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Ask HN: Where do you buy your eBooks or have eBook subscriptions?

17 points giancarlostoro | 3 comments | 12 Aug 22 18:55 UTC | HN request time: 0.201s | source

I want to see what other options HN readers use, especially any DRM free formats for eBooks, or slightly more affordable eBook formats.
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vincent-manis ◴[12 Aug 22 19:43 UTC] No.32443053[source]▶
Mostly Kobo for fiction, sometimes Amazon; publisher sites for academic/technical books. I use Epubor for removing DRM. I don't buy ebooks that are only available in proprietary formats that require using a special app to read (some academic textbook publishers do this).
replies(1): >>32443725 #
1. margoguryan ◴[12 Aug 22 20:50 UTC] No.32443725[source]▶
What kind of DRM? What if I could, say, provide the actual credentials for the content and then strip it? Like an AZW3 file, whatever Amazon uses
replies(2): >>32446762 #>>32460440 #
2. merlyn ◴[13 Aug 22 03:56 UTC] No.32446762[source]▶
Most of my training classes lately has used VitalSource. Apparently they take their DRM pretty seriously, and hide their keys pretty well, and rotate them often.

There's some older DRM strippers for it that no longer work, I'm guessing anybody that has a working set of key extraction won't tip their hat on it.

Of course lo-tech methods can work well enough.

And FWIW: Kindle seems to be switching over to ePub as the default method.

3. vincent-manis ◴[14 Aug 22 16:17 UTC] No.32460440[source]▶
Most publishers use fairly weak DRM. Epubor relies upon the appropriate reader program (Adobe Digital Editions or Kindle). I was using an open-source plugin to Calibre, but Epubor seems easier and more reliable.

I bought a book from Taylor and Francis that used VitalSource; I hadn’t been aware of this format; it is horrible. I couldn’t find a workable DRM stripper, but fortunately T&F gave me a refund.