All I want are the e-books, but unlike the Castalia Library book sites, there’s no purchase/download option. Instead I paid for the yearly sub, but I can’t find the books. Clicking on settings and other options takes me to other substack sites, and those sites open up more sites, and now i’m browsing some kind of feed that doesn’t include Castalia Library, and I can’t find the books.
I was expecting an interface that:
Lists books
Click download
Why can’t you setup the book sub like you did for the leather bound books? How will I find older books if I’m offline for a few months? Everyone else figured this out, including YOU.
Sooo, like what’s the problem? In fact, why not make a post with a guide. Explain what to do or not do, and hell, step-by-step would be amazing. Explain how to find the book(s). What did I do incorrectly? Is there something I forgot to do? Is there some kind of archive site that hosts the files that I haven’t received an email granting me access to yet?
It's been emailed to you. We will eventually set up other ways to subscribe, and a download option, but this allowed us to get things rolling without having to do any additional setup.
If you haven't received the email with the epub, email us and we'll send it to you again.
Alright. Good things then. I can confirm that I have received an email.
I highly recommend a concise guide. That instead of being opaque, since you are launching an ersatz subscription model, that you post a quick guide. I hate that I have to pay to ask the question on how to pay. And don’t forget that Social Galactic doesn’t have a signup either. So it’s not like I can browse comments for help there.
I don't understand. Why would you have to pay to ask the question? The comments here are not limited to paid subscribers. There are no paywalled posts here.
When creating a comment, I had to ‘create an account’ then I had to ‘Subscribe.’ Subscribing costs $9.99/m or $99/yr. I also want the books. That was the goal. So regardless of whether or not I had to ‘pay’ to comment on this thread, subscribe or not, l still had to pay to subscribe for the end goal. I didn’t even notice a ‘free’ option, it went from “monthly” to “yearly” to “founders.” There was even an option for some kind of hardback book, but I’ve no idea how you’d send me that.
Kobo Libra Color, or Kobo Clara black and white or color versions. You can stop here.
Reasons:
Native epub format support. No guesswork. Copy and paste onto device. Start reading.
The interface is uncluttered, the Books section is responsive and user intuitive, there’s no mystery buttons or icons as there are words, sorting, filtering by criteria, and searching is extensive, and the speed is fast. They also have a decent store. It’s not as extensive as Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited, but they have their own subscription plan if you want that. But on the other hand, they aren’t as inundated with AI slop either. I like the fonts because my eyesight sucks and the font scales up without losing definition. I prefer the buttons on the Kobo Libra Color, but some don’t care, especially now that Kobo has an official wireless Bluetooth page clicker. You can purchase through Kobo.com or Amazon.com. I believe the Amazon storefront is still run by a company called BlueProton for the US distribution.
If you get the Clara BW you don’t have to deal with the Color overlay: some people don’t like seeing the color layer (however any color e-reader now uses the same E Ink Kaleido 3 screen regardless of brand as only one company makes it). If you buy the device on Amazon, you can return it before 15 days if you don’t like the device. The official device covers are decent, they protect the device, and some of them have that origami folding style that lets you turn the cover into a stand.
Kobo also supports “right to repair,” and has an official iFixit sponsorship with component parts available directly in complete kits with all the tools needed and video guides for each part. As a huge fan of being able to repair my own gear, and tired of the endless tech treadmill of ‘new thing good, old thing crippled by firmware or planned obsolescence.’ I firmly support any product that doesn’t intentionally die one day after the factory warranty expires.
Side-loading books via Calibre and a USB-C cable is reliable and efficient (you’ll need a PC though). If you’re used to using KOReader, Kobo has native support. I will say that all the plugins for connecting your Kobo device to Calibre are now baked in, and no longer need to be installed. This means you don’t need to understand the program to make it work. Just install Calibre, copy and paste the epub books from (not Amazon) your downloads folder into the main interface page of Calibre, then connect your device via USB cable, select the book, and Transfer to Device. Simple, painless, but there are guides on Youtube if you need help.
Kobo, unlike Kindles supports Libby, which is nice if your library has books you want to borrow a digital copy of, instead of buying every book.
I mention a 3rd party program, Calibre, because I have several thousand books, and digital library management is a necessity. If you’re just downloading the epub file from a website and transferring it over for a few books, then strict library management probably isn’t necessary. I fully understand that most people don’t have several thousand books they need to manage. I also used Calibre with other tools to import my entire Kindle Library into epub format.
Please note that if you are buying all your books on Amazon.com, none of this is relevant. You cannot read books bought on Amazon on a Kobo.*
*Technically, you can, but the explanation is lengthy, and unnecessary as you asked for a recommendation for a device, not a how to liberate my library.
Thank you!!!! This is so exciting.
Just keeps getting better and better
I‘ve just subscribed, can I still receive sanshiro?
Yes, everyone who subscribes today will receive it. Wait until tomorrow, though, so we can send them out all at once.
UPDATE: Everyone who subscribed yesterday has been sent the first book, Sanshiro.
I didn't get the book by mail on the 24th. I signed up the 23th, Monday.
I did receive the book yesterday for this week, THE KAMIGATA SCROLL
Your payment receipt from Castalia Library #FHP7GR7B-0001
Send an email. Can't see what your email is from here.
How do I get the book from the subscription?
All I want are the e-books, but unlike the Castalia Library book sites, there’s no purchase/download option. Instead I paid for the yearly sub, but I can’t find the books. Clicking on settings and other options takes me to other substack sites, and those sites open up more sites, and now i’m browsing some kind of feed that doesn’t include Castalia Library, and I can’t find the books.
I was expecting an interface that:
Lists books
Click download
Why can’t you setup the book sub like you did for the leather bound books? How will I find older books if I’m offline for a few months? Everyone else figured this out, including YOU.
https://ndmexpress.com/collections/e-books?page=1
Sooo, like what’s the problem? In fact, why not make a post with a guide. Explain what to do or not do, and hell, step-by-step would be amazing. Explain how to find the book(s). What did I do incorrectly? Is there something I forgot to do? Is there some kind of archive site that hosts the files that I haven’t received an email granting me access to yet?
It's been emailed to you. We will eventually set up other ways to subscribe, and a download option, but this allowed us to get things rolling without having to do any additional setup.
If you haven't received the email with the epub, email us and we'll send it to you again.
Alright. Good things then. I can confirm that I have received an email.
I highly recommend a concise guide. That instead of being opaque, since you are launching an ersatz subscription model, that you post a quick guide. I hate that I have to pay to ask the question on how to pay. And don’t forget that Social Galactic doesn’t have a signup either. So it’s not like I can browse comments for help there.
I don't understand. Why would you have to pay to ask the question? The comments here are not limited to paid subscribers. There are no paywalled posts here.
When creating a comment, I had to ‘create an account’ then I had to ‘Subscribe.’ Subscribing costs $9.99/m or $99/yr. I also want the books. That was the goal. So regardless of whether or not I had to ‘pay’ to comment on this thread, subscribe or not, l still had to pay to subscribe for the end goal. I didn’t even notice a ‘free’ option, it went from “monthly” to “yearly” to “founders.” There was even an option for some kind of hardback book, but I’ve no idea how you’d send me that.
I feel like I need to get an e-reader for these now that they are going to be so frequent. Does anyone have any recommendations?
I prefer an Android tablet with Aldiko or Moonreader.
Kobo Libra Color, or Kobo Clara black and white or color versions. You can stop here.
Reasons:
Native epub format support. No guesswork. Copy and paste onto device. Start reading.
The interface is uncluttered, the Books section is responsive and user intuitive, there’s no mystery buttons or icons as there are words, sorting, filtering by criteria, and searching is extensive, and the speed is fast. They also have a decent store. It’s not as extensive as Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited, but they have their own subscription plan if you want that. But on the other hand, they aren’t as inundated with AI slop either. I like the fonts because my eyesight sucks and the font scales up without losing definition. I prefer the buttons on the Kobo Libra Color, but some don’t care, especially now that Kobo has an official wireless Bluetooth page clicker. You can purchase through Kobo.com or Amazon.com. I believe the Amazon storefront is still run by a company called BlueProton for the US distribution.
If you get the Clara BW you don’t have to deal with the Color overlay: some people don’t like seeing the color layer (however any color e-reader now uses the same E Ink Kaleido 3 screen regardless of brand as only one company makes it). If you buy the device on Amazon, you can return it before 15 days if you don’t like the device. The official device covers are decent, they protect the device, and some of them have that origami folding style that lets you turn the cover into a stand.
Kobo also supports “right to repair,” and has an official iFixit sponsorship with component parts available directly in complete kits with all the tools needed and video guides for each part. As a huge fan of being able to repair my own gear, and tired of the endless tech treadmill of ‘new thing good, old thing crippled by firmware or planned obsolescence.’ I firmly support any product that doesn’t intentionally die one day after the factory warranty expires.
Side-loading books via Calibre and a USB-C cable is reliable and efficient (you’ll need a PC though). If you’re used to using KOReader, Kobo has native support. I will say that all the plugins for connecting your Kobo device to Calibre are now baked in, and no longer need to be installed. This means you don’t need to understand the program to make it work. Just install Calibre, copy and paste the epub books from (not Amazon) your downloads folder into the main interface page of Calibre, then connect your device via USB cable, select the book, and Transfer to Device. Simple, painless, but there are guides on Youtube if you need help.
Kobo, unlike Kindles supports Libby, which is nice if your library has books you want to borrow a digital copy of, instead of buying every book.
I mention a 3rd party program, Calibre, because I have several thousand books, and digital library management is a necessity. If you’re just downloading the epub file from a website and transferring it over for a few books, then strict library management probably isn’t necessary. I fully understand that most people don’t have several thousand books they need to manage. I also used Calibre with other tools to import my entire Kindle Library into epub format.
Please note that if you are buying all your books on Amazon.com, none of this is relevant. You cannot read books bought on Amazon on a Kobo.*
*Technically, you can, but the explanation is lengthy, and unnecessary as you asked for a recommendation for a device, not a how to liberate my library.
Kindle Scribe.
Thanks for the notification, I looked in my spam because of it and found the book email. I’m looking forward to expanding my horizons.