Bold Strokes Books eBook FAQ
Electronic books may not be copied (except to make a personal
backup), resold, given away, or in any way distributed to anyone. They may not be posted on the
Internet for public usage. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work
is illegal.
Our authors only receive payment for eBooks obtained through authorized sales
channels. Please protect our authors' rights and do not file share.
An
eBook (for electronic book) is the digital equivalent of a conventional printed book. Such
documents are usually read on personal computers or on dedicated hardware devices known as eBook
readers or eBook devices. eBooks are available in many different formats. A comprehensive list
of available formats can be found at Wikipedia.
BSB eBooks are available in four formats - Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), Mobipocket
(.prc), Sony Reader (.lrf) and Electronic Publication (.epub).
- Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) eBooks can be read using Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded and installed on any
computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) as well as handheld devices. If you plan to install the pdf on your smartphone or PDA,
you will need to have pdf supported software on your device.
Note: If you plan to purchase PDF versions of BSB eBooks to read on devices like the Sony Reader, Kindle or the nook, be aware
that increasing the font size on these devices can cause the formatting to become distorted. PDFs are created with the intention of printing on a standard 81/2 x 11-inch piece of paper.
Since the Reader's screen is smaller than 8 1/2 x 11 inches, the page will be scaled to fit on the screen and that will in most cases compromise readability.
- Mobipocket (.prc). You can download and install the Mobipocket Reader application to your
PC, Windows Mobile
Device, Blackberry,
Palm OS, or
Symbian
OS. For your IPhone and IPod Touch you will need to install the BookShelf, Stanza, or any other compatible application via the
ITunes App Store.
- Sony Reader (.lrf) - Also known as BBeB format.
- Electronic Publication(.ePub)
Note: Currently the ePub format is only available for titles released starting January 2010.
Backlist titles will be added as time permits. If your device requires the ePub format please see instructions on how to convert mobi titles
to ePub.
Below is a matrix of support formats and some platforms. Note: Not all supported platforms
are listed. If you are interested in other devices you need only verify that the device supports
one of the listed formats.
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Adobe (*.pdf)
(See note above about reading PDF files on dedicated eReaders.
)
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| * |
Desktop or laptop (Windows, Unix, Mac) |
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| * |
Kindle |
| * |
Sony Reader |
| * |
nook |
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| * |
Palm OS |
| * |
Pocket PC |
| * |
Windows Mobile |
| * |
IPhone |
| * |
IPod Touch |
| * |
Blackberry |
|
| * |
Symbian OS
(Some Nokia, Samsung and LG
devices) |
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| Mobipocket (*.prc) |
| * |
Windows Tablet |
| * |
Windows platform desktops & laptops |
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| * |
Windows Mobile Devices (Pocket PC and SmartPhone) |
| * |
iPhone |
| * |
iPod Touch |
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| * |
SymbianOs
(Nokia Series 60, Sony Ericsson
UIQ,..)
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| Sony(*.lrf) |
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| Electronic Publication(*.ePub) |
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Bold Strokes Books eBooks can be purchased at the
BSB Webstore.
After you complete the purchase of your eBook you will receive an email summarizing your
order. Included in that email will be an individual link for each eBook that you purchased. The
link will allow you to immediately download your eBook from our New Digital Delivery System. The
link is only valid for 48 hours after your order is placed.
If you have problems opening your eBook file send an email to bookshop@boldstrokesbooks.com explaining the problem.
We will respond as soon as possible and work with you to resolve the issue.
No -- eBooks are meant to be read on electronic devices and cannot be printed.
Here is
a sample of some of the more popular reading devices on the market at the moment that will allow
you to read your BSB eBooks. Space does not allow the inclusion of all available platforms.
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“Kindle is a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to
wirelessly download books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs.
Designed to provide an exceptional reading experience, Kindle utilizes a
revolutionary new display technology called electronic paper. Reading
Kindle's screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper--and nothing
like the strain and glare of a computer screen.
The original Kindle device (1st Generation), features a 6 inch (diagonal) 4-level grayscale display. The 250 MB
of internal memory in the Amazon Kindle 1 can hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles, and the memory
is expandable with an SD memory card. On the original Kindle, Whispernet only works in the United States,
but content can be downloaded from Amazon over the Internet.
Kindle 2 - Features 16-level grayscale display, improved battery life, 20 percent faster page-refreshing,
a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud, and overall thickness reduced from 0.8 to 0.36 inches. The Kindle 2 has
2 GB of internal memory of which 1.4 GB is user-accessible. Amazon estimates that the Kindle 2 will hold about 1500 non-illustrated books.
Unlike the original Kindle, Kindle 2 does not have a slot for SD memory cards. On November 24, 2009, Amazon released a firmware update
for the Kindle 2 that it said increases battery life by 85% and introduces native PDF support.
Kindle DX -Is the first Kindle model with an accelerometer, automatically rotating pages between landscape and portrait orientations if the
device is turned on its side. It has a 4 GB (3.3 GB user-accessible) storage capacity, holding approximately 3500 non-illustrated e-books,
a 9.7 inch (24.6 cm) display with 1200 x 824 pixel resolution, and a battery life of up to one week while using wireless or two weeks offline.
The DX adds support for PDF files natively, built-in stereo speakers, and 1xRTT wireless technology as fallback option for when EVDO connectivity is not available.
Like the Kindle 2, it does not have an SD memory card slot.
Information gathered from the Amazon Kindle FAQ at
http://www.amazon.com/ and Wikipedia
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The Reader Digital Book provides a new way to experience reading. It
boasts an impressive 6-inch display1 utilizing breakthrough e Ink® technology
that's almost paper-like, making it easy to read even in bright sunshine. In
addition, the screen allows for high contrast and high resolution, with a
near 180° viewing angle. The text can also be changed between three different
font sizes.
A perfect travel companion, the Reader Digital Book offers a unique,
on-the-go reading experience. With a compact and lightweight design, you can
take it almost anywhere and read whenever you want. More compact than many
paperbacks, it weighs just nine ounces (without cover). You can easily hold
it in one hand, and with its rechargeable battery you can turn up to 7,500
continuous pages on a single charge.
With a compact and lightweight design you can take the Reader Digital Book
almost anywhere. And with plenty of internal memory and a slot for optional
removable memory cards, you can take hundreds of titles, user-selected Web
content or other supported documents for reading on the go. The Sony Reader is available
in several configuration. Please check the Sony website for more information
Information gathered from http://www.sony.com/
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The Nook is the first electronic book reader to be based on the Android platform,
and has a MicroSD expansion slot for extra storage.
nook's easy-to-read E Ink® display is more like a traditional book than a computer screen.
Browse eBooks, magazines and newspapers on AT&T's 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi.
With 2GB of memory, nook stores up to 1,500 books, newspapers and magazines.
Information gathered from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp
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“Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping,
support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App
Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the
original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a
widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and
a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can
do — again.”
Information gathered from http://www.apple.com/
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“BlackBerry smartphones allow you to stay in touch
with everything that matters to you while you’re on the go. Email, phone,
maps, organizer, applications, games, the Internet and more. Some smartphones
even include a multi-media player and/or camera so you really have everything
you need in one stylish device.”
Information gathered from http://www.blackberry.com/
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Treo Centro
“ Palm’s smallest smartphone ever with touchscreen and full
keyboard.”
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Palm TX
“Introducing the Palm® TX handheld. With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth®
technology, this is the wireless device you've been waiting for. Browse the
web and check email from your office, campus, or a home Wi-Fi network—and
places like airports, cafes, and hotels1. Carry your Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint files and get more done anywhere. Web pages, presentations,
spreadsheets, photos, and videos come to life on a large color screen that
rotates from landscape to portrait mode. Have time to unwind? The Palm TX
handheld even lets you listen to MP3s and read eBooks. It's anything but
business as usual.”
Information gathered from http://www.palm.com/
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The Amazon Kindle supports two of the eBook formats provided by BSB. You can read the
mobipocket(.prc) and the Adobe (.pdf) formats.
If you purchase a mobipocket(.prc) file you have two options for transferring your file to
your Kindle using the provided USB cable or via wireless transfer.
- To transfer the .prc file using the provided USB cable
- Connect your Kindle to computer with the USB cable. If you are using a PC, your Kindle
will appear as a removable storage drive in Windows explorer. If you are using a Mac, your
Kindle will appear as a drive in Mac OS Finder. If you have an optional SD memory card (Kindle 1 only)
installed it will also appear as drive independent of the Kindle
- Copy the .prc file to the documents folder on your Kindle.
- To transfer the .prc file wirelessly email the file to your dedicated Kindle email
address (found on the Manage Your Kindle page at Amazon). The file will be wirelessly delivered
directly to your Kindle. There is a fee for this option. Please refer to the
Kindle website
for more information and determine if the wireless option is available in your location.
Amazon now includes a dedicated PDF reader for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX.
Your Kindle can now display PDF documents without losing the formatting of the original file. Send PDF documents
directly to your Kindle (via your @Kindle address) or drag and drop PDF files from your computer to your Kindle
(when connected via USB). You can also magnify PDFs by viewing them in landscape mode.
Note: Some features are not currently supported, including annotations, Text-to-Speech, and zooming and panning
when the file is transferred using the USB cable. As Amazon has indicated the formatting is not lost when on the Kindle when reading a PDF file, however the
original font size if very small. When the switch is made to the landscape mode the font is larger however the number of reading lines in decreased to approximately
10 lines per page.
If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format so you can take advantage of Kindle functionality such as
variable font size, annotation, Text-to-Speech, etc., type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.
Note: If you decide to "convert" your file the resulting file with have the formatting issues that were described
at the beginning of the FAQ
If you need more information on using your Kindle check the Kindle site on Amazon
Support.
The Sony Reader 500 supports the Sony (.lrf) format and the Adobe (.pdf) format
The Sony Reader 505 and newer Sony readers support all of the eBook formats provided by BSB but the
transfer process is different depending on which format you have. The Sony(.lrf), Adobe(.pdf), and ePub(.epub) can be transfered using the Sony Reader Library
software that can be downloaded from the Sony website at http://ebookstore.sony.com/howitworks/
To transfer the .ePub or .pdf file using the provided USB cable and the Reader Library software
- Launch the Reader Library software
- Connect your Sony Reader to your computer using the USB cable provided.
- Once the Reader Library software is running select the Computer icon from the side menu to find the book you want to transfer.
- Drag the title or icon of your eBook from your personal Library to the 'Reader' icon located in the left menu of the Reader Library software.
- Once the status icon has stopped rotating, eject your Reader.
To transfer the Mobipocket (.prc) format to your Sony Reader the best course of action is to use the Calibre application. See instructions below on how to transfer your files.
The Calibre application is a popular Library management tool and can also be used to transfer your .epub and .pdf files. More information about Calibre can be found at http://calibre-ebook.com the application website.
Three of the formats provided by BSB can be transferred to your nook. Adobe(.pdf)and ePub(.epub) can be transferred directly.
The mobipocket(.prc) can be transferred using Calibre.
If you have the ePub or PDF format of a BSB title you can transfer your title using the following instructions.
To transfer the .ePub or .pdf file using the provided USB cable
- When your nook has connected via the USB cable, your personal computer should detect it.
- On a PC running Microsoft Windows, your nook will appear in the list of drives or you will be presented
with a choice that includes "Open folder to view files". If you receive the Open folder message box
choose that option
- On a MAC, an icon labeled nook appears on your desktop.
- On a computer running Linux, an icon labeled nook appears on the desktop and a file manager
window appears.
- Copy the .ePub or .PDF file to the my documents folder on your nook.
- Eject the nook from your computer
- Ensure that no USB operations are still in progress
- Use the procedure that is appropriate for your computer to eject
or unmount that nook USB drive and the drive for the supplemental microSD
card if present:
- On a PC running Microsoft Windows, Click Start > Computer, right-click the
nook drive and choose Eject. If you have a supplemental microSD card, also eject
drive. Choosing Safely Remove from the right-click menu or Safely Remove Hardware
from the taskbar does not work. You must eject the drives.
- On a Mac, Ctrl-Click the icon for each drive and choose Eject
- Unplug the USB cable from your computer and your nook.
- Check for the new content you just added.
- On the Home menu, tap my library
- In the My Documents section, tap Check for new content
If you have the Mobi(.prc) format of a BSB title you can transfer the title to your nook using Calibre. The instructions are below.
To transfer your Mobipocket file to your Sony Reader or Barnes and Noble nook you will first need to install the Calibre eBook Library
management tool. The application can be found at the Calibre website. http://calibre-ebook.com/download
There is a demo video on the site that provides step by step instructions on how to install the application and also how the transfer files to
your device. You can also transfer books using the following instructions if you don't want to watch the video.
These instructions assume the software has already been installed and are limited to just the transferring of books to your device. The Calibre application can be used for other task that
are better explained by viewing the user documentation at the Calibre website .
- Launch Calibre.
- Attach your reading device to your computer using the supplied USB cable and wait for Calibre to recognize your device. You will know that your device has been recognized
when it appears like the image below.
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Select "Add Book" and the select the book from your drive that you want to add to your device.
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Once the book of your choice is listed, select the "Send to Device" option and the Mobipocket book with automatically be converted
to a Sony or nook compatible format and transferred to your device. Wait until you have been notified that the conversion/transfer process
has completed before you remove your device.
Windows Mobile Devices supports two of the eBook formats provided by BSB. You can read the
Mobipocket(.prc) and the Adobe (.pdf) formats.
If you purchase a mobipocket(.prc) file and you are using a PC the easiest way to transfer
your eBook to your device is via Mobipocket Reader. You can download the software from the
Mobipocket Website. Make sure you select the Windows Mobile version of the software. Download Mobipocket
Reader.
- Connect your Windows Mobile device to your PC. Mobipocket Desktop eBook Reader should
recognize any reading device on first connection and install the appropriate mobile reader
automatically. If you device is not recognized, you can manually add your device by doing the
following.
- On the bar along the left side of the screen, click "Reading Devices"
- On the bar along the top, click "Install new Device"
- Select your device.
- Follow the instructions to synch your device and load Mobipocket Reader installation
files on your device
- Open your eBook in Mobipocket Reader by either double clicking your .prc file or by opening
the file via Mobipocket Reader (File -> Open)
- On the bar along the top of the screen, click "Send" and then select your device. Your
books should be sent to your device immediately.
If you need more specific information, please refer to the Mobipocket Support website.
If you purchase an Adobe(.pdf) file you will need a pdf viewer installed on your Windows
Mobile device. Transfer your eBook to your device using the instructions provide by the
manufacturer of your device.
The Apple iPhone and iPod Touch supports two of the eBook formats provided by BSB. You can
read the Mobipocket(.prc) and the Adobe (.pdf) formats. However the eBook reading applications
that are available for the iPhone and iPod Touch are in their early stages and still have some
limitations.
If you purchase a mobipocket(.prc) file there are two applications currently available to read
your eBooks -- Bookshelf ($9.95) and Stanza (free). Each application is available via
the Apple iPhone App Store.
Both products are currently being evaluated and more instructions on
transferring your eBooks to your iPhone or iPod Touch will be available soon.
If you purchase a Adobe(.pdf) file you will need to make sure you have a pdf viewer installed
on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Blackberry supports two of the eBook formats provided by BSB. You can read the
Mobipocket(.prc) and the Adobe (.pdf) formats.
If you purchase a mobipocket(.prc) file and you are using a PC the easiest way to transfer
your eBook to your device is via Mobipocket Reader. You can download the software from the
Mobipocket Website. Make sure you select the Blackberry version of the software. Download Mobipocket
Reader.
- Connect your Windows Mobile device to your PC. Mobipocket Desktop eBook Reader should
recognize any reading device on first connection and install the appropriate mobile reader
automatically. If you device is not recognized, you can manually add your device by doing the
following.
- On the bar along the left side of the screen, click "Reading Devices"
- On the bar along the top, click "Install new Device"
- Select your device.
- Follow the instructions to synch your device and load Mobipocket Reader installation
files on your device
- Open your eBook in Mobipocket Reader by either double clicking your .prc file or by opening
the file via Mobipocket Reader (File -> Open)
- On the bar along the top of the screen, click "Send" and then select your device. Your
books should be sent to your device immediately.
If you need more specific information, please refer to the Mobipocket Support website.
If you purchase an Adobe(.pdf) file you will need a pdf viewer installed on your Blackberry.
Transfer your eBook to your device using the instructions provide by the manufacturer of your
device.
Palm OS devices support two of the eBook formats provided by BSB. You can read the
Mobipocket(.prc) and the Adobe (.pdf) formats.
If you purchase a mobipocket(.prc) file and you are using a PC the easiest way to transfer
your eBook to your device is via Mobipocket Reader. You can download the software from the
Mobipocket Website. Make sure you select the Blackberry version of the software. Download Mobipocket
Reader.
- Connect your Palm OS device to your PC. Run Mobipocket Desktop eBook Reader and then run
HotSync with your Palm OS device. After the HotSync is completed, Mobipocket reader should
automatically recognize your device. If you device is not recognized, you can manually add
your device by doing the following.
- On the bar along the left side of the screen, click "Reading Devices"
- On the bar along the top, click "Install new Device"
- Select your device.
- Follow the instructions to synch your device and load Mobipocket Reader installation
files on your device
- Open your eBook in Mobipocket Reader by either double clicking your .prc file or by opening
the file via Mobipocket Reader (File -> Open)
- On the bar along the top of the screen, click "Send" and then select your device. Perform a
HotSync on your Palm OS Device to transfer your eBook.
If you need more specific information, please refer to the Mobipocket Support website.
If you purchase an Adobe(.pdf) file you will need a pdf viewer installed on your Blackberry.
Transfer your eBook to your device using the instructions provide by the manufacturer of your
device.
Revised: 2/3/10
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