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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

#151

Post by kmeisthax »

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #7

How many books are actually available DRM-free? This reads a bit like "Amazon will provide free land, construct a paddock and provide feed for life if you order a unicorn, except unicorns don't exist".

All of Cory Doctorow's books are DRM-free. Actually, he insisted on it as a contractual rider with his publisher, so he isn't available on any platform that doesn't have a DRM-free option. I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon re-allowing downloads for DRM-free is specifically because Doctorow's publisher is angry at them.

In practice, the biggest store that doesn't have a DRM-free option is Audible... which has a near-monopoly on audiobooks. So Cory Doctorow has to do crowdfunding campaigns for all his audiobooks. Of course, that doesn't stop his books from getting illegally reposted to Audible anyway, and Amazon doesn't care about enforcing rights they can't have. Which led to him actually publishing this gem on Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Why-None-Books-Available-Audible/dp/B...

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

#153

Post by jabroni_salad »

Flimm wrote: post #24
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.

The eBooks in Kobo's store are also locked down with DRM.

Yes, but Calibre can get the files onto any other device with a drag and drop operation, which is not the case with the newest version of Amazon DRM.

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

#154

Post by nijave »

al_borland wrote: post #107
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.

Customer centric ended a few years ago

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

#155

Post by jshier »

dunham wrote: post #135
mikkupikku wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's plenty of other options out there besides Amazon Often not in my experience. Abe and B&N.

If by Abe, you mean Abe Books, they're a subsidiary of Amazon. I believe Baen sells some DRM free sci fi books, but it's a smaller catalog.

Pretty sure all of Baen's books are DRM free, and they offer virtually every ebook format around. They even used to include CDs with their hardbacks that would would include a huge subset of their collection. But they aren't a retailer, they're a publisher, so you're only getting the titles they publish.

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

#156

Post by jabroni_salad »

rgegerge wrote: post #30
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.

There are two single line comments recommending kobo over kindle in this thread. How do I know this is a genuine recommendation and not astroturfing?

Here's a better rec: Buy any device with a carta 1300 screen and only buy from shops that are supported by the DeDRM plugin in Calibre.

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

#157

Post by nijave »

gorbachev wrote: post #91
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…

Something similar happened to me. The delivery company returned two packages, two separate orders, as damaged back to Amazon. They were marked as "delivered". They automatically refunded just one item in one of the returned orders. I had to call them to get a refund for all the items on all the orders, and even then they had a lot of difficulty figuring out what was happening. Isn't Amazon supposed to be a world lead…

Not too long ago I received an empty package from Amazon but luckily it was a low price item and they reshipped it without fuss.

Not sure what you'd do in such a scenario if they tried to fight it

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

#158

Post by [deleted] »

al_borland wrote: post #107
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.

[deleted]

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

#159

Post by al_borland »

nijave wrote: post #154
al_borland wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Customer centric ended a few years ago

This may be your opinion, and mine as well, but it’s still in paragraph 1 of Amazon’s own about page. It seems they’ve forgotten their own guiding principles.

https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us

> Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. We strive to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work.

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

#160

Post by tekno45 »

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…

remote wiping purchased stuff is diabolical, especially over something so far in the past you can't do a charge back.

What are you using for e-book reading now?

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