E-Books 101

As technology develops and e-books and e-readers become more abundant and more affordable, many readers are incorporating digital books into their libraries, as are many publishers. For those of you new to the world of e-books and e-readers, you can find answers to the most basic questions and concerns below.

Why e-books?

As the book industry continues to shift, all publishers have felt the effects in one way or another. The mass-market business has been declining, but e-book sales continue to increase exponentially every year. As a publisher of genre fiction, Dorchester has many fans that voraciously read one book after another. Digital distribution is the most effective way for our upcoming titles to reach our readers swiftly and at an affordable price.

Which e-reader is right for me?

Whether you’re new to e-books, or just not a very technical person, don’t be alarmed. There is a wide selection of e-readers available, and finding one to meet your needs shouldn’t be too difficult. With all the competition in the market, e-reader prices have come down significantly in the past year. For side-by-side comparisons of e-readers, visit eReader Leader.

What are some factors to consider when purchasing an e-reader?

Many companies use a proprietary format for their content. If you purchase a book for a Kindle, you can’t read it on the Nook. One of the biggest things to remember is that when you purchase an e-reader you’re dedicating yourself to that company’s library. The more popular the reader, the larger the library is likely to be. Also, many of the better-known companies produce free apps that will let you read your content on other devices, such as smart phones, computers, tablets, etc. Some other factors you should consider are price, memory, physical dimensions, battery life, etc. If you’re interested in digital lending, some devices allow users to borrow e-books from public libraries connected to OverDrive.

Why DRM?

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management, a technological tool used to prevent the copying, printing, and sharing of e-books. Dorchester and most other publishers use DRM not to inconvenience customers, but to protect the author's content from piracy. For the most part, an e-book with DRM can still be read on a customer's computer, e-reader, and smart phone as long as they're all registered to the same person. In fact, many e-tailors have free apps that are specifically designed to allow customers to read their books in a variety of ways. For example, you can't read a Kobo book on the Nook, etc., but you can read it on your PC, Kobo reader, and smart phone using the Kobo app (plus you can also read a library book on the Kobo reader).

In which formats are Dorchester’s titles available?

Dorchester titles are available from all major e-book distributors: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Sony, Kobo, Borders, Books on Board, and other Overdrive affiliates. Links for purchase are also readily available on our site for Adobe EPUB e-books.

How does the quality of e-books compare to traditional print?

Some readers are concerned that e-books aren’t given the same high quality treatment as their traditional print counterparts. Our e-books continue to go through the same rigorous, industry-standard proofreading and typesetting that our trade titles go through. Many people assume that e-book production is significantly easier than print, but this simply isn’t true. E-books opens up distribution channels, but plenty of hard work still goes into the production aspect of a digital title to ensure the same quality product you’ve come to expect from Dorchester.

What is an Adobe EPUB e-book?

Adobe EPUB e-books are digital versions of print books. Download and read Adobe EPUB e-books on your Windows® or Mac® computer using Adobe Digital Editions. Adobe EPUB e-books can also be transferred from Windows and Mac to many e-book reading devices.

How is an Adobe EPUB e-book different from a PDF e-book?

Adobe EPUB e-books have reflowable text, which means that you can change the font, resize the text, or alter the size of your display and the text of the Adobe EPUB e-book reflows to fill the screen. This makes Adobe EPUB e-books the optimal choice for reading e-books on small screens. While some PDFs are reflowable on some devices, one of the main strengths of the PDF format is its ability to preserve the layout of complex documents.

What software do I need to read Adobe EPUB e-books?

To read Adobe EPUB e-books on your computer, or to transfer Adobe e-books to supported e-book reading devices, you need Adobe Digital Editions—a free software. To download Adobe Digital Editions, click here.

Adobe Digital Editions also requires Adobe Flash Player. To download Adobe Flash Player, click here.

Additionally, JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to install Adobe Digital Editions…
The steps you take to enable JavaScript depend on which Web browser you are using.
To enable JavaScript in your Windows-based browser, follow the instructions below.

If you are using Internet Explorer 7.0 (or newer)…
In Internet Explorer, select Tools > Internet Options.
The 'Internet Options' dialog box is displayed.
Click the 'Security' tab.
Ensure that the 'Internet' zone is highlighted and click the 'Custom Level…' button.
The 'Security Settings - Internet Zone' dialog box is displayed.
Scroll to the 'Scripting' section. Under 'Active scripting' select 'Enable'.
Click 'OK' in the 'Security Settings - Internet Zone' dialog box.
Click 'OK' in the 'Internet Options' dialog box.
Close and restart Internet Explorer.

If you are using Firefox 3.0 (or newer)…
In Firefox, select Tools > Options….
The 'Options' dialog box is displayed.
Click the 'Content' icon.
Check the 'Enable JavaScript' option.
Click 'OK' in the 'Options' dialog box.
Close and restart Firefox.
If you are using Safari® 3.0 (or newer)…
In Safari, select Edit > Preferences.
The 'Preferences' dialog box is displayed.
Click the 'Security' icon.
Check the 'Enable JavaScript' option.
Close the 'Preferences' dialog box.
Close and restart Safari. 

Follow the instructions below to enable JavaScript in your Macintosh-based browser.

If you are using Safari 4.0 (or newer)…
In Safari, select Safari > Preferences.
The 'Preferences' dialog box is displayed.
Click the 'Security' icon.
Check the 'Enable JavaScript'
option. Close the 'Preferences' dialog box.
Close and restart Safari.

If you are using Firefox 3.0 (or newer)…
In Firefox, select Firefox > Preferences.
The 'Preferences' dialog box is displayed.
Click the 'Content' icon.
Check the 'Enable JavaScript' option.
Close the 'Preferences' dialog box.
Close and restart Firefox. 

I've purchased an e-book from the Dorchester Web site. Now what?


On Windows…
1.Right-click the 'Download' link in your confirmation e-mail.
2.Select 'Save Target As…' or 'Save Link As…'.
A dialog box is displayed that allows you to select a location on your computer to which to save the e-book.
3.Select a location.
4.Click 'Save'.
The e-book is saved to your computer.

On Mac…
1.Press the 'Control' key and click the 'Download' link from your confirmation e-mail.
2.Select 'Download Linked File As…' or 'Save Link As….
A dialog box is displayed that allows you to select a location on your computer to which to save the e-book.
3.Select a location.
4.Click 'Save'.
The e-book is saved to your computer.

I've downloaded my e-book to my computer. How do I read it using Adobe Digital Editions?


First, you'll need to add the downloaded e-book to the Adobe Digital Editions Library
1.Open Adobe Digital Editions.
2.Click the Library icon in the upper left corner.
The Library is displayed.
3.Click the word 'Library' in the upper left corner.
4.Select 'Add Item to Library'.
The 'Select items to add to library' dialog box is displayed.
5.Navigate to location to which you saved the e-book .
6.Select the e-book .
7.On Windows, click 'Open'. On Mac, click 'Add'.
The e-book is added to the Adobe Digital Editions Library. 

How do I transfer Adobe e-books to supported e-book devices?


Open Adobe Digital Editions.
Select the 'Library View' icon (in the upper left corner).
The Adobe Digital Editions library is displayed.
Click on the Adobe e-book you want to transfer.
Drag the Adobe e-book to the e-book device icon in the left pane of Adobe Digital Editions.
The 'Copy Documents' dialog box is displayed and the title is transferred.
When transfer is complete the 'Copy Documents' dialog box closes. Disconnect the e-book device and enjoy the e-book on-the-go.

Note that to transfer Adobe e-books to a supported e-book device, Adobe Digital Editions and the e-book device must be activated using the same Adobe ID.
Connect the e-book device to your computer.
Open Adobe Digital Editions.
Adobe Digital Editions launches and detects the e-book device. The 'Device Setup Assistant' dialog box is displayed.
Click 'Authorize Device'.
Adobe Digital Editions activates the e-book device. You can now transfer DRM-protected Adobe e-book to the device.
Adobe Digital Editions and the e-book device must be activated with the same Adobe ID to transfer DRM-protected Adobe e-books to the device.

When I downloaded Adobe Digital Editions, I had the choice of activating anonymously or with an Adobe ID. Which should I choose?


Activating Adobe Digital Editions using an Adobe ID allows you to do more with Adobe e-books , such as downloading them on multiple computers and transferring them to supported portable devices. However, this is a matter of personal preference. Before deciding, please consider the following.

If you use anonymous activation, note these limitations…
You will only be able to read a downloaded Adobe e-book on a single computer.
You can activate using an Adobe ID at any time. However, if you activate Adobe Digital Editions with an Adobe ID which has already been used on another computer, the Adobe e-books you originally downloaded while using anonymous activation will no longer work.

If you use an Adobe ID…
You will be able to download an Adobe e-book on up to 6 computers/devices that have been activated with the same Adobe ID.
You will be able to transfer Adobe e-books to supported e-book devices activated with the same Adobe ID.

EPUB E-books work with these devices

  • Barnes & Noble NOOK™ 3G+Wi-Fi *
  • Barnes & Noble NOOK™ 3G+Wi-Fi *
  • Barnes & Noble NOOK Wi-Fi *
  • Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor™ *
  • Kobo™ eReader
  • Literati™ Reader
  • Pandigital® Novel
  • Sony® Reader Daily Edition™ (PRS-900BC) **
  • Sony Reader Daily Edition (PRS-950SC) **
  • Sony Reader Pocket Edition™ (PRS-300SC) **
  • Sony Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-350SC) **
  • Sony Reader (PRS-505) **
  • Sony Reader (PRS-700) **
  • Sony Reader Touch Edition™ (PRS-600BC) **
  • Sony Reader Touch Edition (PRS-650BC) **
*To transfer Adobe e-books to a Barnes & Noble nook, Adobe Digital Editions and the nook must be activated using the same Adobe ID.
**Adobe e-books can be transferred to most Sony Readers. In order to transfer Adobe e-books to a Sony Reader, you need to have the Sony Reader™ Library software installed. Some Sony Readers require a firmware update in order to support Adobe e-books. To download Sony Reader Library software and Sony Reader firmware updates, click here.

EPUB E-books are incompatible with these devices…

  • Aluratek Libre eReader
  • Amazon® Kindle
  • Amazon Kindle DX