Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Tricks And Treats

So I bet you're thinking to yourself - what exactly does a Super Librarian do on Halloween? Well, I spend my morning moving "moveable" furniture in preparation for the carpet-cleaning-guy to show up.

Sorry to shatter any glamorous illusions you may have had - but dang, I'm kind of excited by the prospect of a clean carpet. Which probably means I need to get out more.

In other news, I saw on Dear Author this morning that eHarlequin is offering up a free ebook as a Halloween treat. So head on over there and download a copy of Hot Property by Carly Phillips for free!
(Offer ends at midnight EST)
.

This was excellent news for me, since I downloaded the new software to my Sony Reader, that supposedly makes it play nice with DRM ebooks, weeks ago. The problem? Yeah, I was too cheap frugal to buy an ebook from somewhere other than the Sony Store to test it out for fear that it wouldn't work and I'd be out some cash. So this free ebook offer from Harlequin came just in the nick of time.

So, did it work? Yes, it did!

After I spent time tinkering.

Yeah, remember my recent post about how ebooks will never take off until publishers dumb down the process? Totally standing by that. My first mistake was doing all of this pre-morning caffeine consumption. I know, I'm not sure where the heck my brain was. Anywho, once I realized I had to "authorize" my device by setting up an account (for free) through Adobe Digital Editions (which I generally don't use since I got software with my Sony Reader), it was pretty easy.

I was only slightly tempted, for one brief moment, to put my fist through the computer monitor. Honest!

Times like this I wish I had a computer geek on call, but most of the time I figure it all out after flailing about for a while.

Now when is that carpet-cleaning-guy getting here? This girl has errands to run.

Happy Halloween everybody!

10 comments:

Lori said...

Well, crap! I literally bought and read Hot Property not 2 weeks ago. Bought being the operative word.

Carly Phillips said...

Thank you! I had no idea that Harlequin was doing this? Is today the last day?

Carly
www.carlyphillips.com

Wendy said...

Lori - Oooh, I hate when that happens. With me it's usually after I stock up on groceries and then next week everything I bought is on sale.

Carly: Today is the only day! So readers need to hurry. Offer expires at midnight, eastern time.

Leah Braemel said...

I'm about to put my fist through my monitor. I have Adobe 9 already installed and Harlequin has just informed me - AFTER I chose to download a PDF copy of my book - that I can't use version 9, I need to downgrade to 7 or 8. Except other things I have need version 9. Arrrgh.

And I can't go back to choose a different format. Very frustrating. (And I teach computers, so I'm pretty computer literate. I hate to think what a non-techie person would go through.)

Wendy said...

Leah: Oooh, I hate that too! I've run up against that problem with Adobe before (not with ebooks, but other "stuff") which is why I never upgrade until the bitter, bitter end.

Hmmmm, you should try e-mailing their customer service. Maybe they'll let you take another pass at downloading it after you explain your problem? I've had decent luck with eHar's customer service in the past.....

Liza said...

Thanks for the heads-up Wendy. I'll head over there right now. I would love to have it on my computer too.

Rosie said...

See that grungy woman over in the corner? Pathetic isn't she? Sorry thing is so out of the loop she missed this. Major bummer that.

You know I sigh with envy every time I realize it's your Friday off. Man!

Wendy said...

Rosie: Well I work longer shifts in order to have the luxury of every other Friday off. Although this Friday was pretty much wasted waiting around for the carpet cleaning guy who didn't show up until 2PM! Ugh!

joykenn said...

Wendy, does this mean that the Sony ereader can read ebooks from Overdrive that I check out from the library? I currently read them on my PDA which sucks since I only have a small screen. So I've mostly used their audiobooks. I'd buy an ereader if I could use it for library books as well as the ones I purchase

Wendy said...

Joy: It should - as long as the Overdrive books are in PDF (which I think they are?). The new Sony Readers should have the capability right out of the box. Mine is now a year old model, and I had to download the software update...which was free. I haven't tried PDF files from other retailers yet - but so far eHarlequin works - so I suspect other retailers selling PDF will as well.