How to become an e-reader poweruser?

December 15, 2022 4:50 PM

What are you general tips for using an ereader / e-ink tablet and finding the best deals on ebooks and / or other apps / uses for an e-ink tablet? Specifics after the jump.

I have a Boox Nova2 tablet, which is essentially an e-ink Android tablet (Android 11). I love reading on it and it allows me to read Kindle, Kobo, Glassboxx, Libby, etc... However, is there a way to have my library in one place instead of switching between apps? Is there one app that can read all?

Advice for stripping drm and sorting things?

Settings that you find most pleasant?

Any tips appreciated. Thanks!

posted by dobbs to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

Calibre is going to be your best friend. There are plugins you can download to strip DRM, you will find these best by googling things like "convert [proprietary format] to [preferred format] calibre."

Just last week I used Calibre with a plugin to strip the Adobe DRM from a library book that my kindle couldn't read. I prefer not to do this, but I have one ereader, it is what it is, and my library's stock has what it has.

As for settings, I've got a 10 year old kindle paperwhite, so my experience is going to differ from your experience. But generally, I like wide margins and great big honkin huge serif text. I change the light setting to where it feels good as needed. Basically I make it as easy as possible for my eyes to take in all the text on the page in a single glance--all the discomfort, eye strain, getting lost in a sentence and starting over, all those things I struggled with reading paper media, they're gone. 10/10 both in font size and my recommendation for it.
posted by phunniemee at 5:06 PM on December 15, 2022 [4 favorites]

If you have a US or UK based Kindle, you can use eReaderIQ to track books and authors you're interested and get email notifications when they drop in price.
posted by Cheese Monster at 5:10 PM on December 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

However, is there a way to have my library in one place instead of switching between apps? Is there one app that can read all?

Advice for stripping drm and sorting things?

You can strip the drm from everything using Calibre, pick whichever reading app you like the most and, if necessary, use Calibre to convert any books you have in formats that app can't read into formats it can so you can use it for everything.


...if you happen to like command-line and techy stuff you can even install calibre on your tablet using a Linux emulator and convert books via command line straight from the tablet without connecting to a computer. (Technically you might even be able to run the GUI version, but last I tried - a few years ago, admittedly - that was a pain with not-great performance that I didn't personally think was worth it.)
posted by trig at 5:48 PM on December 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Downloading free samples of books instead of immediately buying them (which I did thinking that I want to read them soon just not right now but what if I don’t have them when I get around to actually reading them), helps me reduce the number of books I buy and don’t read. It also serves as a reminder of books I was interested in, and I can buy them right when I’m ready to read them.

Now I still buy more books than I read, but that is due to another fallacy: on sale for a limited time, have to buy them now! At least the books I’m buying and not reading were on sale.
posted by meijusa at 4:11 AM on December 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. I forgot to ask if anyone has any thoughts on Scrib'd. Looks interesting but is it worth paying for?

You can strip the drm from everything using Calibre

I spent an hour trying to do this with a MacBook Air M1 and as fas as I can figure out, it's not possible.
posted by dobbs at 6:08 AM on December 16, 2022

I spent an hour trying to do this with a MacBook Air M1 and as fas as I can figure out, it's not possible.

What were you trying to strip and what trouble did you run into? (De-drming is one of the big things people use calibre for)
posted by trig at 6:17 AM on December 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

By the way, the mobileread forums are a pretty active source for ebook-related stuff in general and for Onyx-specific questions.
posted by trig at 6:19 AM on December 16, 2022

Response by poster: What were you trying to strip and what trouble did you run into? (De-drming is one of the big things people use calibre for)

I tried a few kindle books. Apparently the latest version of Kindle for Mac does something to the book before Calibre can get it and then it can't be stripped. You have to dl an older version of Kindle, which I did, and then run some Terminal command which asks for your password (which I did and it did), but then it told me the file/folder didn't exist. I tried three diff older versions of Kindle before giving up.

I also tried to DL the books on Amazon using the "Download and send via USB" but Amazon told me I didn't have any devices compatible.
posted by dobbs at 6:29 AM on December 16, 2022

I recently got deal on scribd for $5 for three months (through a work thing) and so far I have enjoyed the audiobooks. Things there are unlimited, in theory, so it might be nice to try it out. I have heard you can get blocked from newer stuff if you read too much in a month, but I have only belonged for about two weeks and not seen that happen yet.
posted by soelo at 7:05 AM on December 16, 2022

Hmm, I don't use Macs or Kindle so I can't try anything out myself. The "file doesn't exist" part makes it sound like the terminal command might not have been run from the right directory, so it doesn't know where to look for the file, but who knows. I sent you a memail that might or might not be useful.
posted by trig at 7:08 AM on December 16, 2022

I get all my ebooks through my library's Overdrive account. I do not like the Libby app, so instead I use the ePub Creator browser extension to convert them on the computer and read them in the Boox's built-in reader app.

If you do use the builtin Boox library app, it may be worth knowing that you can tap the three-books-leaning-against-each-other icon (or the paper-in-a-file-folder icon, depending on the mode you are in) at the top leftish of the screen to switch between two organization modes:
"Scan Mode" - it scans your device for anything it recognizes as an ebook and you can put them in virtual "Bookshelves," but only by tediously clicking around on the Boox.
"Directory Mode" - it shows you the actual files and directories as they exist on the device. This way you can organize your books into directories from the computer and view them in the same arrangement on the Boox.
posted by sibilatorix at 1:08 PM on December 16, 2022

I use e-pub DRM removal and it works great. You get a bunch of free (like 10?) uses to try it out but then it requires a (forever, fairly inexpensive) license. It's much much easier than futzing with the plugins, which don't work for library books (which is mainly why I strip DRM - to put library books on my Kindle because my library doesn't otherwise support it). That company also makes other DRM stripping programs but I don't use them myself.

I manage my books using Calibre otherwise and echo the others in really recommending it. It's great for managing books - it has great metadata options - and you can set it up to automatically import books and convert them to your layout/font/etc preferences. You can hook your e-reader up to put books on it using Calibre but Calibre also supports other wireless transfer services if your e-reader does. I really can't recommend it enough.

As for books, I almost exclusively get things out from the library, but when I do buy I tend to buy from ebooks.com because they aren't affiliated with any of the big companies. You can make a wishlist and track prices that way.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:12 PM on December 16, 2022

Something I didn't find out until recently:

On amazon, if you use their "follow" function for authors you like, they will occasionally email you with discount coupons for ebooks in that author's back catalogue.
posted by Lorc at 2:07 PM on December 16, 2022

I get daily notifications of ebook discounts from BookGorilla. You can customize the types of books you're interested in.
posted by schrodycat at 7:27 PM on December 16, 2022