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Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

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Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#101

Post by p2detar »

icqFDR wrote: post #44

I’d advise anyone buying e-books on Amazon to think it through carefully. My account was banned recently because, years ago, I ordered two paper books that Amazon said would be split into two shipments. Both books arrived without any issues, but later Amazon refunded me for one of them, claiming that one package never arrived. This happened 4–5 years ago. Apparently, during a recent review, they decided this counted…

About Kindle, if you're in Europe, you could try Nextory or BookBeat. They don't have as much content, but are good services nevertheless.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#102

Post by makeitdouble »

syntaxing wrote: post #19

Just get a kobo instead. The price difference between with ads and a new kobo is minimal. Not worth the Amazon headache with a locked down device.

Kobo is extremely region limited.

It's fine if it fits your need, but will be far from a good alternative in most regions.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#103

Post by barbazoo »

dust-jacket wrote: post #98
nippoo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They failed to deliver a Pixel phone to me - they never even tried to deliver it and the status said "permanent delivery failure" so I assumed they'd automatically refund me. Fast forward a few months, I never received a refund and they claim they have no record any more. I could chargeback my credit card but I imagine I'd also be permanently banned from Amazon - so instead I accept they've just stolen $1000 from me…

No, this is silly. Don't do this. You absolutely keep pushing for a refund and go via you CC provider if they don't respond.

And risk being locked out of the world’s online marketplace and all of Amazon’s other businesses? Maybe a bit hyperbolic but that’s where we are headed for sure.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#104

Post by NoMoreNicksLeft »

stringsandchars wrote: post #43
IlikeKitties wrote: post #16

The current experience of using a Kobo Libre Color, Koreader, any webdav mounted in koreader and pirating everything on annas archive et. al. cannot be beat by any commercial offering. Unsuprisingly my copy of 1984 has never been deleted from my NAS

> pirating everything on annas archive et. al. cannot be beat by any commercial offering While I understand people pirating movies - there are hundreds of movies I'd happily pay to watch, but which are literally unavailable to me because of some arbitrary 'regional' restriction imposed by the distributors. But I can't think of a single book that isn't available in most parts of the world - certainly they're available…

>Would you like your work to be pirated,

Imagine being so good at writing, that people out there are trying to get a copy of it that they can upload to The Pirate Bay. Hell yeh, I'd love that... seems like reaching the big leagues.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#105

Post by delichon »

ashu1461 wrote: post #92
icqFDR wrote: post #44

I’d advise anyone buying e-books on Amazon to think it through carefully. My account was banned recently because, years ago, I ordered two paper books that Amazon said would be split into two shipments. Both books arrived without any issues, but later Amazon refunded me for one of them, claiming that one package never arrived. This happened 4–5 years ago. Apparently, during a recent review, they decided this counted…

Amazon used to be really customer centric 5-10 years ago, I remember once I ordered a physical book which was late in delivery and I urgently needed that book, so they gave me a free kindle edition till the book got delivered.

Last week I had a vendor tell me that they did warranty service through Amazon, and I should contact Amazon for a replacement, even though I was outside of their return window. It turned out to be a lie. But Amazon refunded me the full amount anyway, without prompting. The handful of times I've contacted Amazon tech support this has been my experience. The previous one was when they replaced a $250 porch pirated delivery, no questions asked.

This behavior genuinely earns them more of my business.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#107

Post by al_borland »

icqFDR wrote: post #44

I’d advise anyone buying e-books on Amazon to think it through carefully. My account was banned recently because, years ago, I ordered two paper books that Amazon said would be split into two shipments. Both books arrived without any issues, but later Amazon refunded me for one of them, claiming that one package never arrived. This happened 4–5 years ago. Apparently, during a recent review, they decided this counted…

Banning long-time customers in otherwise good-standing for a mistake they made years ago, which would already be settled financially and such a minor cost is wild.

I can imagine something like this has happened to almost everyone.

So much for being the world’s most customer-centric company. That mission is dead.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#108

Post by watwut »

IAmBroom wrote: post #82
foormanek wrote: post #55

Nobody with sane mind cares. You may buy Kindle, but then you jailbreak it right away. You can "buy" Kindle e-books, but then you exfiltrate these right away. When you stand your ground, what can Amazon allow you or not allow?

Spoken like a techie, with the attitude NYers have to the "flyover states". Only tech-savvy people who are morally OK with pirating and jailbreaking are "sane"?

> Spoken like a techie, with the attitude NYers have to the "flyover states".

Like you mean, when people from what you call "flyover states" demonized cities so much, that they are ok sending armies into them?

Lets be real, the overwhelming majority if derision and toxicity flows the other way.

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#109

Post by crtasm »

codazoda wrote: post #65
cwillu wrote: post #4

But only if the author/publisher explicitly go in and permit it. This isn't announcing that pdf's and epub's are now available for everything that was drm-free, this is announcing that they will _permit_ pdf's and epub's to be available.

I'm a self-published author. This is the default setting for new books uploaded without DRM. It's gated behind an "I understand" checkbox. I plan to allow my books to be downloaded as PDF and ePUB. It makes sense not to do this retroactively.

Can you create the epub and pdf files yourself and have them distributed unaltered?

Re: Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks

#110

Post by mikkupikku »

ajdude wrote: post #69
cassianoleal wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the point of DRM-free ebooks though, isn't it? You download them and keep them safe so if the provider decides to cut access to your account, you remain in possession of the goods. So the correct advice would be to avoid anyone buying DRM-encumbered digital property - the same as RMS has been making for who knows how long!

It's safer to assume that Amazon is always acting in bad faith and search to purchase your DRM free e-books from other vendors. There's plenty of other options out there besides Amazon

> There's plenty of other options out there besides Amazon

Often not in my experience. Abe and B&N.

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