There are two ways to read our ebooks on a computer. You can read online (streaming) without installing any software. Or you can download the whole book to your computer; but you’ll need to install an app in order to do that.
It’s like the difference between streaming a song on Spotify or downloading the song file.
Method One: Read online
To read online (without downloading):
- Login to eBooks.com, and then
- click the Read now button adjacent to the title of the book.
You don’t need to download any software in order to read this way, because your books just open up inside the same browser you use to surf the web. It is compatible with all major browsers.
Method Two: Download
Our ebook files are encrypted to prevent piracy, and you’ll need to install a program in order to successfully download them.
(1) Install Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)
Install ADE here. It’s a very simple process. But if you need help with this, go here: Installing ADE on your computer.
(2) Authorize ADE
Once you’ve installed ADE, you’ll need to “authorise” the software. This step is necessary so your ebooks will unlock when you download them. Here’s how to authorise ADE:
- Open ADE on your computer
- If you have a book open, please click ‘Library’ to return to Library view
- Click ‘Help’
- Click ‘Authorize computer…’
On the next screen it will ask you to enter three fields, an ‘eBook Vendor’, your Adobe ID and Password.
For ‘eBook Vendor’, leave this as ‘Adobe ID’. If it doesn’t say ‘Adobe ID’, select it from the drop down menu.
If you already have an Adobe ID, enter your Adobe ID and password in the remaining fields and click ‘Authorize’.
If you don’t have an Adobe ID already, click the link ‘Create an Adobe ID’. This will navigate you to Adobe’s website where you can register an Adobe ID (or you can click here).
Return to ADE and enter your Adobe ID and Password in the remaining fields, and click ‘Authorize’.
Make a note of your Adobe ID and password in case you need to de-authorise your computer and reauthorise a new computer.
(3) Download
Finally, return to your account at eBooks.com and click Download next to the book title.
You only need to do this once
Having installed ADE and authorised it, you won’t need to do it again. Each time you buy a new ebook from eBooks.com, you’ll just click Download and the book will download and open up in Adobe Digital Editions.
Just let us know if you need any help.