Are Amazon changing the way you own your Kindle books?

[hungryboson]

I'm not sure that I got it right, but it seems that after February 26, Amazon won't allow to download and backup the ebooks one buys from kindle. Here is a link:

On the other hand, the Verge https://www.theverge.com/news/612898/Archduchess-transfer-usb says that it still will be possible to do so over Wi-Fi, but not with a USB.

I usually download ebooks that I buy and read them offline on PC. If anyone knows more about what will happen to this option, please comment.

[Post-Crisis D]

If it's true, then I can't imagine that I will be buying any Kindle books after February 26th.

[Jeff Tanyard]

In the past, I've used the USB cable for this.  Not to transfer files from computer to Kindle like the video and that article mention, but the opposite: to copy from Kindle to computer.

I didn't see anything in the video or that article to make me think you can't still do that.  And it's easier than using Amazon's "Manage my Kindle" page, because you're not limited to downloading a single book at a time.  Just use the mouse cursor--or hold down shift and down-arrow to the bottom of the file folder--to highlight all the titles in the Kindle, then copy and paste to your hard drive.

Disclaimer: My Kindle is a first-gen Fire, and I have no idea what will or won't work for other models.

[Bill Hiatt]

No warning pops up when I try to download the Kindle for PC app (which is what I generally use to read), so I imagine that will still be possible. (The Verge article also says something about Kindle apps.)

I guess I'll find out.

[alhawke]

Is this an attempt to get more readers interested in subscription KU? Seems if your book is a subscription and not an owned item now, more readers might think to change to Kindle Unlimited? Is that the reason for this? The thought crossed my mind. There's certainly a push to get books sold the way music is--subscription only--these days. It's also an interesting development when so many wide writers are now selling books direct.

[hungryboson]

I bought an ebook today to check the changes I've read about. Under the "buy now with 1-Click" there was new text "By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content..." but beside the different wording (or at least I don't recall seeing it before), the ebook downloaded to my PC as usual. I could read it with the laptop offline.

[TimothyEllis]

I bought an ebook today to check the changes I've read about. Under the "buy now with 1-Click" there was new text "By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content..." but beside the different wording (or at least I don't recall seeing it before), the ebook downloaded to my PC as usual. I could read it with the laptop offline.

I think that's what you need to do. Download to your reader device and your PC, and then backup the PC folder the books are stored in to an external device.

[Bill Hiatt]

I have seen the same thing as hungryboson. New books show up in the Kindle PC app, looking no different than they ever did. It appears Amazon was only interested in stopping transfer via USB cable.

Presumably, I would lose access to the content if I closed my Amazon account--but for some reason, I always thought that was the case. It probably shouldn't have been, but I know the apps and devices check back in with your account, particularly after an update.

Similarly, I always thought that my heirs wouldn't be able to inherit my kindle content. In fact, there was quite a bit of discussion on that point years ago, long before Amazon made the current change. Whether we call the books purchased or licensed, they were always tied to a particular account, at least when used on Amazon devices.

The same is probably true to an extent of some other vendors. When Barnes and Noble end Nook service in the UK, someone else bought it and honored the book purchases but didn't support other Nook content (like games), so people who had bought any non-book content were just out of luck.

For that reason, it's probably always better to buy physical books, but I just don't have the room anymore. And ebooks are easier to use for research purposes, anyway. 

[LilyBLily]

I have room for plenty more books but books are leaving this house, not entering it. Need to lighten the load for the next generation--and for myself when downsizing becomes a necessity. 

I'm a public library devotee from way back, and I'm used to not owning a book. I breeze through a lot of KU books these days, which again are merely on loan, and now I have a public library card in a rich county from which I can borrow just about any ebook that shows up on Bookbub with the telltale $1.99 price that indies can't afford.

The only thing I really do miss is the rich color on the cover of a paperback book, but I make do with grabbing pretty covers to my desktop to admire.