In comparison to print books, there are several factors you need to take into account when buying ebooks. First, there are many different ebook formats and not every ebook works on every ebook reader. Currently, there are two main formats, the Amazon Kindle format (.azw, .kf8) and the ePub format (.epub). Whereas the Amazon Kindle format only works on the Amazon Kindle and the Amazon Fire, the ePub format works on most ebook readers. However, it neither works on the Amazon Kindle nor on the Amazon Fire. This means, you need to check the file format of each offer before you buy. Generally, you will encounter one of the three following cases:

1. I want to read ebooks on my iPad/tablet/computer/smartphone.

You should be safe. Both, the ePub and the Amazon Kindle format can be read on these devices after installing specific software.


2. I want to read ebooks on an Amazon Kindle or Amazon Fire.

You need to buy ebooks in the Amazon Kindle format (.azw, .kf8). These are to our knowledge currently only available from Amazon.


3. I want to read ebooks on one of the ebook readers which are not from Amazon.

In most cases, you can read books in the ePub format. These are, luckily, sold by most online bookstores. Unfornately, only Amazon does not sell books in this format. Additionally, you need to consider whether the ebook has a digital rights management (DRM) protection to prevent you from copying the book. This sometimes limits the availability of ebooks for specific ebook readers. More information can be found on Wikipedia including an ebook reader comparison table.

Lastly, please note that we cannot guarantee the validity of the information found here. The ebook market moves fast and some or all of the information might be wrong or out of date. We therefore urge you to always check for yourself whether you have the right hard- and software to read the ebook before buying it.

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