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Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

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Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#61

Post by Larrikin »

localghost3000 wrote: post #9

I'm a heavy use of this feature so I'm pissed. Can anyone recommend alternatives? I need to be able to load any books I buy into Calibre so I can convert to whatever format I need.

My Kobo Libra Colour combined with Kavita (a much saner organization than the mess that is calibre), Tailscale (OPDS access to Kavita from anywhere) , and KoReader (power user reader for the perfect reading experience that supports every format I have tried) has transformed my reading. I only use Calibre now for initially adding the metadata.

I haven't read and completed so many books since I was a kid with unlimited free time. The color is perfectly fine for books that are mostly text with the occasional image. Sadly I just feel like I'd be missing out if I started putting color manga, books with a focus on photography, etc. Those still go to my iPad pro but I find it a lot less convenient to read on there.

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#62

Post by blakeburch »

amazingamazing wrote: post #58
blakeburch wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what the article says, that's doesn't appear to be true. In order to download and transfer Kindle books from the Library, I have to first add them to "My Content" on Amazon, then from the Amazon interface click "Download & Transfer via USB". That's the only way to access the AZW3 files that get moved over to the Kindle.

Are you talking about the amazon library or an actual library that lends you ebooks? I'm assuming the latter, in which case you just plug in and transfer.

Actual library that lends me ebooks (Austin). The library uses Overdrive (Libby) and anything provided in the Kindle format can't be downloaded directly from the Library's interface. You have to click a "Read now with Kindle" button which redirects you to Amazon, where you have to click "Get Library Book" directly from Amazon.com.

Epub can be downloaded directly from the library, but these have to be converted into a Kindle compatible format. I'm also unsure if every digital book copy has Epub as a format, since there are some digital copies that don't have Kindle format.

This has been true of all public digital libraries I've used in the past 10 years (Houston, Arlington, Fort Worth)

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#63

Post by blakeburch »

dmd wrote: post #59
blakeburch wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what the article says, that's doesn't appear to be true. In order to download and transfer Kindle books from the Library, I have to first add them to "My Content" on Amazon, then from the Amazon interface click "Download & Transfer via USB". That's the only way to access the AZW3 files that get moved over to the Kindle.

Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize you meant your kindle library. I thought you were talking about borrowing ebooks from your public library.

I was! Responded in a comment below. The public library serves the digital books directly through Amazon.

Either I'm missing something more obvious or the system I've seen libraries use for digital books over the past 10 years is more uncommon than I realized.

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#64

Post by dmd »

blakeburch wrote: post #63
dmd wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize you meant your kindle library. I thought you were talking about borrowing ebooks from your public library.

I was! Responded in a comment below. The public library serves the digital books directly through Amazon. Either I'm missing something more obvious or the system I've seen libraries use for digital books over the past 10 years is more uncommon than I realized.

Oh. That’s bizarre. Never heard of that. Certainly not how any library I’ve used does it.

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#65

Post by giaour »

mspaint_exe wrote: post #17
tene80i wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your solution hurts authors more than Amazon. Just buy ebooks from somewhere else! Don’t be cheap and pretend it’s principled. I know you say buy a copy if you enjoyed it but that’s not really how commerce works and none of these authors agreed to offer you donationware.

Too many ebooks are Amazon exclusive for that to be viable. Within the fantasy genre, at least. I agree with you generally but this was a valid way to support authors while still reading on non-Kindle eReaders. Amazon just shut that door.

> Within the fantasy genre, at least.

Also true of smut! Chuck Tingle recently signed with Tor, but I believe all of his earlier books (including classics like Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt) are Kindle-only. Same for niche favorites like C.M. Nascosta

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#66

Post by kmeisthax »

amazingamazing wrote: post #31

I wonder what percentage of kindle users even knew about this or used it.

AFAIK this was pretty integral to the Calibre + DRM cracking plugin workflow that everyone used to buy Kindle books and then use them on non-Kindle platforms. In other words, it's Amazon welding shut another unauthorized fire exit.

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#67

Post by giaour »

belter wrote: post #51
tene80i wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your solution hurts authors more than Amazon. Just buy ebooks from somewhere else! Don’t be cheap and pretend it’s principled. I know you say buy a copy if you enjoyed it but that’s not really how commerce works and none of these authors agreed to offer you donationware.

Nowadays nobody writes books for money so yes, it hurts only Amazon.

That's not true. Just like in every other time, many authors rely on multiple income streams, but book sales are an important part of that. Amazon would love for your assertion to be true, but we're not there yet.

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#68

Post by giaour »

jrm4 wrote: post #46
throwawaygmbno wrote: post #2

The simple solution is to stop buying eBooks from Amazon. Pirate all of your epubs and PDFs so you will always have an offline backup. If you enjoyed the book buy a hard copy for a friend, relative, book club, etc from a local book store. Amazon doesn't need your money anymore.

All the whiners in the thread. Now, as a lawyer I technically can't recommend this, but: Consider someone who goes to the library, reads books, and then only buys them if they like them. There is no meaningful moral difference between this and so called "piracy" + buying later. Please, buy books and support authors. But also, don't pooh-pooh the entire point of the existence of libraries.

Libraries purchase the copies they loan out. In the US, libraries can typically only loan out an ebook a fixed number of times, and in other jurisdictions (like the UK), authors are paid per check out.

Please check out a book from a library instead of pirating it; it's much better for the author and your community!

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#69

Post by paulcole »

karaterobot wrote: post #30

I've got a 3rd generation Kindle. It's over a decade old, but it works flawlessly except that it can't authenticate with Amazon anymore, due to changes in their whatsits. So, it's not possible for me to legally buy books from them, which (according to me) gives me license to just pirate everything I want. Nobody will believe this, but I do buy physical copies of about 90% of the books I steal, if only used copies. Bu…

> So, it's not possible for me to legally buy books from them

Lol of course it is, you just convinced yourself that stealing was a better option.

Get on with Amazon support and tell them that you’ve been a loyal customer for a decade and have a Kindle that no longer authenticates but want to continue buying books from them.

If they don’t offer you a free Kindle, tell them you want one for free. I’ve done this a few times successfully when a Kindle broke outside of the warranty period.

Re: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

#70

Post by MollyGodiva »

haltcatchfire wrote: post #18
mitthrowaway2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kobo is pretty great. Good quality hardware and works well with Calibre.

It works - amazing - with Calibre actually. I set up Calibre-Web-Automated last week and setup my Kobo Libra 2 to sync with my Calibre server (swapping one url in a config file), and now my Kobo acts like my self hosted Calibre server is the actual Kobo Store, meaning I can browse and download all of my books. I think it syncs reading progress too.

Would you be willing to post a short blurb about how you did it. I spent the last two days trying to do this. Just listing the software you used would be helpful.
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