Reading our eBooks

eBooks can be read on any computer, tablet, smart phone and dedicated eReader device.

eReader devices, such as the Amazon Kindle and Kobo Aura come with all the necessary software for reading eBooks pre installed.

To make a computer, tablet or smart phone into an eReader requires the installation of an eReader app. These apps are mostly free and easily downloaded from the internet.

However, in offering our authors Digital Rights Management (DRM) for their eBooks to ensure that the files cannot be copied easily, we need to use retail sites like Amazon (Kindle), iBooks and Kobo because they apply DRM to the books and then lock them to their own eReader apps. Hence our books can only be read through these apps.

All Apple computers, tablets and phones come with the iBook app preinstalled and linked directly to the iBook Store, which is an Apple in-house operation that only serves Apple machines.

Amazon and Kobo, on the other hand, are sales sites serving all computers, tablets and smart phones, regardless of make, type and operating system used. They offer free apps to suit the technology each customer uses. These free apps turn any computer or device into an eReader.

Amazon and Kobo also sell their dedicated eReader machines/devices, available on line and in shops that sell electronic gadgets, but you do not need them if you prefer to use your tablet, smart phone or desk/laptop computer. In fact, many tablets, most notably the iPad Mini and the Samsung Galaxy are also marketed as eReaders. Even choosing whether to use a tablet or an eReader is a matter of
debate.

While exclusively Apple users have a straightforward total package service in iBooks, they also have other options thanks to the free apps available from Amazon and Kobo. So, just because you are a iPad/iPhone/Mac user does not mean that you cannot have Kindle and Kobo apps.

Furthermore, these apps are especially valuable to those who might use computers and devices with different operating systems, for example an Apple computer but an android phone, and so on in various combinations. Using the Kindle or Kobo apps, you can enjoy our eBooks anywhere, any time on any gadget, no matter of what mix of technology you prefer.

There are apps to suit you whether you like to read on a big screen, a small screen, on the go, lounging about or squarely seated. The DRM reading software—in all the apps—offers some options for customising the display of font, text size, page flow and screen background colour, which is a matter of personal preference and deciding what works best for you.

If you are not yet a reader of eBooks, or have only looked at iBooks, or do not already have an Amazon or Kobo account, or use computers/devices that are not all of the same operating system, you can explore your reading app options by setting up accounts with both Amazon and Kobo, downloading the apps appropriate to your preferred viewing device and then downloading some of the many free books Amazon and Kobo offer their customers. Then simply decide which you like best. You may also find it valuable to take a look at eReader devices in a shop.