Kindle

ixoy

Surrealean wrote: »

Now, I don't fault the agent; he/she was just repeating policy, though it came out as being ridiculously vague. I'm still clueless as to why I can't buy these books.

My understanding is that it's to do with publishing rights. When you buy a "dead tree" book, you're buying something that's already been published - so there's no hassle with getting the book sent from the .co.uk store.

However, when you buy for a Kindle, you are effectively publishing the title (not shipping) to your Kindle so then you get into a different area. Publishers divide different countries into different territories for a variety of reasons, such as price control. The long and short of it means that different regions will have publications done in different manners (sometimes to the benefit of the author, sometimes not).
It's apparently quite difficult to change existing contracts for some authors to get around this as things such as royalties, etc. would have to be re-examined and maybe re-written. Newer books, and their contracts, are written with this in mind so more should be available to us but we'd still probably come under a different publishing contract than the UK. Therefore, the .com site handles the European publishing contracts.

The territorial region control is not something self-published authors face but some archaic fallout from years ago. I tried to debate this with a few authors on various blogs (which is where my information from above is cribbed) but I've never quite understood how ultimately it benefits them my not being able to give them a sale at all if I'm blocked from all angles.

I'd recommend reading some of Charles Stross' posts on the subject and the comments on them too for further background. There's a particularly good post ( (link), where he discusses writing contracts and mentions ebook territorial rights.

Publishers are addressing this - the selection is much better than it was initially. Many titles from my wish list were initially unavailable - there's only about one now that I can't order due to region control. Hopefully all new titles will not have this issue and publishers can work through the legal loopholes and get the full back catalogues.

four18

Ok, I could not buy from amazon uk and the book I wanted was not available on the .com site. I went online to Amazon.uk and then clicked manage my kindle. I changed my address to a Cineworld in Hull ! I then bought a Swish Mastercard for 5.99 went online registered it to my normal Dublin Adress and topped it up by 20 euro ( make sure you buy the chip and pin type available in 1000s of paypoint shops in Ireland.
Next back to manage my kindle and input your card details. Back to Kindle books and pick your books and click on one click ordering. Books delivered instantly to your kindle wirelessly. Bought 2 today, Bit of running around at the start but now I just have to keep the Mastercard topped up when I want to buy.

The Black Oil

Interesting. Where did you buy that Mastercard?

four18

List of shops selling them on this page, Be sure to get chip and pn version and it works because your Mastercard number never changes, you just top up as needed. There is a 2.95 surcharge when you top up from 10 euro to 350 euro and if you need cash you can use it in atm's because you have a pin no too. It worked a treat on Amazon.co.uk because the guy I spoke to at swirlcard (Paypoint) said Amazon or anyone other shop on the net cannot tell where the card was bought. They dont really care as long as they get paid !!

http://www.swirlcard.com/

The Black Oil

Oh, perhaps it could be used abroad even if you have credit and debit cards, but don't want to carry a large amount of cash or travellers cheques.

Is there a fee per online transaction, such as per each e-book if we're talking about amazon as an example? http://www.swirlcard.com/faqs_mastercard.php?country=ie&type=mastercard Are you unable to top up online?

mw3guc

I have a couple of addresses assigned to my Amazon account, one of which is in NI. My Kindle account is linked to this NI one and has been from date of purchase (June 2011). I have an Irish based Mastercard and my IP location is south of the border also. I never have any difficulty buying Kindle books via One Click and Amazon UK.

one man clappin

I changed my details as per Juke's instructions on post #108. I downloaded a free book yesterday off the .co.uk site, but this morning got the following email. Do I just continue as normal and purchased from the .co.uk site?
Email from amazon.co.uk

Hello,

I see that you attempted to purchase "A Christmas Carol The original manuscript " while in a different country than United Kingdom listed on your Amazon account. Certain Kindle titles are not available everywhere. We are reaching out to you to ensure the best possible service for your account.

If you have moved to a different country, you can easily update your country for your Amazon account at www.amazon.co.uk/manageyourkindle

If this is not the case, and you would like to share information that you live in United Kingdom, we can be reached by fax at +44 (0) 20 8636 9326 from outside the UK, or 020 8636 9326 from within the UK. Helpful information includes:

– Passport
– Military ID
– Driving Licence

We want to assure you that we handle this information in a secure manner: these are dedicated fax lines, staffed in an area with limited employee access. The fax is never printed, just converted to an electronic image that is used to check the country, then the image is deleted.

Best regards,
Account Specialist
Amazon.co.uk
Your feedback is helping us build Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company.

juke

This has never happened to me, and my account is currently registered to the .co.uk. I'm based in Dublin.

Did you buy from a PC or directly from the Kindle?
Is you wifi/3g turned off?

one man clappin

I purchased using the kindle, using wifi. I turn off wifi as soon as download is completed.

ThisRegard

They most likely used your IP address to determine you weren't in the UK.

juke

one man clappin wrote: »

I purchased using the kindle, using wifi. I turn off wifi as soon as download is completed.

I purchase from the PC, not the kindle, but download directly to the kindle. I turn wifi on only to complete the download, and turn it off straight away again.

mw3guc

juke wrote: »

I purchase from the PC, not the kindle, but download directly to the kindle. I turn wifi on only to complete the download, and turn it off straight away again.

^^^ This is what I do and I have had no problems with Kindle books (so far).
Could it be that the direct download to the Kindle flags up the IP to Amazon in a more obvious way than the PC? I do know, though, that I cannot purchase MP3s from my Amazon account via the PC, even with the NI address on my account.
If all else fails, I suppose a proxy might work ... But maybe not, as I can't get the MP3s with a proxy either

ThisRegard

Anyone any recommendations for a good reading light ? All the ones on the Amazon.com and .co.uk site are out of stock with no sign of them being back any time soon.

richardw001

You want the book cover with light ?

ThisRegard

I want it, but don't need it ! My wife got me a cover with my Kindle so I don't want to stop using that so just want the light really.

Tar.Aldarion

Change your country in your account from Ireland to uk

richardw001

ThisRegard wrote: »

I want it, but don't need it ! My wife got me a cover with my Kindle so I don't want to stop using that so just want the light really.

Well I used one of these while I was waiting for the lighted book cover and found it fine - not as convient as having the integrated light however it did the job


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mighty-Bright-MiniFlex-Reading-Kindle/dp/B003FZA1MY/ref=pd_cp_ce_2

ThisRegard

Yeah, was looking at that the other day but the despatch schedule is 3-4 weeks. They have the white one in stock but want to go with the black/graphite colour.

Edit. Picked this one up on the way home while stopping at Tesco for dinner, it was 28.99 but had some vouchers so wasn't too bad compared to online prices, only had it in white though.
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Clip-Reading-Light-Kindle/dp/B003HKRVAW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

richardw001

ThisRegard wrote: »

Yeah, was looking at that the other day but the despatch schedule is 3-4 weeks. They have the white one in stock but want to go with the black/graphite colour.

Edit. Picked this one up on the way home while stopping at Tesco for dinner, it was 28.99 but had some vouchers so wasn't too bad compared to online prices, only had it in white though.
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Clip-Reading-Light-Kindle/dp/B003HKRVAW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Cool - pity that you didnt get it in the price reductions - I reckon that was probably reduced to a few cents a couple of weeks back :-)

ThisRegard

I think it was part of a price reduction, it was highlighted as a special buy and just after Christmas week I spotted it in another Tesco for around €40.

richardw001

seems a bit pricey for a reading light - however I guess if it does the job then its worth it - youre happy with the Kindle anyways ?

ThisRegard

It's actually in the middle of the scale compared to what you can get online, cheapest I saw in store in Ireland, in fact it's pretty hard to find anything like that at the moment. There's two settings, don't think I'd ever use the brightest one unless I was using it as a torch. It's like the way things were when the iPod first came out, accessories were hard to find in bricks and mortar stores and those you could find were pricey.

Anyway, yeah, delighted with my Kindle. I was always sceptical of them and said I'd stick with books even though I love gadgets but once I had a look at one I wanted it. I would have been very disappointed if Santy didn't drop one off for me.

mw3guc

I bought a small clip on (generic) LED light that works perfectly attached to my unbranded (also cheap) Kindle cover. Price? About £2 in Asda

ThisRegard

Mine cost more so it's obviously better

mw3guc

ThisRegard wrote: »

Mine cost more so it's obviously better

I'm sure you're right - the more expensive quality of light probably enhances the reading experience by oh ... about 0%
Not to mention the fact that I can afford to buy more books as a result of paying less for the light

Zimmerframe

ThisRegard wrote: »

Mine cost more so it's obviously better

Quite likely in this case.
Some of the cheap lights are terrible, as they have a bright "hotspot" on the kindle screen, which is extremely annoying when reading, while some lights with a better designed diffuser spread the light even across the "page"
I got the "Verso" one, about a tenner and it's quite good.

Of course a good cheap light, is better than a good expensive light though.

jayzee

mw3guc wrote: »

I bought a small clip on (generic) LED light that works perfectly attached to my unbranded (also cheap) Kindle cover. Price? About £2 in Asda

where did you get the cheap Kindle cover?

ThisRegard

I'm only taking the mick about pricier being better, but it's a good one anyway. I may have complaints from my wife that it's too bright if I ever have a quick late night read though so I'll have to point it in the opposite direction.

mw3guc

jayzee wrote: »

where did you get the cheap Kindle cover?

Surprisingly, I got it from Amazon UK - they have quite a few ranging from around £5 up at the moment. I added a few things to my order so that it qualified for free shipping. It does the job and looks grand.

mw3guc

ThisRegard wrote: »

I'm only taking the mick about pricier being better, but it's a good one anyway. I may have complaints from my wife that it's too bright if I ever have a quick late night read though so I'll have to point it in the opposite direction.

Under the duvet works too, like when you were a kid reading a comic. And so much easier with no pages to turn :pac: