Two Nook Household

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

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Escapetonook wrote:

When you download books from another Nook user and copy them into My documents, is there no way for them to then be moved into My Library with the books I purchased so that there is just one listing of books instead of two?

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No, there isn't. The "My B&N Library" section is kept synchronized to your B&N account. If it's not in your B&N account, it won't stay in My B&N Library.

[JoAnnB]

My sister and I are both considering getting ebook readers.  We have pretty much decided on the Nook for various reasons including the lending features.  We current send books back and forth to each other via the mail (I'm in TX, she is in AL).  However, the books available via the lending feature are very limited and I know we will want to share more.

I think what is described in this post would work for us, even though we are in different states.  If I understand correctly, we would each register our Nooks to our own individual accounts and have our own Nook Book Library.  The one who purchases the book would download it to their PC and then email it to the other person.  They could save it to their PC and then sideload it to their MyDocuments on the Nook.  It wouldn't show up in their library list but in their mydocuments instead.  The first time we did this, the person receiving the book would need to have the name and CC number for the account the book was purchased from. We could read books at the same time by doing this without messing up each other.

Will that work for us?  Do I have the basic jist of how this would work when we are in two different locations?  Did I miss some thing?

thanks

JB

[icebike]

It will work the way you suggest.

Its probably not completely legal, because you have two readable copies at once.  It probably violates the terms of service.  But it will work with anyone you care to share your credit card with.

[compulsiveread…]

doug, a few questions.

I read on B&N that one can elect to not save the credit card information so that you have to enter that information every time you make a purchase.

Let me see if I understand how this works:

I can set up the accounts for my kids in their own names say by purchasing an ebook using my credit card to do so, but do not save that information to their account? They would then have accounts without access to my credit card, Does an account without a credit card info saved still have access to the library that the ebooks were purchased on? Do they have access to my library as well as those books were purchased with the same credit card?

It seems confusing to me, so I want to make sure I am doing this right before I give them their Nook. My oldest lives about an hour away so we don't visit as much as I'd like or we meet in the middle and that's not where our computers would be located.

[compulsiveread…]

oops...just read about the emailing of books.

If I load some books onto their nooks before I give them the nooks, then they wouldn't need my cc number to open any new books I shared with them right? Since I would already have given that information on the books that I already loaded for them?

And I figured out through reading that I would have to sideload them if I want them to have their own accounts.

If they purchase gift cards for B&N at another store, they should be able to use them without having a cc info on file right? As B&N does not require you to store that info to have an account? I'm not sure that any of them HAVE cc's to be honest.

[bklvr896]

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compulsivereaderTX wrote:

oops...just read about the emailing of books.

If I load some books onto their nooks before I give them the nooks, then they wouldn't need my cc number to open any new books I shared with them right? Since I would already have given that information on the books that I already loaded for them?

And I figured out through reading that I would have to sideload them if I want them to have their own accounts.

If they purchase gift cards for B&N at another store, they should be able to use them without having a cc info on file right? As B&N does not require you to store that info to have an account? I'm not sure that any of them HAVE cc's to be honest.

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While B&N does not require you to have a cc on file to make regular purchases, it is my understanding that you have to have a default credit card (or possibly debit card) on file to purchase eBooks.  It is what is used to create the encryption key to unlock the books.  Also, to buy a book directly on the Nook, there is no way to enter credit card information and again it needs the cc to create the encryption key.  I have read here that some people have had success using a prepaid VISA type card as long as they keep some money on it, but I've  never tried it so I can't say for sure.  So even if you use gift cards to purchase the books, you still need the default credit card on file.

[icebike]

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compulsivereaderTX wrote:

oops...just read about the emailing of books.

If I load some books onto their nooks before I give them the nooks, then they wouldn't need my cc number to open any new books I shared with them right? Since I would already have given that information on the books that I already loaded for them?

And I figured out through reading that I would have to sideload them if I want them to have their own accounts.

If they purchase gift cards for B&N at another store, they should be able to use them without having a cc info on file right? As B&N does not require you to store that info to have an account? I'm not sure that any of them HAVE cc's to be honest.

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Your first paragraph is essentially correct.  The legality is suspect, but if you sideload a book, open it, it should ask for the CC info, and it will remember that for future books which use that CC.

Paragraph 2: you download your own books to your own nook, and then its possible to side load them onto other nooks and enter CC info on their nook.  I don't think this is legal.

Paragraph 3:  No, thats not right.  You have to have a default credit card on file EVEN when you purchase with gift cards.   

I'm not sure exactly what you are trying to accomplish here. It sounds like you are attempting to get more than one copy of a book while only paying for one.  B&N will look the other way about this when the nooks are all on the same account, but its pretty much a copyright violation to do it the way you are describing.  Probably unfair to ask for help in doing that on B&N's own boards.

I would suggest they each open an account with their own credit cards, and you mail them gift cards if you wish.   Gifting specific ebooks is still problematic. Something B&N should solve, you would think the publishers would want them to solve it as well, but today its a problem.

There are all sorts of free books available as well, and other sites where books can be purchased and downloaded.

[compulsiveread…]

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icebike wrote:

I'm not sure exactly what you are trying to accomplish here. It sounds like you are attempting to get more than one copy of a book while only paying for one.  B&N will look the other way about this when the nooks are all on the same account, but its pretty much a copyright violation to do it the way you are describing.  Probably unfair to ask for help in doing that on B&N's own boards.

NO! That is not what I am trying to do.

B&N states on THIS VERY WEBSITE : To make shopping easier and faster, we save your credit card and billing address information securely. However, if you do not want us to save any of your credit card data, you can uncheck the box to save your credit card information on the Create an Account page, and we will not store your credit card data or your credit card billing address to your account. You will have to reenter this information to make your next purchase

I take that to mean that one may still make purchases without a default credit card on file, but one has to enter that information each time to do so.

If someone gives me a gift card for ebay...ebay does not demand that I have a cc on file before I can use it. I can not think of a single store that demands that I have a cc on file before I can use a gift card at their store or at their online store. It's a legitimate question on my part based on nationwide gift card usage policies that apparently you are stating B&N does not follow.

I am trying to follow Doug Pardee's instructions on how to have multiple accounts within the same family that can share library, which is very desirable now that the Nook sync's across devices. WHo wants to be constantly trying having their pages flipped because someone else is reading the same book at the same time.

Also....If B&N goes to the effort to sync across several devices...then it must be assumed that we are allowed to use any book we buy across those devices. I am PAYING for these devices that I would like to share with my own children, I'm not passing crap out to strangers!~!!!

I am extremely insulted at the insinuation. I just want to share my books with my kids but keep my cc info to myself. Period.

Pamela

[icebike]

A couple of points:

1) You can not download any ebooks directly to a nook if you don't keep a default credit card on file. You will have to download to computer and then sideload to the nook.

2) B&N will only sync across devices in the same account.

3) Doug never said you can sync multiple nooks on different accounts.  B&N won't do this.  Doug said you can sync contents of nooks registered to the SAME B&N account.

4) Doug also explains (I forget just where) that you can SIDELOAD content from different accounts to multiple nooks, but this is the part that is not strictly in accordance with B&N's terms of service.

[compulsiveread…]

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bklvr896 wrote:

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While B&N does not require you to have a cc on file to make regular purchases, it is my understanding that you have to have a default credit card (or possibly debit card) on file to purchase eBooks.  It is what is used to create the encryption key to unlock the books.  Also, to buy a book directly on the Nook, there is no way to enter credit card information and again it needs the cc to create the encryption key.  I have read here that some people have had success using a prepaid VISA type card as long as they keep some money on it, but I've  never tried it so I can't say for sure.  So even if you use gift cards to purchase the books, you still need the default credit card on file.

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THe prepaid VISA card sounds like the best way to go. They wouldn't necessarily need gift cards to make purchases then right?  I want them to be able to buy their own books if they want them, not use my cc to buy them or to be stuck only reading books that *I* want to read.

I don't want to be accused of "stealing" by sharing books with my kids just because I ONLY want to share my books with them...not my credit card.

pamela

[bklvr896]

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compulsivereaderTX wrote:

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bklvr896 wrote:

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While B&N does not require you to have a cc on file to make regular purchases, it is my understanding that you have to have a default credit card (or possibly debit card) on file to purchase eBooks.  It is what is used to create the encryption key to unlock the books.  Also, to buy a book directly on the Nook, there is no way to enter credit card information and again it needs the cc to create the encryption key.  I have read here that some people have had success using a prepaid VISA type card as long as they keep some money on it, but I've  never tried it so I can't say for sure.  So even if you use gift cards to purchase the books, you still need the default credit card on file.

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THe prepaid VISA card sounds like the best way to go. They wouldn't necessarily need gift cards to make purchases then right?  I want them to be able to buy their own books if they want them, not use my cc to buy them or to be stuck only reading books that *I* want to read.

I don't want to be accused of "stealing" by sharing books with my kids just because I ONLY want to share my books with them...not my credit card.

pamela

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No, they wouldn't necessarily need a gift card, but they would have to make sure there was funds on the prepaid VISA card and you would want to get one that can be reloaded because you do not want to be continually changing the default credit card, as again, that is what is used to create the key to encrypt the book.  If you change default credit cards, you'll have books with different encryption keys so you'll need to keep those old card numbers handy.

Unfortunately, although it is not really clear, that statement you quoted doesn't apply to eBooks.  For various reasons, again because of the encryption key and also because you cannot enter cc information when you buy an eBook, regardless of whether or not you buy the book on the website or directly on the Nook.  

As for sharing books by sideloading to another Nook and putting your cc number so they can open the book, it probably is not legal because you now have two or more readable copies of the same book.  Which makes it different that sharing paper books, since if you loan it or give to someone, no one else can read it until you get it back.

You don't have to a cc on file to use a gift card for purchases other than eBooks.  You do for eBooks because of the social DRM. (Digital Rights Management).

[compulsiveread…]

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icebike wrote:

A couple of points:

1) You can not download any ebooks directly to a nook if you don't keep a default credit card on file. You will have to download to computer and then sideload to the nook.

2) B&N will only sync across devices in the same account.

3) Doug never said you can sync multiple nooks on different accounts.  B&N won't do this.  Doug said you can sync contents of nooks registered to the SAME B&N account.

4) Doug also explains (I forget just where) that you can SIDELOAD content from different accounts to multiple nooks, but this is the part that is not strictly in accordance with B&N's terms of service.

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Yeah..I got that...And yes...I wondered about #4 as well...that is why I was asking questions. I like to know what I'm getting into, how I'm supposed to do it, what I can and can't do, what is the best way for ME to do something that will work ..

Because though I can very well understand the paranoia of the publishing industry...I borrow books from the library too instead of purchasing every book and no one is running around accusing me of stealing the book.

IF B&N sets up a situation in which multiple devices can be set up on the same account, then one assumes (yea, I know the saying but in this case, I think it's a fair assumption) that many purchasers are not single and are going to have family members who will also be reading the books purchased on their own devices. Seems a sane assumption, one that I certainly made.

So sharing my ebook and devices with immediate family members should not automatically make me a criminal. However, forcing me to share my cc with them should be criminal...it's certainly careless.

pamela

[compulsiveread…]

I'm pretty much done asking questions about the issue. Thank you to those who were helpful and gave good information that I can understand and know why I can't do something or can and how.

pamela

[bklvr896]

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compulsivereaderTX wrote:

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Because though I can very well understand the paranoia of the publishing industry...I borrow books from the library too instead of purchasing every book and no one is running around accusing me of stealing the book.

This is because the libraries buy the books at a higher price and under a different licensing agreement.  And, only one person, whether it's a eBook or a DTB can read the book at a time.  Sharing the books as some have described allows multiple people to have copies of the book and read them at the same time.

IF B&N sets up a situation in which multiple devices can be set up on the same account, then one assumes (yea, I know the saying but in this case, I think it's a fair assumption) that many purchasers are not single and are going to have family members who will also be reading the books purchased on their own devices. Seems a sane assumption, one that I certainly made.

So sharing my ebook and devices with immediate family members should not automatically make me a criminal. However, forcing me to share my cc with them should be criminal...it's certainly careless.

It's not careless or criminal, it's precisely the reason the use the credit card because most people are not willing to share a credit card number with just anyone. It prevents someone from setting up a site and renting or loaning out eBooks in mass.  Yes, I know that is not what you are planning, but, in almost everything, the honest people have to put up with this kind of stuff because of the dishonest people.  The whole purpose of DRM is to prevent people from sharing ebooks.

As far as multiple people on an account, yes it can be done here, it can be done on the Kindle. I don't know about the Kindle, but there is also a limit to the number of devices that can be hooked to one account, I think it is 6.  And that's six total, so I have it connected to my Nook, my laptop computer and my netbook.  That is considered 3 devices, even though I'm the only one using any of those devices.  And I think in many cases, members of the same household are not necessarily going to read the same type of books.  

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[Tim40744]

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bklvr896 wrote:

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compulsivereaderTX wrote:

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(snip)

As far as multiple people on an account, yes it can be done here, it can be done on the Kindle. I don't know about the Kindle, but there is also a limit to the number of devices that can be hooked to one account, I think it is 6.  And that's six total, so I have it connected to my Nook, my laptop computer and my netbook.  That is considered 3 devices, even though I'm the only one using any of those devices.  And I think in many cases, members of the same household are not necessarily going to read the same type of books.  

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 You can have as many Kindles/apps as you like on an account. Only 6 (or less, depending on the publisher) may have any one particular book from the account. Kindle DRM is encrypted to the device or app, not a CC. 

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[compulsiveread…]

THanks BLklover.

I still haven't decided whether to put the kids on my account or set them up withe their own accounts and let them figure out how to buy their own books.

Not ALL kids are trustworthy with access to use of a credit card not even to buy books. My daughter once ran up an $800 phone bill for me because she made long distance phone calls to her boyfriend and mistakenly thought she was saving me money by making lots of short calls instead of one or two longer calls. You know how many 35 cent calls it takes to make an $800 phone bill? I had to remove long distance service from my phone for awhile.. a long while.

It's not rocket science to worry that she might just assume that a thousand $1 books wouldn't add up. She's sweet and loves to read...but common sense isn't her strong point.

pamela

[Bellanoite]

Honestly the way some kids are ... well you might not want them their own accounts except for the last book read feature ... that could be bad if you were say in the heat of a good romance novel!

[gillygirl]

In theory, I understand. I have bought 3 nooks for my adult children for Christmas. We all enjoy the same types of books. How would I download my books to a jump drive that I can take with me on Christmas morning so I can share with them? I would do it right at my computer before wrapping them, but I imagine the nooks have to be registered first.

I did try to download one book to my jump drive, but don't get the option to open it with BN ereader after it is downloaded.

[ProfReader]

they have to be copied from the flash drive to a computer and then copied to each nook.

[MariJudith]

Ok, quick clarification question. When you say you are using the cc as the 'access code' or the 'password' for a certain book through the sideloading option, does that mean that the nook that you just used that cc as a 'password' on can then use that cc to purchase other books? Or is that cc just used as a 'password' and nothing else?