for your participation!

-- Case Talbot
Smashwords Engineer

Update: As of Sunday 9PM PST, we still have room for more beta testers. PM me your Smashwords profile link to participate!

Update: As of Monday 12:35 PST, the private beta has commenced and we are no longer accepting requests for beta testers. If you missed out, you'll be able to use the new features as soon as we release, which shouldn't be too far away.

Update: As of Friday, November 15, 2013, we've released Send to Dropbox! Our CEO, Mark Coker, made a great blog post about it.

Update: As of Wednesday, February 12, 2014, we've released Send to Email! Here are the new highlights:

Adds email as a destination for your books to be sent to. We will always send your books from edelivery@smashwords.com *hint, hint*
Adds the ability to configure the formats sent to destinations including dropbox
Adds the ability to configure the email address that books are sent to
Adds the ability to send book samples
Adds the send button to the book action control box, as long as the book is free, a sample is available, or the user has bought the book.

We hope this makes it easier than ever to get books to your tablets.

Blossom · 09-27-2013, 06:08 PM

Sent you a PM! This sounds exciting. Specially the Dropbox part!

gabby98 · 09-27-2013, 10:03 PM

PM Sent....sounds good

Terisa de morgan · 09-28-2013, 02:31 AM

PM sent. My interesting part is dropbox, as I don't have a Kindle.

nikkie · 09-30-2013, 03:35 PM

Thanks folks, we're all full for private beta testers for now. If you got in, you should receive an email with instructions shortly!

QuantumIguana · 10-03-2013, 04:36 PM

It looks very cool, I'd be more likely to consider buying book from Smashwords if I didn't have to manually copy them.

nikkie · 11-15-2013, 02:25 PM

Thanks folks! We've just released Dropbox. Check out the great blog post from Mark Coker.

Blossom · 11-15-2013, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikkie

Thanks folks! We've just released Dropbox. Check out the great blog post from Mark Coker.

I love this feature! Too bad the Send to Kindle had to be removed due to Amazon's new policy. I'm pretty sure Fictionwise use to have it when they were around.

shalym · 11-16-2013, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

I love this feature! Too bad the Send to Kindle had to be removed due to Amazon's new policy. I'm pretty sure Fictionwise use to have it when they were around.

Wait--what new policy from Amazon? Baen still allows their books to be sent directly to your Kindle.

Shari

Blossom · 11-16-2013, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

Wait--what new policy from Amazon? Baen still allows their books to be sent directly to your Kindle.

Shari

I don't know I got email from Smashwords saying they had to remove the Kindle option due to Amazon's Policy. I figured it had to be new because Fictionwise use to let you send to Kindle too.

nikkie · 11-16-2013, 08:15 PM

As far as I know it is not a new policy. We were not aware that it affected our use of the Send to Kindle feature until they contacted us referring to their Terms of Use and indicated that it was not allowed. I was very surprised that it affected our use as O'Reilly technical books has a similar feature that ships books to your Kindle on purchase.

We were very disappointed to have to pull this feature as, for many users, sideloading is too technically involved. I know I would never be able to teach my grandmother how to sideload a book to the Kindle Fire that I bought her for Christmas.

shalym · 11-17-2013, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikkie

As far as I know it is not a new policy. We were not aware that it affected our use of the Send to Kindle feature until they contacted us referring to their Terms of Use and indicated that it was not allowed. I was very surprised that it affected our use as O'Reilly technical books has a similar feature that ships books to your Kindle on purchase.

We were very disappointed to have to pull this feature as, for many users, sideloading is too technically involved. I know I would never be able to teach my grandmother how to sideload a book to the Kindle Fire that I bought her for Christmas.

So Amazon is no longer allowing you to email books directly to people's Kindles? I don't understand how they could stop you--it's really no different from me sending something to my Kindle by email.

Shari

shalym · 11-17-2013, 12:27 PM

I just looked at the Terms of Use that you linked to, and unless you were sending illegal/infringing content, I don't see why Amazon would have an objection. Unless you were charging your customers for the service?

Shari

nikkie · 11-17-2013, 12:48 PM

We definitely do not charge for this.

They can block us because our from email has to be kindle@smashwords.com.

shalym · 11-17-2013, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikkie

We definitely do not charge for this.

They can block us because our from email has to be kindle@smashwords.com.

So were you possibly sending things that Amazon construed as being illegal or infringing? Maybe one of your authors had uploaded a book that, while legal in their country of origin, was not legal in the US?

Shari

09-27-2013, 03:21 PM	#1
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	eDelivery at Smashwords Looking for Private Beta Users Hello Mobilereaders! At Smashwords we are hard at work making your reading experience better. We have a feature in private beta which we think you will be very excited about: the ability to deliver books to your Kindles and Dropbox accounts. With this feature you can have books delivered automatically to your devices on check-out, or choose to send previously purchased or free books from your library at any time. To kick this feature off, we'd like to conduct a private beta. The first 25 people to PM me a link to their Smashwords profile will be sent an email at their Smashwords email account on how to get started. We will be closing the call for beta users as soon as we reach 25 or Monday at 10:30AM PST (whichever comes first), and your invitation email will arrive shortly after. Thanks for your participation! -- Case Talbot Smashwords Engineer Update: As of Sunday 9PM PST, we still have room for more beta testers. PM me your Smashwords profile link to participate! Update: As of Monday 12:35 PST, the private beta has commenced and we are no longer accepting requests for beta testers. If you missed out, you'll be able to use the new features as soon as we release, which shouldn't be too far away. Update: As of Friday, November 15, 2013, we've released Send to Dropbox! Our CEO, Mark Coker, made a great blog post about it. Update: As of Wednesday, February 12, 2014, we've released Send to Email! Here are the new highlights: Adds email as a destination for your books to be sent to. We will always send your books from edelivery@smashwords.com hint, hint Adds the ability to configure the formats sent to destinations including dropbox Adds the ability to configure the email address that books are sent to Adds the ability to send book samples Adds the send button to the book action control box, as long as the book is free, a sample is available, or the user has bought the book. We hope this makes it easier than ever to get books to your tablets. Last edited by nikkie; 02-12-2014 at 06:02 PM.

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09-27-2013, 06:08 PM	#2
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	Sent you a PM! This sounds exciting. Specially the Dropbox part!

09-27-2013, 10:03 PM	#3
gabby98 Wizard Posts: 1,751 Karma: 2667650 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: Android, Nook Simple Touch, Nook Color, ..., Glo	PM Sent....sounds good

09-28-2013, 02:31 AM	#4
Terisa de morgan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,233 Karma: 11768331 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Kobo Clara/Aura One/Forma,XiaoMI 5, iPad, Huawei MediaPad, YotaPhone 2	PM sent. My interesting part is dropbox, as I don't have a Kindle.

09-30-2013, 03:35 PM	#5
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	Thanks folks, we're all full for private beta testers for now. If you got in, you should receive an email with instructions shortly!

10-03-2013, 04:36 PM	#6
QuantumIguana Philosopher Posts: 2,034 Karma: 18736532 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch	It looks very cool, I'd be more likely to consider buying book from Smashwords if I didn't have to manually copy them.

11-15-2013, 02:25 PM	#7
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	Thanks folks! We've just released Dropbox. Check out the great blog post from Mark Coker.

11-16-2013, 08:15 PM	#11
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	As far as I know it is not a new policy. We were not aware that it affected our use of the Send to Kindle feature until they contacted us referring to their Terms of Use and indicated that it was not allowed. I was very surprised that it affected our use as O'Reilly technical books has a similar feature that ships books to your Kindle on purchase. We were very disappointed to have to pull this feature as, for many users, sideloading is too technically involved. I know I would never be able to teach my grandmother how to sideload a book to the Kindle Fire that I bought her for Christmas.

11-17-2013, 12:27 PM	#13
shalym Wizard Posts: 3,032 Karma: 52740263 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: New England Device: PW 1, 2, 3, Voyage, Oasis 2 & 3, Fires, Aura HD, iPad	I just looked at the Terms of Use that you linked to, and unless you were sending illegal/infringing content, I don't see why Amazon would have an objection. Unless you were charging your customers for the service? Shari

11-17-2013, 12:48 PM	#14
nikkie Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 73700 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: WA, USA Device: Android, Kindle Paperwhite, lots of ancient readers	We definitely do not charge for this. They can block us because our from email has to be kindle@smashwords.com.

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