Acquiring ebooks responsibly without adding to Bezos' coffers.
October 19, 2019 9:27 AM Subscribe
This week's New Yorker has a scathing profile of Jeff Bezos, boss of Amazon. After reading it, I'm determined to close up my account, once it's paid up. I need my money more than he does.
But here's the thing.....
I really like my Kindle, and am delighted to receive an ebook as a birthday or Christmas present. One less physical object in our house, and another great book for me to savor! Plus, there's nothing that a harried Amazon warehouse worker has to deal with.
When a Kindle ebook is purchased, who gets the bulk of the money? The author, or Amazon? Is it evenly split?
Can I still give Amazon the finger by requesting ebooks from my loved one?
(I researched this question on AskMefi Search, but in truth I only read through the first two pages.)
I really like my Kindle, and am delighted to receive an ebook as a birthday or Christmas present. One less physical object in our house, and another great book for me to savor! Plus, there's nothing that a harried Amazon warehouse worker has to deal with.
When a Kindle ebook is purchased, who gets the bulk of the money? The author, or Amazon? Is it evenly split?
Can I still give Amazon the finger by requesting ebooks from my loved one?
(I researched this question on AskMefi Search, but in truth I only read through the first two pages.)
Buy books in ePub format, which are widely available, then convert them to mobi format (Amazon’s proprietary format) with caliber, or just use an online converter. Then set Up a send-to-kindle email address with amazon, which allows you to email PDFs or mobi files directly to your wifi enabled kindle device. I’ve been doing this for years, have only ever bought two or three titles from amazon. Lots of better sellers to give your money to. Amazons cut looks to be between 35 and 70% of retail based on some quick googling.
posted by skewed at 9:41 AM on October 19, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by skewed at 9:41 AM on October 19, 2019 [16 favorites]
skewed probably means the software called Calibre for the ebook conversion, using Apprentice Alf's add-on tools.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:50 AM on October 19, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 9:50 AM on October 19, 2019 [8 favorites]
Anything under $10 is 70% to the author.
Also: Authors aren't putting their ebooks on Kindle because they love it, it's because they own the market, and piracy is more popular than all of the other sales channels.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:12 AM on October 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
Also: Authors aren't putting their ebooks on Kindle because they love it, it's because they own the market, and piracy is more popular than all of the other sales channels.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:12 AM on October 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
Check to see if your local library offers e-book downloads. Mine does.
posted by fso at 10:42 AM on October 19, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by fso at 10:42 AM on October 19, 2019 [16 favorites]
I use Overdrive for ebook library borrowing. Of course it has all the downsides of traditional library books, including wait times and two week checkout periods.
posted by Jacen at 10:57 AM on October 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacen at 10:57 AM on October 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
Something that's implicit in a lot of these answers is that whether and where you can find the ebook and how the author is paid both depend on the way a book is published. If you're reading books published by major publishing houses, then the ebooks are going to be available from multiple sources, including Kobo, Google Books, iTunes, etc. Your local indie bookstore may also have an arrangement with a website that gives them a little bit of money when someone buys an ebook. You can convert ebook formats using Calibre, though some sources make it easier to back up purchased ebooks than others.
Moreover, as others have mentioned, libraries do loan ebooks; the availability depends a lot on the library system, so if you have more than one library card, it's worth experimenting.
Many (though by no means all) self-published ebooks are only available on Amazon. In this case, if you like an author, you might want to look for additional ways to support them directly, such as by subscribing to a newsletter or a Patreon.
posted by yarntheory at 11:23 AM on October 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
Moreover, as others have mentioned, libraries do loan ebooks; the availability depends a lot on the library system, so if you have more than one library card, it's worth experimenting.
Many (though by no means all) self-published ebooks are only available on Amazon. In this case, if you like an author, you might want to look for additional ways to support them directly, such as by subscribing to a newsletter or a Patreon.
posted by yarntheory at 11:23 AM on October 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
Adobe digital editions pdf and ePub can be converted with calibre or more easily with Epubor software to kindle formats and read there.
Here’s what I do:
1. go to publishers site and look for an Adobe Digital Editions download. If the publisher offers it that’s the best way to support the author. If they have one, buy it and convert to mobi with Epubor. This is legal. Also check booksAMILLION.
2. Try the library for an Overdrive download. If they have it download it, convert to mobi with Epubor and try to read it before it is due and then dispose of the copy. This is quasi legal.
3. Look on archive.org for the book and attempt to borrow from them. Do the same thing with the ePub including disposal. Also quasi.
4. Find the book by any means necessary (aside from Amazon) convert however you can. Keep it for yourself. Mail a check with explanation to the authors address (usually findable online, often their agent or publisher) for the cover price of the book. Decidedly not legal, but the most satisfying. I’ve done this 30+ times and more than half the checks have been cashed.
I also buy physical books, take them to kinkos, where they use a stack cutter for $1-2 per book to cut the binding off and then scan the book in my doc scanner to pdf. I read on my iPad not my kindle so this makes a pdf that I can read and annotate.
And then don’t redistribute the copies of anything you’ve made and I think you’re ethically ok.
posted by n9 at 11:52 AM on October 19, 2019 [5 favorites]
Here’s what I do:
1. go to publishers site and look for an Adobe Digital Editions download. If the publisher offers it that’s the best way to support the author. If they have one, buy it and convert to mobi with Epubor. This is legal. Also check booksAMILLION.
2. Try the library for an Overdrive download. If they have it download it, convert to mobi with Epubor and try to read it before it is due and then dispose of the copy. This is quasi legal.
3. Look on archive.org for the book and attempt to borrow from them. Do the same thing with the ePub including disposal. Also quasi.
4. Find the book by any means necessary (aside from Amazon) convert however you can. Keep it for yourself. Mail a check with explanation to the authors address (usually findable online, often their agent or publisher) for the cover price of the book. Decidedly not legal, but the most satisfying. I’ve done this 30+ times and more than half the checks have been cashed.
I also buy physical books, take them to kinkos, where they use a stack cutter for $1-2 per book to cut the binding off and then scan the book in my doc scanner to pdf. I read on my iPad not my kindle so this makes a pdf that I can read and annotate.
And then don’t redistribute the copies of anything you’ve made and I think you’re ethically ok.
posted by n9 at 11:52 AM on October 19, 2019 [5 favorites]
Definitely recommend checking out what your local library has. My library has Overdrive (ebooks and audiobooks), Hoopla (comic books, audiobooks, tv shows, music, and movies), RBdigital (ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, tv shows, and movies), Kanopy (tv shows and movies), and access to other digital resources (like Lynda.com). I haven't bought a book for years. The one downside is that some of the services do have loaning limits like Hoopla only allows for 7 titles a month, so sometimes its hard to binge comic books or tv shows.
posted by wasabifooting at 1:29 PM on October 19, 2019
posted by wasabifooting at 1:29 PM on October 19, 2019
Where do the libraries buy the ebooks from?
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:39 PM on October 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:39 PM on October 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is quasi legal.
Yeah there are a ton of people who will argue to death about whether this is okay. As a librarian I think it's safe to say it's totally an untested area of law and that basically if you're staying within the letter of the library's lending period, no one is going to care if you format-shift a library book to read it on a different device. Many libraries also lend Kindle books but that requires an Amazon account (more's the pity). I think there are two issues you have here.
1. Not wanting to give Amazon a dime. Anyone who buys you gifts at Amazon will be giving them money. Everyone's moral compass is different. This would not be a thing I might care about, but others might. As people have said it's trivia to convert books into Kindle formats and if you have a Kindle Fire you can put Libby on it and borrow library books pretty easily. Otherwise, yes, Calibre or, more simple Epubor.
2. Wanting to pay authors. This is trickier. You may want to look into other ways of remunerating authors if you decide to go some other route, especially if you borrow books from the Internet Archive or Open Library which do not actually have any financial arrangement with authors or publisher (for better and worse)
Where do the libraries buy the ebooks from?
They usually have agreements with vendors like 3M or Overdrive which buy licenses for ebooks direct from publishers. In fact ebooks aren't purchased, they are licensed. If libraries are lending Kindle books, however, those are licensed from Amazon.
posted by jessamyn at 1:41 PM on October 19, 2019 [6 favorites]
Yeah there are a ton of people who will argue to death about whether this is okay. As a librarian I think it's safe to say it's totally an untested area of law and that basically if you're staying within the letter of the library's lending period, no one is going to care if you format-shift a library book to read it on a different device. Many libraries also lend Kindle books but that requires an Amazon account (more's the pity). I think there are two issues you have here.
1. Not wanting to give Amazon a dime. Anyone who buys you gifts at Amazon will be giving them money. Everyone's moral compass is different. This would not be a thing I might care about, but others might. As people have said it's trivia to convert books into Kindle formats and if you have a Kindle Fire you can put Libby on it and borrow library books pretty easily. Otherwise, yes, Calibre or, more simple Epubor.
2. Wanting to pay authors. This is trickier. You may want to look into other ways of remunerating authors if you decide to go some other route, especially if you borrow books from the Internet Archive or Open Library which do not actually have any financial arrangement with authors or publisher (for better and worse)
Where do the libraries buy the ebooks from?
They usually have agreements with vendors like 3M or Overdrive which buy licenses for ebooks direct from publishers. In fact ebooks aren't purchased, they are licensed. If libraries are lending Kindle books, however, those are licensed from Amazon.
posted by jessamyn at 1:41 PM on October 19, 2019 [6 favorites]
Maybe turn in your Kindle and get a Kobo ereader and buy your ebooks from Indiebound.
posted by brookeb at 2:25 PM on October 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by brookeb at 2:25 PM on October 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Kobo also does an affiliate thing with indie bookstores so you can buy ebooks from Kobo and your favorite indie bookstore gets a cut.
posted by COD at 2:32 PM on October 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by COD at 2:32 PM on October 19, 2019 [1 favorite]
A Kobo device is pretty cool and they tend to have built-in integration to the library (Overdrive/Libby) as well as Pocket (an internet article gatherer). But trying to get your old Kindle books on it is a major pain -- I speak from experience.
My personal favorite solution is a generic e-ink ereader like the Likebook Mars. I have one, and it can display your old Kindle books, or Kobo if you've got them, AND it can also be used to read
--Overdrive/Libby so you can read library books
--Scribd ("the Netflix of books")
--PDFs and EPUBs from Gutenberg/Internet Archive/where ever
--Pocket (which you can use to gather longform articles from the web)
Also, it can be used together with Dropbox/Google Docs, and it has a headphone jack so you can listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music.
I have a slightly fancier unit (the Onyx Boox Nova Pro) that does most of the above plus works as an e-ink notepad and I use it every day. Feel free to ping me if this interests you and you have any questions.
posted by hungrytiger at 4:14 PM on October 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
My personal favorite solution is a generic e-ink ereader like the Likebook Mars. I have one, and it can display your old Kindle books, or Kobo if you've got them, AND it can also be used to read
--Overdrive/Libby so you can read library books
--Scribd ("the Netflix of books")
--PDFs and EPUBs from Gutenberg/Internet Archive/where ever
--Pocket (which you can use to gather longform articles from the web)
Also, it can be used together with Dropbox/Google Docs, and it has a headphone jack so you can listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music.
I have a slightly fancier unit (the Onyx Boox Nova Pro) that does most of the above plus works as an e-ink notepad and I use it every day. Feel free to ping me if this interests you and you have any questions.
posted by hungrytiger at 4:14 PM on October 19, 2019 [3 favorites]
Anything that uses DRM can be stolen with a clean conscience and shared with all of your friends.
https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/
In my opinion there's no responsible way to be a consumer, but the DRM issue makes things especially nasty, because in order to find a more ethical seller you have to ditch your kindle and buy a new device. I suggest that you keep your kindle, avoid contributing any more to the e-waste pile, and if you set up the DRM-removal tools you can buy ebooks from other (potentially) more ethical companies, which you can then copy to your kindle. As others mentioned, you can also borrow library books digitally, use the "Send to kindle" feature, strip the DRM and keep the book for free. But this only works for certain apps (Libby) that might not be in use by your local library.
There is one thing to mention about removing DRM from digital library loans. If you sync the loans directly to your kindle and then run the deDRM tools, it will break images. Instead, download the loan from the amazon website under "Account > Your Content and Devices", then remove the DRM, then copy to your kindle via USB.
posted by mammal at 10:39 PM on October 19, 2019
https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/
In my opinion there's no responsible way to be a consumer, but the DRM issue makes things especially nasty, because in order to find a more ethical seller you have to ditch your kindle and buy a new device. I suggest that you keep your kindle, avoid contributing any more to the e-waste pile, and if you set up the DRM-removal tools you can buy ebooks from other (potentially) more ethical companies, which you can then copy to your kindle. As others mentioned, you can also borrow library books digitally, use the "Send to kindle" feature, strip the DRM and keep the book for free. But this only works for certain apps (Libby) that might not be in use by your local library.
There is one thing to mention about removing DRM from digital library loans. If you sync the loans directly to your kindle and then run the deDRM tools, it will break images. Instead, download the loan from the amazon website under "Account > Your Content and Devices", then remove the DRM, then copy to your kindle via USB.
posted by mammal at 10:39 PM on October 19, 2019
Authors aren't putting their ebooks on Kindle because they love it
I know a lot of indie authors who do, indeed, love it because 70% is 10x or 20x what they were getting from a traditional publisher. Authors do move from traditional publishers to indie ebooks on Kindle.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:00 AM on October 20, 2019 [2 favorites]
I know a lot of indie authors who do, indeed, love it because 70% is 10x or 20x what they were getting from a traditional publisher. Authors do move from traditional publishers to indie ebooks on Kindle.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:00 AM on October 20, 2019 [2 favorites]
Join as many libraries as possible, because each has a separate inventory of ebooks so the more you join, the greater your chances of finding a book or of being able to check it out without waiting too long. Sometimes waiting is inevitable but that just means delayed gratification. After joining more than one library, join Overdrive directly and then add each library to your account so your searches will apply to all your libraries.
posted by conrad53 at 12:35 PM on October 20, 2019
posted by conrad53 at 12:35 PM on October 20, 2019
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