Chapter 5

Bringing the Library Home

In This Chapter

arrow Seeking a compatible bookish partner

arrow Matching book files to eReaders

arrow Shopping at an online bookstore

arrow Storing your own information

Your eReader is an empty vessel waiting to be filled with great works. This chapter reveals ways you can get eBooks (as well as documents, newspapers, and magazines) to read — including free books! And lastly, this chapter explains how to move personal documents from your computer to your eReader.

Letting You Loose

Almost without exception, eReaders let you automatically connect to a particular bookseller. In general, the online eBook sellers are similar, because most current books are available to all major retailers. Even the prices are similar. (The online revolution has lowered the cost of many products.)

However, this is one area where dedicated eReaders and tablets may differ:

check.png Dedicated eReaders — Kobo, NOOK, Kindle, and Sony Reader — don’t let you change the link much (if at all). When you choose the Store button on a Kindle, you end up at the Amazon store; on a Kobo you wind up at the Kobo store.

tip.eps check.png A tablet can work with other sources. For example, you may be able to install a link to the Apple or Amazon or Kobo store on your tablet. In fact, you can generally install all three and choose among them. Apple and BlackBerry each have a store that sells (or provides for free) approved applications (apps) that you can put on their tablets. Tablets based on Android can get apps from the official Android store.

If you’re on your personal computer, you should be able to go to whatever store you choose and download book files to that computer. Once they’re on your PC or Mac, you can transfer them by USB cable, WiFi, or Bluetooth. (I discuss wireless communication in Chapter 3.)

remember.eps Be aware when shopping at stores that sell to all eReader brands: You need the right kind of file format.

File format

A book’s file format (type) has to work with your device for you to see it onscreen. Putting the wrong file (one that’s incompatible) onto your eReader doesn’t damage the device. The file simply won’t display onscreen.

If you’re on your Kindle shopping on the Amazon website, you shouldn’t have trouble finding files for your device; the same goes for Apple iPad owners shopping on Apple’s site.

remember.eps Heads up if you visit a site that sells books to owners of multiple designs of readers: You may need to actively choose the version that’s intended for your device. The book seller labels the files according to the device, saying specifically what is for a Kindle, iPad, Kobo, NOOK, or Sony Reader. Or you may see an option that lists the files by format. EPUB, PDF, and PDB are the most common. (NOOKcolor can’t use PDB, and Kindle can’t use EPUB.)

tip.eps If you have any questions about appropriate files, get ahold of the online bookseller by phone, chat, or email to confirm that you’re buying the right version.

Offering protection

Some file formats are proprietary, or closed, and some are open. A proprietary file uses a format that’s recognized only by a particular manufacturer’s device. An open file works (you guessed it) on a variety of devices.

In addition, files are either protected or unprotected.

check.png A protected file has some form of restriction per Digital Rights Management (DRM). Publishers do this to prevent stealing, and libraries do it because they’re only lenders.

check.png An unprotected file is usually for free use without restriction. Two kinds of common unprotected files are classic books that are no longer under copyright protection and instruction manuals. If you use a word processor or other productivity program on your laptop or desktop computer, you should be able to save files as unprotected PDFs. You will also find on the Internet some book files available in that open format. And you can make your own unprotected files based on documents you create yourself.

technicalstuff.eps

Setting the bar on formats

Two basic types of EPUB are in use: unprotected and protected.

check.png Unprotected EPUBs are commonly used for books that are no longer under copyright. That’s why you’ll see hundreds of free versions of books by Austen, Twain, Dickens, and others. You can use this same format to change your personal documents so you can see them on your eReader.

check.png Protected EPUBs include Digital Rights Management (DRM), which limits the file to a single buyer, an individual machine, or to set a time limit. Most of the eBooks you buy from a seller (like Barnes & Noble or Kobo) or other commercial websites (other than Apple or Amazon) are protected EPUBs. A protected version uses Digital Rights Management (DRM).

technicalstuff.eps Finally, you can have various combinations of the two formats:

check.png Proprietary and protected work only on certain eReaders, and their use and duplication are restricted.

check.png Open and protected work on many different types of eReaders, but Digital Rights Management will apply.

check.png Proprietary and unprotected work on certain eReaders, but can be freely exchanged and used.

check.png Open and unprotected can be read on many types of eReaders and traded, passed along, and otherwise handled in any way you choose.

Amazon doesn’t work with files sold by Apple (or vice versa), but both can read eBooks in certain open formats. The Kindle has an application that you can put on an iPad or on some BlackBerry and Android-based devices. The application makes it possible to communicate with Amazon, download files, and display them on those devices.

Open file formats

Open file formats work on a variety of devices (or platforms, as developers sometimes call them.) These are the most common types of open and formatted book files most eReaders can handle:

check.png EPUB (won’t work with Kindle)

check.png PDF

check.png PDB (won’t work with NOOKcolor)

tip.eps Some PDFs are in landscape view (wider than they are tall). Some such files may display properly, some may rotate graphics but leave the text in its original orientation, and others may be unreadable. Advanced eReaders as well as tablets are generally able to rotate text to landscape view without problem.

Go (Shop) Carting

Attention electronic book shoppers!

Depending upon who’s counting, more than 2 million titles are floating around out there in cyberspace. The majority of new books are now offered as eBooks, and many older books are being converted to digital. Most eBooks are older, out-of-copyright books. Some are great works by great writers, and others are merely interesting titles that might otherwise be forgotten. If you want to read Charles Dickens or Mark Twain or Jane Eyre (all worthy uses of your time), you’re almost certainly going to find different versions of their books. Also, lots of websites offer free titles that will work on your eReader.

tip.eps If you’re looking for a modern author or a modern edition of a classic book that includes illustrations or commentary, you need to buy a copy (or get one from an online lending library, which I discuss in a moment).

Holding you account-able

Start by creating an account with the store that has a link preinstalled on your reader or tablet. This is by no means the only place to shop, but it should offer the simplest, guaranteed compatible source of files. At most stores it is not necessary to add credit card information until you buy something. You’ll take these basic steps, no matter what eReader you have:

1. Choose a username.

This is the name the store will call you.

2. Make up a password.

warning_bomb.eps Always use a complex password when you start an account that will store your credit card. Don’t use the name of your significant other or anything else a thief could guess based upon public records. I often use phone numbers or street addresses that I can remember but that aren’t directly connected to me.

License to read

When you buy an eBook, you’re essentially buying a license that allows you to download the file and use it on a reading device. Most online bookstores offer features you may like:

check.png The ability to read the same book on two or more eReaders, tablets, or computers that are registered to your account. This can serve a number of purposes: it can help you replace your library if your electronic hardware is lost or damaged, it can allow you to begin reading a book on your computer at home, continue on your eReader during lunch break at work, and even read on the smaller screen of a smartphone while riding the train home. The bookseller may place a limit on the number of copies that can exist at one time, or even require you to sign on from the device to transfer the currently active copy from one to another.

check.png The ability for you to loan a book to someone. Here, the model is somewhat like that for a real ink and paper book: while the book is out on loan you cannot read it on your own device. There may also be a limit on the number of times a book can be loaned.

check.png Links that let you recommend a book. The links go to social media like Facebook. You may be able to show what you’re currently reading.

Where to Buy

Most eReaders automatically link to an eBook store, but you don’t have to shop at just one place. Some of the leading online stores are explained in the following sections.

Amazon

In late 2011, Amazon had nearly a million books available in its file format. You can load the eBooks onto an Amazon Kindle as well as onto a tablet or personal computer where the Amazon Kindle app has been installed. If you have Amazon Kindle, you’re all set to establish an account with the company.

tip.eps If you don’t have a Kindle, use a personal computer, laptop, or tablet to visit www.amazon.com and see if they offer an app for the device you own. Go to the Books section of the store and then check for a listing of available apps.

As the book you’re reading goes to press, Amazon offers a Kindle app that can run on the following:

check.png Apple iPad

check.png Apple iPhone

check.png PC

check.png Mac

check.png Tablets that run the Android or Windows Phone 7 operating systems

What’s missing from Amazon’s group? At the time of thi writing, you can’t install the Kindle app on a dedicated eReader like Kobo, NOOK, Sony Reader, or the like.

Apple iBookstore

Visit the iBookstore (iKnow, iKnow) at www.ibookstore.com. This store sells the EPUB file format. The eBooks have Digital Rights Management restrictions that don’t let you copy or share files. The store’s eBooks also come in the PDF file format, including those from the Project Gutenberg collection (explained in this chapter’s “Keep your card in your wallet” section).

You can change the iPad to display eBooks. Go to www.ibookstore.com and load the iBooks app from the Apple App Store.

tip.eps You may be able to get an Apple iBookstore application for your device if it isn’t an iPad. Check the website from a personal computer or tablet for the latest.

The iBookstore looks essentially the same on the iPad as it does on other tablets that can use it. However, since the iPad is an Apple product, some of it’s meant to be familiar to Apple users. You’ll get the hang of the thing quick enough, iPromise.

Barnes & Noble

B&N has a vast collection of titles for a wide range of reading devices. B&N sells its own eReaders, including the NOOK (a dedicated eReader) and the tablet-like NOOKcolor. Both devices take you to the company’s online store. However, you can also download and use a B&N application on devices including Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry devices, PCs, and Macs.

tip.eps When you buy something at B&N, a record of your purchase is kept in your account, which lets you restore a book if you accidentally delete it from the eReader, or if the file doesn’t work. The store is at www.bn.com (or www.barnesandnoble.com or www.nook.com). All those addresses take you to the same website.

Kobo

The Kobo eReader was introduced by Borders Books, but it has kept its very large collection of titles at www.kobobooks.com. A Kobo comes with a built-in connection to the Kobo website.

technicalstuff.eps The Borders Books website is pretty much the same as the Kobo site. The Borders Group closed its retail bookstores in 2011, and even though the future of its online site is unclear, you can easily switch to the Kobo site.

Sony

The Sony Reader website originally offered books in just a proprietary format. Now it offers EPUB files, which work on a wide range of devices. You can visit the site at http://ebookstore.sony.com.

eBooks

One of the original electronic book retailers, the site at www.eBooks.com offers EPUB and PDF titles that work on most electronic readers.

Google eBook Store

technicalstuff.eps Google, in case you don’t know it, is determined to own a very large slice of the huge digital pie. It already owns and operates many services you’re probably already using, including YouTube, Google Earth, Picasa, Google Talk, and Google Voice. Oh, and the Android operating system that underlies NOOK as well as many tablet devices including the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Most eReaders require you to shop from and download files onto a laptop or personal computer. Then you need to side load the eBook file from the computer to your eReader. (Chapter 3 tells you how to side load.)

tip.eps In some of the more recent eReaders, you can get a direct link to the Google bookstore if you load an app onto your tablet. You’ll need to open a free account with Google; the same account tags along if you use other Google tools (including Gmail, a Web-based e-mail service).

Like most other online bookstores, Google distinguishes between books that are in the public domain and those that are still under copyright. To read a public domain book, choose it from the Google website and save it to your personal computer; then connect your eReader to side load. (See Chapter 3 for instrutions.)

When you’re dealing with books that use Digital Rights Management (DRM), the process adds a step: Adobe Digital Editions. If you haven’t already done it, you must put the latest version of the Adobe software on your laptop or personal computer so it can read the eBook. (See “Using Adobe Digital Editions” earlier in this chapter for instructions.)

Here’s how to buy a book on Google and move it to your eReader:

1. Go to http://books.google.com/ebooks.

2. Select a book.

3. Click Buy.

4. Pay for the license.

The file is added to your Google account.

warning_bomb.eps Always use a complex password when you start an account that will store your credit card. Don’t use the name of your significant other or anything else a thief could guess based upon public records. I often use phone numbers or street addresses that I can remember but that aren’t directly connected to me.

5. Go to the list of books in your account.

6. Click the About This Book button next to the book you want to put on the eReader.

7. Click Read on Your Device.

tip.eps You may see an EPUB, or a PDF version of the book, or both. If you get to choose between an EPUB or a PDF file format, choose EPUB. It’s more likely to include reflowable type, adjustments to typefaces, and more.

8. Click the EPUB or PDF link.

The ACSM file starts transferring to your computer.

remember.eps Be sure you know where the ACSM file is stored. The file decodes DRM-protected documents; you need it to unlock the book.

9. Find the ACSM file in its storage place on your computer.

tip.eps It may be in a Downloads folder or on the desktop. If you can’t find the file, search for a file with an *.acsm.

10. Click the ACSM file.

The document should open in the Adobe Digital Editions program. If clicking doesn’t open the Adobe software, find Adobe Digital Editions on your computer (in My Programs, as a shortcut on the desktop, or in the Quick Launch taskbar) and launch the program. Then select Add Item to Library from the Library drop-down menu, and locate the ACSM file on your computer.

The title you bought from the Google eBook store doesn’t show up in the All Items bookshelf in the Library view. If you aren’t in the Library view, click the icon in the top-left corner of the window.

11. Make sure your eReader is on; then connect it to the computer with the provided USB cable.

Adobe Digital Editions should recognize your reader as an authorized device and display it on the left side. If your eReader isn’t listed, close Adobe Digital Editions and then reopen it with the USB cable in place when it’s connected to your powered-on device.

12. Click and drag the Google eBook (in the right-hand pane) onto the eReader icon (in the left-hand pane).

If you can’t drag a book from the library, it means Adobe doesn’t recognize your eReader as an authorized device. Check out the Adobe help screens for help.

The book should now be installed ready for you on your eReader.

13. Eject the eReader from your personal computer. (See Chapter 3 for instructions for how to eject the eReader.)

Once you’ve done it the first time, the process should become smooth and quick.

Keep your card in your wallet

Books that have moved beyond the protection of copyrights are in what’s sometimes called public domain. The writings of Homer, for example, are considered a global treasure and owned by us all. So, too, are many (but not all) of the works of some of the great authors of the 19th century: Austen, Dickens, Melville, Twain to name a few. Some contemporary authors choose not to copyright their work.

tip.eps Here are some worthy sites to visit for great free reads from authors who no longer need the money:

check.png Project Gutenberg at www.gutenberg.org

check.png Manybooks at www.manybooks.net

check.png Feedbooks at www.feedbooks.com

check.png Google Books at http://books.google.com

Using Adobe Digital Editions

Your eBook may be protected by Adobe Digital Rights Management (DRM). Many online libraries use Adobe Digital Editions so you can check out a book from a personal computer and download a copy of the file; once you do that, you have to attach your eReader to the computer (by USB cable or wirelessly) and use ADE to install it on your eReader. The library copy may have a time limit, which is managed by the Adobe software along with the internal calendar and clock in your eReader.

remember.eps To move a copy of a book that uses DRM, you have to do the following. The software is free, and is quite simple. It basically moves the file from place to place and keeps track of what is where.

1. Go to www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/.

2. Make an Adobe account.

This ties your computer to the software, which in turn links itself to any device or application you use for reading.

3. Connect your eReader to your computer with the USB cord.

warning_bomb.eps Use the cord that came with the eReader.

4. Allow the Adobe software to recognize it.

The eReader shows up as a device in ADE.

5. Put the Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) software on your personal computer or laptop.

The program sets up itself, and automatically recognizes and works with most eReaders. If you purchase a new device and it does not seem to work with ADE, contact the maker for help.

6. Authorize the eReader so you can use it with the program.

There’s no reason not to authorize any compatible devices; keep in mind, though, that you may have a limit on the number of your devices that can hold a copy of a book.

7. Drag and drop electronic books from your ADE library to your device (or vice versa).

Any books that you transfer must be in either EPUB or PDF file format. The first time you run ADE on your computer, you have to enter an Adobe ID. If you don’t have an Adobe ID, you’ll see a link you can click to get one. You can make up to six copies of a particular book. (How many do you need, after all?) From now on, anytime you purchase an item online with a service (like Google eBook store) that requires Adobe Digital Editions, the item is automatically associated with your Adobe ID, rather than your computer.

Taking the Paper out of the News

I spent two decades of my life directly involved in the newspaper business, from delivering by bike to corresponding for The Associated Press. And now, four decades after graduation from college, I still start my day reading The New York Times and often two or three other newspapers. Only now I don’t have to wash my hands afterward. I read my papers on my eReader.

remember.eps You can buy individual copies or subscribe. Be aware of two details when you’re deciding whether to subscribe to an electronic newspaper or a magazine.

check.png You must be able to regularly connect your eReader to the Internet to download the editions. (The updates can come in over a 3G or 4G cellular connection or by a WiFi connection to the Internet. Read more about these connections in Chapter 3.)

check.png You’ll have a learning curve. It’s different, reading a newspaper this way, jumping from headlines or short summaries to full articles.

Putting Your Own Files on the eReader

Nearly all dedicated eReaders and tablets can handle EPUB or PDF file formats. And some other devices, including the BlackBerry PlayBook, can read word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation files even when they’re in native formats (the formats they naturally come in, such as .docx and .ppt).

When I travel, I add these types of files to my eReader:

check.png Travel documents, including itineraries, airline e-tickets, and hotel confirmations.

check.png Notes for presentations or lectures.

check.png Phone numbers and other contact lists.

check.png Shopping or specification lists.

warning_bomb.eps check.png Medical or financial files. Be very careful about what kinds of information you include, though. For example, I wouldn’t list entire credit card numbers, but I have no problem listing the last four digits of each of my credit cards and the card companies’ telephone numbers so I can cancel the cards if my wallet is stolen.

check.png Photos or documents. E Ink readers only display black and white (or grayscale images). Full color tablets, though, can show pictures in (you guessed it) full color. Read Chapter 1 for more about E Ink.

Another way to move your own files (including manuscripts, notes, memos, and calendars) to an eReader is to use a program that can save files as an Adobe Acrobat or PDF file. To change a file format, follow these steps:

1. Open your file in a program that lets you save in PDF format.

Microsoft Word is an example of just such a program.

2. Copy the file on your laptop or personal computer.

3. Plug your eReader into your computer with the USB cable.

warning_bomb.eps Use the cord that came with the eReader.

4. Choose the Save As command and choose PDF format.

If your eReader can read a file format other than PDF or EPUB, you don’t have to change the format. Just save a copy and bring it over to your reader wirelessly or by wire.

tip.eps For photos: Choose JPG file format (although some eReaders can use TIFF). You can change choose JPG or TIFF files when you use digital photo editing programs (like Paint) on your computer.

5. Click and drag the file to your eReader.