FAQs
Why do you offer books from different vendors?
The ebook industry has different Digital Rights Management (DRM) for each major vendor. Because the DRM from one vendor can't be read by the apps and E-readers of other vendors, people tend to get locked into an ecosystem and it can be difficult to hop between them, particularly if you use and e-reader instead of apps. For this reason, whenever we can, we offer the most popular five vendors, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Bookshop.org for ebooks.
We mostly offer physical books from Bookshop.org because currently our sole source of revenue is a small percentage on each purchase at Bookshop.org through our store. Bookshop.org generally has competitive prices, supports local bookstores, and treats authors fairly so we are happy to affiliate with them. Where we are aware of an author having their own purchase portal, we also include that because that usually pays the author more. Finally, if we are aware that another vendor has a significanlty lower cost edition, we will include that so you have options.
Is there a way to avoid lock in to a specific ecosystem for ebooks?
Kind of. There are three basic stratagies people use to deal with DRM.
1) Accept that you aren't really buying the book, you are buying a perpetual license to view the book on a specifice platform, then pick the platform that works best for you and stick with it.
2) Accept that you are buying a license and load the apps for all the major vendors on your phone or tablet or on an adroid based eink device (like some Onyx Boox) that can support everything but Apple. Then buy from the vendor that makes the most sense for a specific book.
3) Only buy DRM free books and read on whatever device you want. This approach also allows you to use our book scanner/cleaner to personalize your copy of the book. However, the big five publishers all insist on DRM so there will be a lot of books you can't buy using this approach. You will mostly be limited to indie authors, public domain, Bain Books, Tor, and a few selections on Kobo, Ebooks.com (we include these), and Bookshop.org.
There is a fourth approach, which is to remove the DRM after purchase. This is illegal in the US under the DMCA, so we don't encourage it. If you think there should be an exemption for personal use, let your representative or senator know what you think.
How come I don't see any books from Apple?
Most likely because you are viewing Quailsong from a non-apple device. Apple books can only be downloaded to Apple devices so to avoid confusion, we only display them when you are using an Apple device.
Sometimes the price I see in the button on your page doesn't match the price when I click through. Why is that?
Book pricing is very dynamic and changes frequently. We update our priceing about once a month, but sometimes the vendors change more frequently, so sometimes are pricing is a little behind.
Can Quailsong send Quailsong and Classic Kindle ebook files directly to my Kindle?
No, but after downloading your file you can email it to your Kindle email address and it will appear on your Kindle. Just remember to authorize your regular email address in your kindle account. Amazon has instructions you can follow.
Why do I have to use Paypal? Can't I use my credit card?
Paypal is our credit card processor. When you checkout you will have to option to use your credit card or your paypal account.