Deleting Old Books from Your Kindle

One of the many awesome things about checking out a library book for your Kindle is that it is "returned" automatically.  So not only is the book free, but you never have to worry about getting late fees.  However, all those "Your Loan Has Ended" notices can be very pesky on your home screen.  Luckily, they are pretty easy to get rid of.

For Kindles with a Keyboard:



On your Home screen, select the title you wish to delete, as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is selected here.  Using the square arrow key in your keyboard, click the right arrow once.



You will be taken to this screen.  Using the same square button, scroll down to "Remove from Device" at the very bottom and select it.  The title will now be deleted from your device, as easy as that!



For Kindle Touch:







On your home screen, touch the title you wish to delete like you would to open it. However, instead of just touching it, you need to touch and hold it for 2 seconds.  Don't lift your finger!

You will see this screen pop up.  You can lift your finger, and this time touch " Delete this Notice" at the bottom of the new box.

Finally, you will see another box up asking you to confirm that you want to delete the notice.  If you are sure, press delete.  Your expired title will disappear!

If you don't know how to get free public library books for your Kindle or Kindle apps, check out this video tutorial created by Stark County librarians:





Anti-Trust Update

Several questions come to mind with the announcement that Apple Inc. and five publishers have been sued for anti-trust violations on the pricing of e-books.  The one most people will be asking themselves is “What does this mean for me?”  Apple and two publishers, Macmillan and Penguin, have refused to settle and pledge to go to trial, with the next court date set for June 22.  However, three publishers (Simon and Schuster, Hachette, and HarperCollins) have already settled with the Department of Justice and 16 States Attorney Generals (including Ohio).  Assuming the settlements are approved, the publishers must renegotiate their contracts with Apple, as well as other e-book retailers, following the 60 day comment period and the termination of existing contracts.  This means that nothing will likely change until June at the earliest as far as the pricing of e-books is concerned.  At that time, the new contracts the three publishers who have settled make with retailers such as Amazon could allow for steep discounting any even bundling (Buy One, Get One, for example).  But there will be limits on how inexpensively retailers will be able to sell e-books, because they will not be permitted to set the prices so low that the publisher’s catalog is sold at a loss.  In other words, the new contracts can “prevent e-book retailers from cumulatively selling that Settling Defendant’s e-books at a loss over the period of the contract.” (Full text of the case filed.)  

Another question is how will the settlements and future litigation affect libraries?  As of now, not at all.  The settlements that have already been reached apply only to individual people, not business or libraries.  However, a Seattle Law firm, Hagen Bermans, is still pursuing the possibility of a class action suit that could include business and libraries. But because state action supersedes private class action suits, if all 50 states become involved in anti-trust cases and settlements, which is a possibility, the class action may not be able to go forward.  

Nook with GlowLight from Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble has announced their latest e-reader--a Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.  The new reader is essentially the same as the current Simple Touch model with the addition of small LED lights built into the frame.  One of the benefits of eInk readers has always been the lack of back lighting like tablets and other computers, which allows reading in direct sunlight and reduces eyestrain.  However, without back lighting, traditional eInk displays, like hard copy books, could not be read without a light.  Clip on lights have always been available, but now with the GlowLight, even that won't be necessary, and when the GlowLight is off, the reader has the same eInk display that it has always had.  Barnes and Noble says that with the WiFi turned off, the battery on the Simple Touch with GlowLight will support half an hour of reading a day for a month with the light turned on.  Sony offers a similar product, and Amazon is expected to offer a Kindle with front lighting this fall.

The new Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is currently available for pre-order and costs $139.

Publishers and Apple Inc Being Sued for Anti-Trust Violations

The past two days have seen some real shake ups in the e-book market.  Yesterday, it was reported that the “Big Six” publishers—HarperCollins, Random House, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Macmillan—are refusing to sign new contracts with Amazon.  The online bookseller is looking to increase the co-op promotional fees (money the publishers pay a bookseller to promote their titles), and publishers are refusing to sign on to the increase.

Perhaps even more significant is the anti-trust suit filed today by the US Department of Justice against Apple Inc and five of the Big Six publishers, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Macmillan.  The claim is that the publishers colluded amongst themselves and with Apple to set e-book prices.  In anticipation of the launch of the iPad in 2010, publishers started using the agency model in 2009 when selling their books to e-book retailers.  In the agency model, publishers set the price of books and the retailer takes a percentage (usually 30%) cut of the sale.  This differs from the traditional wholesale model where publishers would sell books to retailers who would then set whatever price they wanted.

In his letter supporting the publishers, President of the Authors Guild, Scott Turow, explains the benefits of the agency model: “Two years after the agency model came to bookselling, Amazon is losing its chokehold on the e-book market: its share has fallen from about 90% to roughly 60%. Customers are benefiting from the surprisingly innovative e-readers Barnes & Noble's investments have delivered, including a tablet device that beat Amazon to the market by fully twelve months.  Brick-and-mortar bookstores are starting to compete through their partnership with Google, so loyal customers can buy e-books from them at the same price as they would from Amazon.  Direct-selling authors have also benefited, as Amazon more than doubled its royalty rates in the face of competition.”

However, Attorney General Eric Holder sees the publishers’ business model differently.  He cites secret business luncheons attended by publishers to discuss fixing the prices of e-books.  “As a result of this alleged conspiracy, we believe that consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles,” he said.

In addition to the federal suit, 16 states, including Ohio, have also filed their own anti-trust suits against publishers.  Several settlements have already been reached at both the federal and state levels, but Apple, Macmillan, and Penguin insist they will keep fighting the charges in court.

Find more about the anti-trust suits at these sites:

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/04/doj-terms-settlement-ebook/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57412452-38/doj-announces-three-e-book-settlements-but-not-with-apple/?tag=breaking

Downloading and Installing the Kindle App

Downloading/Installing the Kindle app to your mobile device requires a mobile device with an active app store and wireless connection.

1. Locate the Kindle app in your device app store

2. It is a free app but will still require an active app store account to download

3. Follow the prompts for installing the app on your device

4. Once installation is complete, check your device apps for the Kindle icon

5. Now you may read a Kindle ebook on your mobile device using the Ohio eBook Project and an Amazon account.

Look for more information about Downloading Kindle eBooks in future posts.

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) is a website dedicated to making public domain writings (generally anything published before 1923) freely available as ebooks. Founded in 1971, it is the oldest digital library, as well as the largest, with over 38,000 items. Books are available in various open formats, including EPUB for Nook and other ereaders, as well as MOBI for Kindle. To help ensure accuracy, Project Gutenberg ebooks go through a lengthy proofreading regimen provided by volunteers at Distributed Proofreaders. Downloading these books to an ereader is a simple process of just a few steps.
1. Go to the Project Gutenberg home page
and search for a book by author or title.
2. Click on the title and format to be
downloaded.3. Click on the desired format to download it to your
computer. Use EPUB (no images) for Nooks and Kindle (no images) for
Kindles.
4. In Internet Explorer, there will be a popup box that gives
the option to Save as so that the book will be easier to find later when
transferring to the ereader.
5. Connect the ereader to the computer with the USB
cord. Then click on the Start menu and go
to Computer. The ereader should show up
as a device. Drag and drop the book to
the ereader. If you're using a Nook, you're done. There's one more step for
Kindle users.
6. Double click to open the Kindle. Drag and drop the book into the documents
folder.
Always remember to
safely eject your ereader from the computer before you start
reading!