EBOOKs FAQ

Can I buy ebooks and support my local independent bookstore? Yes. Just like buying a regular book, Porter Square Books gets a percentage of the listed price.

I don't know if I would like reading ebooks. Is there a way to try it without having to buy a device? Yes. Google ebooks (see below) can be read using any internet browser so you can try it on your computer.  Adobe Digital Editions is also a free software that you can download and will read many different ebook formats including those used by the free public domain ebook site Project Gutenburg. Furthermore, many classics like Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are available in inexpensive editions.  Blio is also a free download that you can use on your computer or iPad and it also offers some free books.

Can I read ebooks I buy from Porter Square Books on a Kindle? No. Amazon decided not to open the Kindle to other ebooks stores. This means that if you have a Kindle you have no choice but to buy your ebooks from Amazon.

Can I buy ebooks with a Porter Square Books gift card? Yes you can. You can purchase a gift card online or in the store and use it for ebooks. 

How are ebooks priced? Just like regular books, publishers decide what the cover price of an ebook is. Usually they match the ebook price with the price of the current edition of the book. If the book is only out in hardcover the ebook will usually be the price of the hardcover. If the book is out in paperback the ebook will usually (but not always) be the price of the paperback. Publisher's choose to do this because the cost of the physical production of the books is actually a very small percentage of the cover price. Also, many publishers, in response to consumer pressure, are priciing ebooks substantially lower than regular books. Click here for more information about ebooks pricing.

Which ebook formats do you sell? Porter Square Books sells Google ebooks (see below) which can be read online or dowloaded as  Adobe Digital Editions ebooks.  Unfortunately not all books are available in all formats.  Google ebooks can be opened with any internet browser or read through a Google ebooks app on tablets and smart phones. Adobe Digital Editions is a free software that will work with dozens of devices as well as regular computers.

Do ebook purchases count towards the Porter Square Books customer program? No. Selling most ebooks involves a contract that forbids us from incorporating those ebooks in any kind of discount program, including customer loyalty programs. Unfortunately, we just don't have the capacity to sort ebooks purchases so they can be counted towards the program.

What is e-ink? E-ink is a digital display format designed to mimic the appearance of physical paper. It was developed to make reading for long periods on a screen easier on the eyes. Many dedicated digital readers use e-ink to make reading on them more comfortable, but many do not, using screens and formats with more flexibility (such as touchscreens and screens that display color pictures) instead.

What are Google ebooks? Google ebooks are a new "cloud based" ebooks service offered by a partnership between Google and the American Booksellers Association. Google ebooks are stored on Google's servers (the "cloud") and can be read through an internet browser on any device except the Kindle. Google ebooks can also be downloaded and read with Adobe Digital Editions, or with an App on the iPad or Android devices. For more information visit our Google ebooks page.

Which digital reader should I buy? There are dozens of digital readers coming on to the market in the next couple of months and until one or two of them distinguish themselves picking a digital reader is going to be challenging. However, the first way to narrow down the field is to decide what you want to use the reader for. Do you want an Internet connection? Do you want it to be multifunctional? Are you going to use it to study the books your read or just as way to lighten your suitcase as you travel? Here is a partial list of devices from Wikipedia.

What are ebooks good for? Ebooks save space in a satchel or a shelf, have a low carbon footprint, not just because they don't use paper, but also because they don't have to be shipped from the publisher to the bookstore. Ebooks also have opportunities for close reading and study, through integration with reference books, connection to internet research resources, and limitless potential for annotation and highlighting. But...

Will ebooks replace regular books? You can't gift wrap an ebook, or lend it to a friend, or get it signed by the author. Your favorite ebook can't sit on the nightstand always at hand for comfort and wisdom. It doesn't show a life together through creases and tears and faded covers. Ebooks don't have a weight or a smell or a feel. One can't wander through an ebook store browsing for whatever happens to strike one's fancy. Ebooks are a great development in reading, but they're not going to replace books any time soon.