Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

kdpcommunity.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

231–240 of 356 posts

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

#231

Post by Nextgrid »

barbazoo wrote: post #103
dust-jacket wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Have you never been banned in a video game and wanted to get back in? You create a new account and call it a day.

It's not like you should feel bad about playing dirty with a company that considers it fine to just steal $1k.

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

#232

Post by d3Xt3r »

kshacker wrote: post #71
egeozcan wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend of mine received a double shipment for a $300 order. Being honest, he contacted customer service to arrange a return. Everything seemed fine until a few days later when he noticed they had also refunded his original payment. He reached out again to let them know, and they said they’d just recharge his card. Apparently, that transaction failed (no clear reason why), and without any warning, they banned his ac…

I wonder just like retailers are required to account for local sales taxes (I know it is not that clear cut), there should be some enforcement mechanism to settle disputes locally. Setup an agency which "legally" provides support for google, Amazon, and all those unreachable entities. Provides local jobs as well as quick grievance redressal. Maybe something like consumer protection agency but not federal, maybe at le…

How would that work for countries where Amazon doesn't have a legal presence? A foreign court would be able to do anything.

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

#234

Post by BigTTYGothGF »

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?

Check their post history, nobody's going to be doing that kind of long con here. (Different kinds of long cons, maybe, but not for shilling an e-reader)

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

#235

Post by chocochunks »

zelphirkalt wrote: post #225
chocochunks wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not super easy to refund digital goods in general with few exceptions like Steam. I have done it with Kobo but IIRC you have to chat with a CS rep or least you did when I did it. No where legit is DRM free for eBooks from the big publishers. You don't even have to use the Kobo app since they let you download the ACSM file and use it Adobe Digital Editions which could be used on a computer or ADE supported eReade…

This ACSM file fiddling was too much of a hassle. I used to DeDRM ebooks from Amazon (also using Calibre), but I didn't know about DeACSM. I just want an epub or pdf file. I don't want their reinventing the wheel to somehow gatekeep content bs file formats. This is a clear sign for me, that they do not have my best interest at heart. Their website didn't guide me towards a callable phone number or give me an actual e…

Using the Kobo desktop app is almost identical to Kindle with regards to DeDRM. You open app, you download book in app, you open Calibre, then here is where it changes, you click the Obok plugin on the Calibre toolbar, find book and import and get an ePub and you don't even have to convert it!

ACSM is Adobe's crap and the same thing you'd have use for Google Play Books and a few others. It's again another slight step change where you have to open the ACSM with ADE to get the book in the first place. WTF Adobe did it that way, IDK but they did.

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

#236

Post by jgbuddy »

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…

I work at Amazon and can escalate this if you're interested. Let me know the order ID and I'll see what I can do.

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

#237

Post by synergy20 »

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…

I have 5 kindles at home and they're all collecting dusts along with some Alexa and Echo devices, the only thing I need Amazon for is its ecommerce shopping site. The phone just replaces all those gadgets and it probably has nothing to do with Amazon. Still it's a nice move to support ePub and PDFs on kindles.

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

#238

Post by BeetleB »

kstrauser wrote: post #224
BeetleB wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But after they decided the ebooks were actually just license to read They decided that when they launched the Kindle. It's always been that way.

No, it hasn't. Until very recently, their website said "Buy now with 1-Click", minus the new "By placing an order, you're purchasing a content license & agreeing to Kindle's Store Terms of Use." wording underneath it. The process was identical to buying a physical book: you give them money, and you end up with your own physical or electronic copy of it. Any interpretation of that transaction as anything but a purchas…

> No, it hasn't.

Yes, it has. They made it clear right when they launched the store.

> I couldn't care less what their ToS said about it

You're welcome to not care about whatever you feel - your concerns and reality are orthogonal.

This became big news a long time ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jul/17/amazon-ki...

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

#239

Post by Finnucane »

butlike wrote: post #220

Wow it took this long to adopt epub?

Amazon adopted epub several years ago. Publishers provide files to them as plain epub files. What they sell is an epub file in a proprietary wrapper. The wrapper exists, in part, to provide the DRM. If they remove the DRM, they can remove the wrapper and give you a plan epub file.

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

#240

Post by aidenn0 »

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.

Tor and Baen are two publishers that have been offering DRM free books on Kobo for a while.
Post reply on HN