Help – Ebooks
What do I need to buy and download e-books?
In order to download and use our e-books, you will need a device and software to read the e-books on (such as a computer, tablet, smartphone or eReader) and, in order to download them, you will need to have an online account on our site. For further details with these points, see the FAQ below, or the FAQ section about accounts.
I want to purchase an e-book on your website but can’t find it.
E-books are located in their own shop category; find them by going to the Shop > E-books menu. Alternatively, use the search(located at the right hand side of the menu bar).
What format are the e-books in?
This depends on the book itself. Most of our books are saved as ePub files, as they are suitable for viewing on eReaders, smartphones, tablets and computers. Some, such as the Study Guide series, are saved as PDF files. Both of these formats are supported on the vast majority of devices, though you may have to download software (such as Calibre, referred to in the question below) to read ePub files on desktop / laptop computers.
There are a couple of caveats to this general rule though; if you have an e-reader, PDFs don’t work very well with these (they are not resizable, and any navigation won’t work), and if you have an Amazon Kindle, or use their software, you will need to convert the ePub files before you can use them.
PDFs don’t need to be converted before use.
What device(s) will the e-books work on?
We have not tested the e-books on all the different devices available today, but know it works on:
- Computers / Laptops (Windows / Mac OS / Linux)
- Tablets (iOS / Android / Windows / Kindle Fire series)
- Smartphones (iOS / Android / Windows Phone
- E-readers (such as Kindle* / Nook)
It should work on other devices able to read ePub files or PDFs although it might not work on all devices out-of-the-box; it may be necessary to download an ePub and / or PDF-reading application first. Please refer to the device’s operating instructions. We know that it works on the following applications:
- Calibre (Windows / Mac OS / Linux) – Download here
- Aldiko (Android)
- Freda (Windows Phone)
- Books (iOS / Mac OS X 10.9 or later)
- Kindle* (Windows / Mac OS / iOS / Android / Windows Phone – files need to be converted first using Calibre or Kindle Previewer)
If you have tried devices or software not on this list and found it does (or doesn’t) work, please let us know and we can include it here.
* Some devices (such as Kindle eReaders) will require the file to be converted first. See the separate question below for details.
I have an Amazon Kindle eReader. Can I use it to read your e-books?
Of course, but there are one or two requirements that you need to be aware of BEFORE you buy.
Most of our e-books are saved in ePub format. We use that format as it is the most universal format, i.e., supported by the most devices on the market.
Unfortunately, Amazon Kindle eReaders are the only device(s) on the market that don’t support ePub files. Instead, they use their own, proprietary, format. That means our ePub files have to be converted into Amazon’s file format before they can be read.
In order to convert them, you will also need (or have access to) a desktop and / or laptop computer – running either Windows, Mac OSX or Linux – and either of the following software on the computer:
- A copy of Calibre e-reader conversion software; it is open-source, and therefore can be downloaded and used for free. Then you can use this software to convert your e-books. Click here for a good tutorial on how to use the software to convert your e-books.
- A copy of Kindle Previewer software (Windows or Mac OS X only); you can download and use this for free. Please note, however, that this software is designed for book publishers to check how their e-books look on different devices, and not as a conversion utility – the conversion aspect is a side-effect of its purpose.
Second, please be aware that Kindle e-readers (or other e-readers for that matter) don’t work well with PDFs (they are not resizable, and any built-in navigation won’t work). This means that the Music and Words edition of the Hymn Book is practically unusable, based on these limitations. In this situation, the Words-only edition of the hymn book is specifically optimised for e-readers, and addresses both these issues.
I have a device with a smaller screen. Will the text be big enough to read?
Of course. One of the benefits of reading e-books is that you can enlarge the content as much as necessary. You can increase or decrease the text size of e-books in ePub format, and the text will reflow as necessary. PDFs can be enlarged, but the layout of the original book will be maintained.
I have a computer, a smartphone, a tablet and / or an eReader. Can I download the same e-book to these devices?
Of course. You can download it onto as many devices as you own. However, as we put a lot of effort into producing each e-book, we ask it is used for personal purposes only, and is not passed on to other people.
Can I pass on my e-book to a friend?
No. As we spend a lot of time producing each e-book, we ask that you don’t pass it on to other people.
How do I download my e-book?
After you have checked out your e-book order, the book is automatically added to the Downloads section of your Account Dashboard. In order to access this section you need to be signed in to your online account, then go to My Account > Downloads.
Once you are in your downloads section, you can click on your book to download it to your device.
I’ve accidentally deleted my e-book. Can I download it again?
Of course. There are no limitations on the number of times you can download a particular e-book. These can be accessed by signing into your account and viewing your downloads (My Account > Downloads).
How do I install e-books onto an iPad or iPhone?
First, you need to make sure you have the Books app installed on your iPad or iPhone. This is a free download from the app store (and may not installed by default).
Assuming you have Books on your device, simply go on to our website, using the default Safari web browser – the one that looks like a compass. (Please note: you MUST use the Safari browser for this to work! Other browsers cannot access the file system so won’t be able to copy it to Books.) Sign in to your online account, then go to My Account > Downloads.
From this downloads folder, simply tap the e-book you want to download; if this is a PDF, like the Music and Words Hymn Book, this will open in the Safari browser window itself. When you see the cover of the hymn book, simply tap the Share Sheet (which is an arrow pointing upwards from the centre of a square), followed by the Copy to Books option. This copies it into your Books library, from where you can open it.
If you want to download an ePub file, when you tap on it, a window will appear asking “Do you want to download [the book you’ve just clicked on]?”, with a Download link. Tapping this link will download it to your device; doing so will show the Download Manager in your browser (a circle with an arrow pointing down). Tapping on this arrow shows the file that you’ve just downloaded, and tapping on this will copy it into your Books library.
I have tried to copy my e-book to my Kindle eReader, but it doesn’t work. What’s gone wrong?
For reflowable-text e-books we save them as ePub format; for more visual books, such as our Study Guide series or our Words and Music Hymn Book, they are saved as PDF. We produce our e-books in these formats as they are the most universal, i.e., supported by the most devices on the market.
Unfortunately, Amazon Kindle eReaders are the only device(s) on the market that don’t support ePub files (or PDFs on the first-generation models). Instead, they use their own, proprietary, format. That means our ePub files have to be converted into Amazon’s file format before they can be read.
In order to convert them, you will also need (or have access to) a desktop and / or laptop computer – running either Windows, Mac OSX or Linux – and either of the following software on the computer:
- A copy of Calibre e-reader conversion software; it is open-source, and therefore can be downloaded and used for free. Then you can use this software to convert your e-books. Click here for a good tutorial on how to use the software to convert your e-books.
- A copy of Kindle Previewer software (Windows or Mac OS X only); you can download and use this for free. Please note, however, that this software is designed for book publishers to check how their e-books look on different devices, and not as a conversion utility – the conversion aspect is a side-effect of its purpose.
There are two versions of the Hymn Book. Which one should I get?
The two versions are:
- Words-only edition, which is available in ePub format, and
- Music and Words edition, which is available as a PDF.
Some devices don’t work very well with the Music and Words edition, so you need to check your device before you buy!
For example, when using the Music and Words edition on an Amazon Kindle e-reader (excluding the Kindle Fire tablet series) or other e-reader, it is not possible to resize the text, the navigation does not work and it takes a couple of seconds to redraw the screen after every page turn, making this hymn book practically unusable.
The words-only edition is best suited for use on e-readers, where it is possible to resize the text and navigate efficiently. (When using an Amazon Kindle e-reader, it is necessary to convert ePub files before they can be viewed – see the question above for more details.)
How do I view my electronic hymn book as two pages side-by-side?
Our music and words hymn books are saved as single page PDFs; though the two-page hymns side-by-side are also included. Simply use the index and / or table of contents to choose the version you prefer.
