Want To Subscribe To Kindle Store Magazine But Don't Have Kindle
October 26, 2020 1:59 AM Subscribe
Does the choice of ereader matter when you subscribe to a magazine in Amazon.com's Kindle store? I'd like to buy a monthly subscription to "Asimov's Science Fiction" magazine through Amazon.com, but I do not own a Kindle. I read ebooks with a Kobo.
The comments on the Asimov's Kindle page seem to suggest the magazine is locked somehow so you can't even read it on a PC, but I've heard previously that Asimov's and other magazines in the Kindle store are in PDF format, which would imply that I could read them on a different ereader like a Kobo. I'd like to buy a single issue to see what it's like, but I'm afraid to spend $5.99 on something I can't even read.
Has anyone read magazines like Asimov's in electronic form? Have you had any success using ereaders other than Kindle?
The comments on the Asimov's Kindle page seem to suggest the magazine is locked somehow so you can't even read it on a PC, but I've heard previously that Asimov's and other magazines in the Kindle store are in PDF format, which would imply that I could read them on a different ereader like a Kobo. I'd like to buy a single issue to see what it's like, but I'm afraid to spend $5.99 on something I can't even read.
Has anyone read magazines like Asimov's in electronic form? Have you had any success using ereaders other than Kindle?
As TheRaven has said, you will need either a Kindle device, or a Kindle app. You will not be able to read the magazine using Kobo.
Kindle apps are available on Android phones and tablets as well as iPhone and iPad. You may want to download the free Kindle app on your device to see if it is something you want to use, before purchasing the magazine.
posted by applesurf at 3:36 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Kindle apps are available on Android phones and tablets as well as iPhone and iPad. You may want to download the free Kindle app on your device to see if it is something you want to use, before purchasing the magazine.
posted by applesurf at 3:36 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
For me (in the US) that page shows the option of a free 28-day trial if you sign up for the monthly subscription. So that would be a way to test it out.
To put it onto a Kobo reader you would have to remove the DRM and convert between formats, which may or may not go smoothly (sometimes formatting gets messed up, depending on how the original document was done), which can be done with some versions of Calibre + a plugin (which does not currently work with the latest version of Calibre), but is not, technically speaking, legal.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:08 AM on October 26, 2020
To put it onto a Kobo reader you would have to remove the DRM and convert between formats, which may or may not go smoothly (sometimes formatting gets messed up, depending on how the original document was done), which can be done with some versions of Calibre + a plugin (which does not currently work with the latest version of Calibre), but is not, technically speaking, legal.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:08 AM on October 26, 2020
fwiw, I have had just the worst experiences with Amazon magazine subscription services. If there is anyway to get a digital or print edition directly from the magazine rather than through Amazon, it would be worth paying extra.
posted by EllaEm at 5:25 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by EllaEm at 5:25 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
And it looks like you can! On their website they also give options for downloading on a kobo or other formats.
posted by EllaEm at 5:26 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by EllaEm at 5:26 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I would advise against this, for the reasons EllaEm and others have said. It is *possible* to get your Kindle magazine onto your Kobo, but it will require a lot of steps every time, some of which may or may not be strictly legal in your jurisdiction. It will also be complicated by your lack of an actual Kindle, as most of the Kindle jailbreak methods rely on the Kindle file format, and breaking out the Kindle-apps formatted files is more difficult and will probably require you to go find an older version of the Kindle software (and subsequently put up with having that older version and any unfixed problems it may have).
To get Kindle formatted books onto a kobo you would need to:
1)Install Calibre EBook Software, configure for your e-reader (stick with 4.23, newer versions (at the time of writing) have issues with the needed plugins below).
2) Install/Configure DRM Removal Tools for eBooks by Apprentice Alf.
3) Download the ebook file as generated for/by Kindle for PC Version 1.17 or earlier.
[ //For others in similar scenarios...
3a) Alternatively for others reading this later, the ebook file as generated for any physical Kindle ( in this case the Kindle's serial number needs to be configured into the DRM plugins.
3b) Alternatively for others trying to go the other way, the EPUB generated by Adobe Digital Editions 2.01 or earlier.
//]
4) Import the book from step 3 into Calbre, which should automatically remove the DRM using the intalled plugins.
4a) Test you can open/read the book in Calibre to confirm the DRM removal worked.
5) Export to your e-reader using Calibre (via USB or whatever your particular e-reader supports).
Also note there is a 28 day free trial of the subscription option on Amazon.com, so while buying one issue is $5.99 you can subscribe and test this all for free.
posted by tiamat at 6:12 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
To get Kindle formatted books onto a kobo you would need to:
1)Install Calibre EBook Software, configure for your e-reader (stick with 4.23, newer versions (at the time of writing) have issues with the needed plugins below).
2) Install/Configure DRM Removal Tools for eBooks by Apprentice Alf.
3) Download the ebook file as generated for/by Kindle for PC Version 1.17 or earlier.
[ //For others in similar scenarios...
3a) Alternatively for others reading this later, the ebook file as generated for any physical Kindle ( in this case the Kindle's serial number needs to be configured into the DRM plugins.
3b) Alternatively for others trying to go the other way, the EPUB generated by Adobe Digital Editions 2.01 or earlier.
//]
4) Import the book from step 3 into Calbre, which should automatically remove the DRM using the intalled plugins.
4a) Test you can open/read the book in Calibre to confirm the DRM removal worked.
5) Export to your e-reader using Calibre (via USB or whatever your particular e-reader supports).
Also note there is a 28 day free trial of the subscription option on Amazon.com, so while buying one issue is $5.99 you can subscribe and test this all for free.
posted by tiamat at 6:12 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
You can't read anything from Kindle Newsstand on a computer - it's Kindle, Fire, Android and iOS only, so even that hack listed above won't work.
posted by ambrosen at 6:39 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ambrosen at 6:39 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you, ambrosen. I was afraid of that.
EllaEm, unfortunately the link on their webpage is only for an anthology book and not the magazine. It doesn't look like Kobo sells any subscriptions at all.
As applesurf said, it seems like the only simple solution is to read the magazine on a phone (or ipad if you have one). That's unknown territory for me.
And thank you for the detailed instructions, tiamat! That information is super useful for anyone who buys books from the Kindle store.
Thank you everyone for the responses. I wish it was easier to read magazines on mobile devices. If I could I think I'd switch all my subscriptions to digital, but the market seems to be set up to make this inconvient.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:52 PM on October 26, 2020
EllaEm, unfortunately the link on their webpage is only for an anthology book and not the magazine. It doesn't look like Kobo sells any subscriptions at all.
As applesurf said, it seems like the only simple solution is to read the magazine on a phone (or ipad if you have one). That's unknown territory for me.
And thank you for the detailed instructions, tiamat! That information is super useful for anyone who buys books from the Kindle store.
Thank you everyone for the responses. I wish it was easier to read magazines on mobile devices. If I could I think I'd switch all my subscriptions to digital, but the market seems to be set up to make this inconvient.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:52 PM on October 26, 2020
Best answer: Four thoughts:
--An e-ink Android reader, like the Likebook Mars, could read the magazine via the Kindle app (and then read Kobo books in the Kobo app, and library books in the library app, PDFs/EPUBs/MOBI in the native app, etc).
--Inside your existing Kobo device, you might check and see if your public library subscribes to this magazine, as many Kobos have pretty good library integration.
--The "Netflix for books" site Scribd has a bunch of old Asimov's magazines (that look pirated) and you could read them on your computer with a 30-day free trial to Scribd.
--Finally, there's a website called Magzter that has the magazine you're looking for and I think they will let you read it on PC.
posted by hungrytiger at 6:29 PM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
--An e-ink Android reader, like the Likebook Mars, could read the magazine via the Kindle app (and then read Kobo books in the Kobo app, and library books in the library app, PDFs/EPUBs/MOBI in the native app, etc).
--Inside your existing Kobo device, you might check and see if your public library subscribes to this magazine, as many Kobos have pretty good library integration.
--The "Netflix for books" site Scribd has a bunch of old Asimov's magazines (that look pirated) and you could read them on your computer with a 30-day free trial to Scribd.
--Finally, there's a website called Magzter that has the magazine you're looking for and I think they will let you read it on PC.
posted by hungrytiger at 6:29 PM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the ideas, hungrytiger! I'm pretty sure the local library did subscribe to the paper version of Asimovs back in the day, if they have the digital version that would be a great way to try out a sample. And I'm definitely going to check out Magzter!
posted by Kevin Street at 6:57 PM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Kevin Street at 6:57 PM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
For anyone reading this (looks like the OP is going a different way) -- breaking Kindle DRM in the way described above is soon to be a thing of the past, as the Kindle for PC app is going to force updates soon that won't allow the old de-DRMing plugin for Calibre to work anymore.
posted by nosila at 11:58 AM on October 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by nosila at 11:58 AM on October 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by TheRaven at 2:56 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]