When I sell a book on my website, I always wonder what my readers are using to read the book. If you buy a book at Amazon, B&N, Apple, or Kobo, your book goes automatically into the seller’s eBook reader (Kindle, Nook, iPhone, or Kobo device). When you buy from me, the book goes to your downloads directory.
The buyer has to be knowledgeable enough to get the book into his or her reader app. I used to deliver my books using BookFunnel, which was specific to the reading devices, but today’s buyer wants to get his or her book quickly, without needing separate websites to do the job.
Most buyers who do not buy from major stores, say that they read on their phones or tablets. Those devices do not bring native eBook or PDF reading apps. The reader finds an app for reading and installs it on the device. Then, the book must be sent or transferred to the device and opened with the reading app.
If you are using an Android device, you probably used the Google Play store and downloaded your reading app there. One top-rated app for Android is ReadEra. This eBook reader app can read multiple file formats that include eBook, PDF, old Moby, and lots others.
Other apps available are Kindle App, Moon+Reader, KOReader, PocketBook Reader, eBoox, and one of my favorites, FB Reader. These are just some of the apps available at Google Play store. They are all excellent. To find one perfect for you, you must try different ones.
I need an app that allows me to increase fonts, widen margins, adjust spacing, and use bookmarks. Some are very good at one thing and not another. You try different ones until you find one you like. Most have a free version, but the ones that offer the most customizing are usually not free.
If you are in the Apple universe but don’t want to buy books from the iStore, then you also have a ton of eBook apps to choose from. Again, Kindle App is available in Apple. Some popular additions are Bookfusion, Pocketbook, KyBook3, eBoox, and a favorite of mine, FBReader. My favorite of these all is KyBook3. It’s super customizable. However, you have dozens other apps to choose from.
Remember to choose an eReader app that handles as many different formats as possible. At the least, you should be able to read ePub, PDF, and DOCX. Some will read Mangas also.
Now, keep in mind that these apps will not open DRM-protected books. This creates a problem when you wish to buy a brand-new bestseller, but the book is DRM protected. With such books, which involves most if not all traditionally published books and many indie ones, you can only read the book in the seller’s device: Apple app for iBooks, Kindle for Amazon, Nook for B&N, etc.
I love to liberate my books and read them in all my devices. I happen to own two Kindles, an iPad Mini, and a regular iPad. I am considering getting a Kobo too. I decided to remove DRM from my store-bought books. I bought a popular app called Pubor. It actually worked easily and removes DRM from any new book I buy, but the app is purchased, not free. For me, it has worked perfectly.
Before that, I used Calibre with the DRM removal tool, but that became harder and harder to do. I remove DRM only for my personal use in my different devices. I never give away, share, lend, or sell these books as that is a crime.
In the next post, I will tell you about my painless method of transferring book files to my reading apps.
