Ever since Amazon put a notice on their web site about eradicating the flexibility to obtain and switch ebooks by way of USB, individuals have began freaking out and a few misguided souls are turning the difficulty into one thing that it’s not, so I wished to clear up a few of the misinformation that’s at present permeating on-line and particularly on social media.
I can’t learn the Kindle Subreddit anymore as a result of the quantity of misinformation and entitlement and flat out stupidity infusing that sub is simply an excessive amount of to tolerate. Individuals who have by no means even used the D&T possibility are dropping their minds, and are performing like Amazon is actively conspiring to steal their books.
In actuality (outdoors of social media), Amazon is just phasing out the flexibility to obtain bought ebooks from their web site utilizing an internet browser, a characteristic that dates again to the early days of Kindles earlier than WiFi entry was so widespread. You’ll nonetheless be capable of obtain bought ebooks to Kindles and Kindle apps with none issues—the USB switch possibility is a totally separate factor.
eBook Proudly owning vs Licensing
First off, you don’t truly personal ebooks that you simply buy. This isn’t a brand new idea and it isn’t unique to Amazon and even ebooks. Whenever you buy digital media you’re shopping for a license to view mentioned media. It doesn’t matter the place you get your ebooks from. You’re shopping for a license to learn the e-book, not the rights to personal the e-book.
When you don’t like these phrases there’s a very easy workaround—purchase paper books as an alternative.
Nothing is Altering for Kindle App Customers
For some cause quite a lot of Kindle app customers suppose the removing of D&T one way or the other impacts them. It doesn’t. Nothing is altering in case you use a Kindle app on a cellphone or pill. D&T has by no means been a characteristic that was obtainable for app customers.
D&T has nothing to do with Kindle apps. It’s an previous characteristic for Kindle ereaders that permit customers with out WiFi sideload bought ebooks.
USB Switch is Not Going Away
Amazon is eradicating the flexibility to sideload bought ebooks by way of USB onto Kindles, however you’ll nonetheless be capable of sideload non-Amazon ebooks by way of USB—the flexibility to sideload isn’t going away. And also you’ll nonetheless be capable of sideload Kindle ebooks in case you take away the DRM from them, but it surely wouldn’t make sense to do it that manner since you possibly can simply obtain them immediately.
Utilizing Different eBook Shops
Lots of people are swearing off shopping for ebooks from Amazon after this, however there are some issues you must know first because the grass isn’t all the time greener on the opposite aspect.
First off, Amazon sells quite a lot of unique titles that aren’t obtainable to buy wherever else (most of their Kindle Limitless catalog, for example). Secondly, not all e-book shops supply downloads outdoors of their gadgets/apps. Apple and B&N fall into that class.
If you need to have the ability to obtain your bought ebooks to a pc to make correct backups, you’ll have to discover a retailer that makes use of Adobe Digital Editions and provides books in Adobe EPUB format. Just a few examples embrace Kobo, Google, and eBooks.com.
With a view to learn ebooks bought from these shops on Kindles, you’ll must take away the DRM first after which convert them to a Kindle format utilizing Calibre. Then you possibly can sideload them or use Ship-To-Kindle.
Backing Up Kindle eBooks/DRM Removing
Even after Amazon removes the choice to obtain ebooks from their web site on February twenty sixth, it’ll nonetheless be attainable to tug your bought ebooks off of Kindle ereaders to make backups and take away the DRM.
Most individuals didn’t know this, myself included, when the information first hit, but it surely seems the DRM removing instruments can be utilized to take away DRM from KFX-formatted ebooks which might be downloaded to Kindle ereaders. There’s no assure that Amazon gained’t discover a solution to shut that possibility off sooner or later, however that’s all the time the case with these sorts of issues. It’s all the time greatest to make backups after buying an e-book as an alternative of placing it off in case you’re fearful about dropping entry to it.
Why Ought to You Backup Kindle eBooks?
A shocking variety of individuals are fearful that Amazon goes immediately resolve to take away bought ebooks from their account for some cause or one other. The actual fact is Amazon doesn’t try this. Even when an e-book will get faraway from Amazon’s web site, it’ll nonetheless be obtainable for obtain in case you bought it.
One time Amazon eliminated George Orwell’s 1984 e-book from individuals’s libraries like 15 years in the past as a result of they didn’t have the right license to promote it. They later admitted they have been improper to take away it from individuals’s accounts and supplied prospects one other copy of the e-book or a $30 credit score.
There are some reliable causes to be involved about dropping your Kindle library. As an illustration, in case you ever resolve to delete your Amazon account, you’ll additionally completely lose entry to your entire bought Kindle ebooks. Amazon has additionally been recognized to shut accounts in the event that they detect some type of fraud, however individuals often regain entry to their account/ebooks after contacting Amazon help and dealing by the issue.
Backing up ebooks turned a factor of emphasis after a number of e-book shops closed down for good, making previous purchases inaccessible in case you didn’t make backups. That’s probably not a problem in relation to Amazon, not less than not within the foreseeable future.
DRM is the Actual Enemy
All people needs accountable Amazon for the present state of ebooks, however the actual downside is DRM, and it’s publishers and authors that insist on utilizing DRM in a misguided effort to cease piracy.
The reality is DRM doesn’t deter piracy within the slightest as a result of there are all the time workarounds and the pirates find out about them. All it does is lock reliable paying prospects into platforms owned by multibillion-dollar firms like Amazon and Apple to allow them to proceed to carry prospects’ purchases hostage.
Authors and publishers might actually stick it to Amazon in the event that they did away with DRM and exclusivity rights, however as an alternative they’re inadvertently serving to Amazon dominate the e-book business by locking prospects into the Kindle platform.
