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Why buy an ebook?
ebooks can be stored on your computer or ebook reader and carried wherever you want. ebooks can be downloaded quickly, have features that allow you to search for text, some readers allow you to make notes and some books may contain extra content. If reading an ebook on a device connected to the internet, some hyperlinks could be active, and you will be able to click through the link. Random House takes no responsibility for the functionality of links or the content of external sites.
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What is an electronic book?
Electronic books (or ebooks) are digital files comprising of books specially designed to be read on computer screens, PDAs, Smartphone’s or dedicated ebook reading devices.
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What can I read an ebook on and what format should I buy?
Epub:
What is it?
ePub is a standard ebook format that has flowable text which is designed so that the reader can have control over how they choose to read a text, with no matter what device they're using. You can easily change font size, style, or page sizes and the document will reflow appropriately.
Do I need any special software or hardware?
ePub can be read on a PC or Laptop with Adobe Digital Editions which can be downloaded for free from here. ePub is also used on the Sony Reader, a dedicated ebook reading device. Adobe Digital Editions is actively working on supporting other platforms and devices. Further information can be found on their website.
Will it work on my Mac?
Yes. Adobe Digital Editions is Mac compatible.
What are the system requirements for this software?
Check the advice here.
Adobe PDF
What is it?
Adobe Reader PDF is a fixed format digital version of a book. PDF was developed to preserve formatting and make electronic documents look exactly like paper ones. The text can be resized on some reading devices, but the page breaks remain in their original place as opposed to reflowing. iI is possible to zoom and pan on a document using Adobe Reader.
Do I need any special software or hardware?
Adobe Reader PDFs can be read on Adobe Digital Editions and on Adobe Reader. You can use desktop and laptop computers, some smartphones, Palm devices and the Sony Reader to view PDFs. Check with your device manufacturer to see if your device is compatible. For desktop and laptop users, Adobe Digital Editions allows more ways to interact with your PDF eBook.
Will it work on my Mac?
Yes. Adobe Digital Editions and Adobe Reader are Mac compatible
What are the system requirements for this software?
Check the advice for Adobe Digital Editions here and Adobe Reader here
Sony Reader:
The Sony Reader uses ePub and PDF files. It is packaged with the Sony ebook Library disc. Once you have inserted the ebook Library disc into your computer you will be given three options. To start, select the ebooks Library to install the software on your computer. This software is required to manage all ebooks between your computer and Reader from Sony. If installation was not successful please refer to the instruction manual that came with the Sony Reader for further help. Please note that the Sony ebook Library software is not Mac compatible.
Once installation of the Sony ebooks Library on your computer is complete, you will be taken back to the original choice of three options. Next, select Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). You will be taken to the Adobe site and asked to create an ADE account. Follow the process. Without the installation of this software you will not be able to download any ebooks to your computer. The ADE software can also be used to manage ebooks and transfer them to your Sony Reader. A pop-up box will appear on ADE when you first plug in your Sony Reader asking you to authorise your reader. If you do not authorise your Reader, you will be unable to read DRM protected ebooks on your Sony Reader. All ebooks from rbooks.co.uk are DRM protected. The ADE software is also used to display any multimedia content such as Video that may be part of a premium edition ebook.
Customers with queries about Sony Readers and how to transfer ebooks, should contact Sony for assistance.
Common issues with the Sony Reader:
If you are experiencing problems downloading, reading or transferring ebooks, please follow these steps, which uses Adobe Digital Editions:
- install the latest edition of Adobe Digital Edition software from here: http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/
- Go to your ebooks on rBooks (‘My Account’ and then ‘My ebooks’)
- You will be asked to Open or Save a file called URLLink.acsm – click Save and save to a location like your desktop.
- Right click on the file and select ‘Open with’.
- Select ‘Adobe Digital Editions’ and not ‘eBook library’.
- If ‘Adobe Digital Editions’ is not listed, simply open the Adobe Digital Editions’ software separately and drag and drop the URLLink.acsm file into Adobe Digital Editions.
- The ebook can now be read in Adobe Digital Editions or transferred to the Sony Reader if connected.
My book will not copy across:
• Possibly you are out of space on the Reader – remove some titles from the Reader and try again.
• Has the Sony Reader been authorised with the customer’s ADE account? If not, the titles will not copy across.
• Is the Sony Reader connected to the computer?
My Sony Reader has frozen:
• Is the Sony Reader charged? The Sony Reader is charged by being connected to the computer via the USB cable provided with Sony Reader or by an AC adaptor which can be purchased separately and is available at most Sony Reader stockists.
• Reset the Reader using the button in the back of the reader and charging for a full 24 hours. You will lose any files stored on your Reader.
DRM - Digital Rights Management
DRM is an encryption layer that allows the publisher, not the retailer, to prevent the illegal copying, printing, or sharing of files. If an ebook wrapped with DRM, the ebook can only be read on authorised computers or handheld devices by authorised users.
Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)
Adobe Digital Editions is an essential Rich Internet Application which allows you to manage your ebook library, create bookshelves, view bookmarks, make annotations, view a table of contents, increase and decrease text size, and transfer ebooks to your Sony Reader if you have one. ADE is essential for ebooks users as it can read DRM protected ebooks. All ebooks from Rbooks.co.uk, Waterstones, WHsmiths and others are DRM protected.
ADE can be downloaded for free from here. Follow the installation procedure until the download begins. Once the download is complete you will be asked to accept a User Agreement. Without acceptance you cannot continue the download and eBooks cannot be downloaded onto your computer.
When the download has finished a 'Setup Assistance' will begin. At this stage you must enter your Adobe ID. If you do not have an Adobe ID you must create one. The Adobe site will take your through the process.
Once this is complete you must authorise your Sony Reader with your ADE account. If you do not authorise the Sony Reader you cannot transfer ebooks you have purchased onto your Sony Reader.
Customers with issues with the ADE software should contact Adobe for support.
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How do I buy an ebook?
1. Browse rbooks.co.uk by viewing suggested titles here or performing a search, using the search box.
2. Once you have found your ebook(s), click on ‘add to basket’ from the product page.
3. You will now have a choice of formats to purchase i.e. epub or pdf (if only one format is showing, the other format is unavailable).
epub format:
PDF format:
Please ensure you are purchasing the correct format for the unit you will be using your ebook on. If you need any help identifying which format to choose, please visit our format information page.
If a format is not selected before clicking on ‘Add to basket’, the page will refresh and the following message appears: ‘You must choose a format before adding the product to your basket.’
4. Add further titles to your basket and continue through the checkout process.
- The availability message for any ebook will state: ‘Available for immediate download.’
- ‘Free P&P to any UK address on orders over £25’ will not include ebooks.
5. If you are only purchasing ebooks, after logging in or registering, you will be taken to the invoice address page, leaving out the delivery address page. This is because delivery address is not required. However, if you are purchasing physical books, too, the delivery page will be displayed.
6. Once your payment has been accepted (usually in a matter of seconds), a page will be displayed with your confirmed purchase and order number.
7. If you are based outside the UK, your order will not be accepted and a message will be displayed stating this.
8. This is your receipt and you can print this page for your records.
9. You will receive an ‘order receipt’ email which will detail your purchase along with details of delivery. If you are purchasing solely ebooks, please ignore the delivery details.
10. You will receive a second email – ‘order dispatch’ which will confirm your ebook order and give instructions on how to download your ebook.
11. Navigate to the ‘My Account’ section on the rBooks.co.uk website and click on ‘My eBooks’.
12. If you have not already installed Adobe Digital Editions, you will be prompted to do so. Please ensure you create an Adobe Digital Editions account.
13. Once installed, you will now see your list of ebooks, which you can click to download.
14. If you are using a dedicated ebook device the files will need to be downloaded and then manually moved to your device.
15. Once you have finished downloading your ebook, if you have more ebooks to download continue clicking on each download link.
16. You can download each ebook three times maximum.
If you experience problems downloading your ebook, please contact customer services by logging in to your rBooks account (http://www.rbooks.co.uk/myaccount.aspx) and click on ‘view details’ for the order in question and then ‘Make an enquiry about this order.’
If you experience problems downloading or opening of the ebook reader software please contact Adobe Digital Editions here.
We regret that we can only accept orders within the UK.
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Do I need any special hardware to read an ebook?
You need a computer that connects to the internet and have installed and activated Adobe Digital Editions.
Operating System compatible for ebooks:
Windows Vista, XP, and 2000 and Mac OSX 10.4 are compatible with Adobe Digital Editions and Adobe Reader.
Internet browsers compatible for ebooks:
Internet Explorer 6 , Mozilla Firefox 2 , Safari2 are all compatible.
Ebooks can be read on handheld computer/smartphone/iphone or PDAs, but please contact your device manufacturer.
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Can I use text-to-speech functionality on ebooks?
Random House do not enable Text-to-speech functionality on Adobe PDF format titles
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Can I order ebooks online?
Because ebooks are digital products, they can only be ordered online.
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How do I pay for an ebook?
Ebooks can be purchased online with a credit or debit card.
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Is there VAT on ebooks?
VAT is payable on digitally downloaded products and will be charged on ebooks.
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Do I have to be online to read my ebook?
No. Once downloaded, the ebook can be read offline.
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How long will it take to download an ebook?
Download times for an ebook vary between a few seconds and a few minutes depending on your internet connection and the size of the title ordered.
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Can I copy or print my ebook?
No. We do not allow the copying or printing of ebooks.
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Can I return an ebook?
Please contact customer services if you have any queries. Details can also be found in our Terms and Conditions.
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What if I have trouble downloading an ebook?
If you have trouble downloading an ebook, please:
- check payment has been taken.
- Adobe Digital Editions has been installed and that you are using this software. Please follow these steps:
When downloading your ebook, you will be asked to Open or Save a file called 'URLLink.acsm' – click Save and save to a location like your desktop.
Right click on the file and select ‘Open with’.
Select ‘Adobe Digital Editions’ and not ‘eBook library’.
If ‘Adobe Digital Editions’ is not listed, simply open the Adobe Digital Editions’ software separately and drag and drop the URLLink.acsm file into Adobe Digital Editions.
- contact customer services if the above has been checked.
Have you exceeded the maximum of three downloads? Please contact customer services if you have any problems.
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Book and Beyond Premium ebook titles
Book and Beyond premium ebooks are a selection of titles from Random House that contain extra material, which can be video, audio, a quiz or just extra text. The extra content is designed to be used with Adobe Digital Editions on a computer, as they require extra processing power to display! The extra content cannot be used on the Sony Reader or other hand held devices, as they do not have the capability to display the material. Premium ebooks are large files, up to 300 times the size of a standard ebook, and take up more space on Sony Readers and other devices than standard ebooks. For this reason we advise readers to use them only on their computers.
Common queries:
Why won’t my Book and Beyond ebooks copy across to my Sony Reader?
Book and Beyond ebooks are be extremely large files, up to 300 times the size of a regular ebook due to the additional content such as video and audio. We do not recommend copying them to the Sony Reader as the limited capacity of the Sony Reader means that some premium ebooks will not fit on. Book and Beyond ebooks and are designed for desktop use.
Can I get premium ebooks on my iphone?
We plan to make these ebooks available for the iPhone in the future.
Why can’t I see extra material on my Sony Reader?
The extra content in Book and Beyond ebooks, at present, will only work on PCs or Macs using Adobe Digital Editions
Why are some Beyond the Books more expensive?
Book and Beyond ebooks contain additional material such as audio, video and games.
I am having trouble opening my Book and Beyond ebook. What should I do?
Please contact customer services.
Where can I obtain detailed information regarding the content of Book and Beyond ebook titles?
Please visit the Book and Beyond website here www.bookandbeyond.com
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Does Random House accept submissions for ebook publishing?
No, we do not currently have a digital specific publishing list.
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Why can’t I find a specific Random House title as an ebook?
As people will be building their ebook collections from new, we decided to focus on making as many of our new titles available as possible, rather than convert titles that many readers already own. Sometimes a title won’t be at its best in the ebook format, such as large scale photography based books. We only want people to be happy with their ebooks and would rather not offer a title digitally if it wouldn’t be of a high enough quality.
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