Ebook store with the easiest to remove DRM?

[seannymurrs]

There's an ebook I'm planning on purchasing, and it's available from a few different online stores. Amazon (Kindle), Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Google Play, and Rakuten Kobo. I'm pretty sure all of those stores have some sort of DRM (though please correct me if I'm wrong). I'm looking to purchase from whichever place will allow me to remove the DRM the easiest. Ideally I'd like to end up with an epub file that's identical to the initially purchased file (just without the DRM). Anyone have any suggestions?

[gbm]

If you go to Kobo and search for eBook Details it will tell you if the ebook has drm or not. If you have an Adobe account then Kobo would be the easiest.


bernie

Originally Posted by seannymurrs

There's an ebook I'm planning on purchasing, and it's available from a few different online stores. Amazon (Kindle), Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Google Play, and Rakuten Kobo. I'm pretty sure all of those stores have some sort of DRM (though please correct me if I'm wrong). I'm looking to purchase from whichever place will allow me to remove the DRM the easiest. Ideally I'd like to end up with an epub file that's identical to the initially purchased file (just without the DRM). Anyone have any suggestions?

[rantanplan]

Have you checked if the ebook is available somewhere without a DRM scheme? Perhaps at the author's website?

[ownedbycats]

DRM-free is best if you can.

Kindle is very tricky to remove DRM from. Barnes & Noble requires either a physical device or the no-longer-available app.

Google Play has had a lot of issues so you may also wish to avoid that.

eBooks.com and Kobo are reliable. Either you'll get a DRM-free book, or Adobe ACSM which is one of the easiest to remove with NoDRM's fork of DeDRM.

[Quoth]

Google is tricky on payment. Some of their books are DRM free others are no harder than Kobo, which is easy.
Avoid Google, Apple, Barnes & Noble.

But ebooks.com and Kobo are best if you have no eink Kindle.

Smashwords has no DRM ever.

Paper has no DRM. Technically possible to make it into an ebook. Too much work except for pirates.

Amazon is simple if you have an eink Kindle that does at least AZW3. It needs to be registered and then it can break. Only the serial ID is needed. However not all Amazon "Kindle" ebooks are for real Kindles. Some can't be bought just for an eink Kindle and the other Kindle DRM removal systems are more complicated.

You don't need an Adobe account to remove Adobe DRM.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by seannymurrs

There's an ebook I'm planning on purchasing, and it's available from a few different online stores. Amazon (Kindle), Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Google Play, and Rakuten Kobo. I'm pretty sure all of those stores have some sort of DRM (though please correct me if I'm wrong). I'm looking to purchase from whichever place will allow me to remove the DRM the easiest. Ideally I'd like to end up with an epub file that's identical to the initially purchased file (just without the DRM). Anyone have any suggestions?

Kobo, eBooks.com, and Google Play Books are easy to remove the DRM. You just need calibre, the DeDRM 10.0.9 plugin, and Adobe Digital Editions registered to an Adobe account.

From Kobo you want to download ePub and not KePub. The other two give you just ePub.

And in terms of DRM-free, Tor, BAEN, and Smashwords have no DRM.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Kobo, eBooks.com, and Google Play Books are easy to remove the DRM. You just need calibre, the DeDRM 10.0.9 plugin, and Adobe Digital Editions registered to an Adobe account.

From Kobo you want to download ePub and not KePub. The other two give you just ePub.

And in terms of DRM-free, Tor, BAEN, and Smashwords have no DRM.

You don't need an Adobe account. There is an option on deACSM plugin that works without one. Some sort of built in anon thing. Suits if your OS doesn't run ADE.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by Quoth

You don't need an Adobe account. There is an option on deACSM plugin that works without one. Some sort of built in anon thing. Suits if your OS doesn't run ADE.

The problem is that this feature will bind this book to the ANON account. So better make sure to never lose the decrypted book.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

The problem is that this feature will bind this book to the ANON account. So better make sure to never lose the decrypted book.

Yes, I do have an Adobe Account, but not used since 2016.

1) The ACSM downloads expire in a few hours and then are useless. You don't get an encrypted ebook from Google or Kobo, but the ACSM file to redeem it.
2) You assume the seller still exists for a fresh download.
3) I save a copy outside of Calibre at once.
4) I have multiple backups of all user files and Calibre export and all the ebooks on at least one ereader.

I think no more risk than drm removal from Kindle ebooks via serial ID of eink. Amazon can unilaterally kill your account and you lose "library" if you make too many physical item returns, or for other reasons.

Backups are good and one reason to de-DRM in the first place because you can't have sensible backup for a future device if the current one is broken with DRM.

I'm curious though, On the DeACSM plugin there is "Export account encryption key" and "Export account activation data", which do something and create files.

What are those files (which are exported and backed up) for?

Maybe you have to answer by PM.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I'm curious though, On the DeACSM plugin there is "Export account encryption key" and "Export account activation data", which do something and create files.

What are those files (which are exported and backed up) for?

Maybe you have to answer by PM.a

Those are essentially your activation.xml which you can also copy manually from one ereader to another (e.g. Kobo to Pocketbook). There's nothing shady about it.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Those are essentially your activation.xml which you can also copy manually from one ereader to another (e.g. Kobo to Pocketbook). There's nothing shady about it.

Or another Calibre install, even though it's anonymous?
I only use DRM free files on the ereaders and PC viewers.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Or another Calibre install, even though it's anonymous?
I only use DRM free files on the ereaders and PC viewers.

Sure, that too.