eBooks FAQ

Welcome to our eBooks FAQ section. Here you'll find answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding all areas of eBooks.

Please note: from 29th October 2010 we will no longer award Waterstones Card points on eBook purchases. Cardholders can still use their Waterstones Card points to buy eBooks.

How do I download an eBook?

For step by step information on how to purchase an eBook, please go to our eBooks download page.

How do I purchase and transfer my first eBook to my Reader?

Before you purchase your first eBook, please ensure that you have set up your account in Digital Editions fully and that the email address used for your Adobe ID matches that of your Waterstones.com account. If this is not done before purchasing your first eBook, the download will not authorise correctly and you will be unable to access the file in Digital Editions.

What is Digital Rights Management?

All eBooks sold on Waterstones.com are in the EPUB format secured with Adobe ADEPT Digital Rights Management. This combination is supported on the Reader from Sony and some other similar readers such as the Elonex reader.

Please note: eBooks currently sold on Waterstones.com are not compatible with the Kindle or Apple products such as the iPhone or iPad.

Digital Rights Management is used to limit the ability to copy eBooks and ties your purchased eBooks to the Adobe Account you are using on the PC you download to. It is possible to use your account across up to six different devices authorised to the account including readers, laptops and desktops. Always ensure that you have setup your account in Digital Editions before you download an eBook to a new machine. When changing machines, take a note of your login details to ensure that you can retain access to your library.

Why do I need Adobe Digital Editions?

Adobe Digital Editions is a piece of software that is needed in order to manage your digital library of eBooks, without this your purchased eBook will not be able to be transferred to your Reader.

Which devices are compatible with Digital Editions?

All devices use Adobe ePub format with DRM (Digital Rights Management). The Sony Readers use Sony's own Reader Library software which is pre-installed on the device and will prompt you to download this on first use. This software clashes with Adobe DE so Adobe DE should not be downloaded. Other brands including iRiver, Cybook and Elonex will use Adobe Digital Editions to transfer eBooks to the device.

Do you have an eReading App for my smartphone?

We have a free eReading App for Android smartphones, available from the Android Market. This App allows you to browse through our range of tens of thousands of eBooks, buy and read your eBooks, all on your smartphone.

Can I transfer eBooks that I have already purchased or downloaded to another computer?

Once you authorise your computer with Digital Editions, the application looks for eBooks already on the computer and converts copies of the items to a new named account license. You can then transfer those eBooks to other computers. If you have eBooks on multiple computers, you need to authorise each one with Digital Editions prior to transferring eBooks between them.

My computer isn't recognising my eReader

Please try plugging the device into a different USB port on your computer. If this doesn't solve the problem, please contact us on 0845 217 7993 (Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm).

What is the maximum number of computers and devices that I can authorise?

You can activate up to six computers and devices. If you reach the limit, contact Adobe via their website to increase your allowable activations.

How do I select the option to not authorise my computer?

When you first launch Digital Editions, you are prompted to authorise your computer. You can decline, in which case your digital content will belong to the computer, not a named user account. Subsequently, you will be prompted to authorise your computer whenever you purchase an eBook, although the prompt dialog box provides a "Don't ask me again" checkbox.

Can I authorise my computer at a later time?

Digital Editions has an "Authorise this computer" menu item that you can use after initial installation. If you authorise your computer with an Adobe ID, then it will always be associated with that Adobe ID. If you do not, the account is "anonymous". If you "anonymously" activate two computers, then there are two separate anonymous accounts, which cannot be merged. Thus, the eBooks on one computer can be upgraded to "belong" to a specific Adobe ID, but the eBooks on the other cannot. If you authorise the second computer with your Adobe ID, any subsequent purchases on it are associated with that ID and transferable to any computer authorised with that ID. However, the books that were purchased on the second computer prior to being activated are forever locked to that computer.

How do I link my reader to Digital Editions?

Once you have authorised your Adobe Digital Editions Library, you should then plug your Reader in to your computer. A window will appear asking you if you would like to authorise your Reader to your Adobe Digital Editions, giving the email address used for your Adobe account. If this is correct, accept this action and your Reader will be authorised to your Digital Editions.

Where can I get more help with Digital Editions?

For more help with Adobe Digital Editions please visit the help pages on the Adobe website here

How can I return my Reader?

If for any reason your Reader is faulty, please go to our eReader support page for full details of our Reader Returns, Refunds and Repair Procedures so the problem can be resolved as swiftly as possible.

Where has my download been saved?

Your download will have been saved on your computers hard drive in My Documents\My Digital Editions. This applies to Windows. For Mac users look in Documents\My Digital Editions.

Instead of the eBook I expected, I downloaded a file named 'urllink.acsm' - where is the eBook?

For full explanations of the download process please go to our eBooks downloads help page

My eBook is incomplete/wrong. What's gone wrong?

If you have successfully downloaded an eBook, but you feel the content is incorrect please contact our customer services by email ereadersupport@waterstones.com. Please try to provide as much detail as possible about the nature of the problem, including the eBook title and author, so that we can feed back the problem to the publisher to rectify your order as quickly as possible.

What should I do if an eBook does not completely download

If you are unsuccessful in downloading your eBook, you have access to download the eBook a further two times (three times max). All previously purchased eBooks can be found in the eBooks section of your Order History when you log into your account. If after three attempts you are still unable to download an eBook, please contact us on 0845 217 7993 (Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm).

I received the error 'Error getting license/License server communication problem: E_LIC_ALREADY_FULFILLED_BY_ANOTHER_USER'. - What should I do?

Please contact us on 0845 217 7993 (Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm) to assist in resolving your issue.

I am getting the error 'Server communication problem: E_ADEPT_IO' - What should I do?

This error usually indicates that a problem occurred during download and that you should attempt to download again. If the download link is no longer available, contact us on 0845 217 7993 (Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm) or by email ereadersupport@waterstones.com to reactivate the download link. In your phone call/email, please provide your Transaction ID and date of sale as well as the title of the book.

Can I get a refund or an exchange for an eBook bought in error or that I don't like?

No. Sales on eBooks are final and cannot be exchanged/refunded. If however, you find that an eBook is faulty, please contact our Customer Services and we will look to resolve the issue or refund if this is not possible.

Why are the prices of eBooks so varied?

All prices of eBooks are set by the publishers, but as a general guideline they should be around the same price as a hardback or cheaper. However, unlike hardback and paperback books, eBooks are subject to VAT. At Waterstones.com we are making every effort to offer our customers good value on all eBooks, therefore you will often find reductions from the RRP on our site.

Does Waterstones.com sell eBooks to customers outside of the UK and Ireland?

We regret that at present we are only selling eBooks within the UK and Ireland. For further information, please click here.

Will I accrue Waterstones Loyalty points when I purchase eBooks?

We regret that we are unable to award loyalty points on eBook purchases. Waterstones cardholders may still use their points as payment for eBooks though.

Can I use my Waterstones Gift Card to purchase eBooks from Waterstones.com?

Yes, you can use our Gift Cards as payment on Waterstones.com, by entering at the checkout the 19-digit number and the security code (found beneath the scratch-off panel) on the reverse of the card.

Can I give an eBook as a gift?

At present, we don't offer the option of giving an eBook as a gift. However, you can instead give a Waterstones gift card, available from all of our branches, which can then be used by the recipient to purchase eBooks from Waterstones.com.

Can I submit my eBook to Waterstones.com?

For information on submitting eBooks to our site, please click here.