eBooks & MP3 Audio Downloads

You can read eBooks from Waterstones.com on most smartphones and tablets, including iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, and Windows phones.

1. Download and install the free app, OverDrive, from app.overdrive.com.
2. On the first occasion you open the app, you will be prompted to create a free 'OverDrive account'. Please note that this is different to your Waterstones account. 
3. From this point, simply press 'Download' when you've made an eBook purchase from Waterstones.com using your device, and your chosen title will open automatically within the app.
4. Alternatively, to access your previous purchases, sign in to your Waterstones account, then select 'eBooks and Audio Downloads' to see your eBooks.

Where can I get more help with Overdrive?

If you encounter any problems using Overdrive, please visit help.overdrive.com for assistance.

You can download eBooks from Waterstones.com onto your PC or Apple Mac and then transfer them onto any eReader that is compatiable with ePub eBooks such as NOOK, Kobo or Sony devices device using Adobe Digital Editions.

1. Before you download your first eBook, please create an 'Adobe ID'. This ID (usually your email address) acts as your unique key to be able to open the eBooks that you buy.
   Please note that this is different to your Waterstones.com account.
2. Download and install Adobe Digital Editions on your computer.
3. During the simple set-up process, please select the 'Authorise my computer' option by selecting 'Adobe ID' as the eBook Vender and enter your Adobe ID and password.
4. If you have an eReader, connect it to your computer and turn it on; you will be able to use Adobe Digital Editions to transfer eBooks onto your eReader.

You may then read the eBook or copy the eBook(s) to your eReader by dragging and dropping them from the 'Library view' onto the Reader icon in the left hand panel. If the eBook is a large file, a progress bar may appear as the eBook is copied.

You may then exit Adobe Digital Editions and disconnect the USB cable from your eReader. Your eBook is now loaded to your eReader and can be read.

Where can I get more help with Adobe Digital Editions?

If you encounter any problems using Adobe Digital Editions, please visit helpx.adobe.com/digital-editions for assistance.

You can listen to Audio Downloads from Waterstones.com on most devices including, Windows PCs and laptops, Apple Macs, smartphones and tablets.

1. Download and install the free app, OverDrive, from app.overdrive.com.
2. On the first occasion you open the app, you will be prompted to create a free 'OverDrive account'. Please note that this is different to your Waterstones account. 
3. From this point, simply press 'Download' when you've made an Audio Download purchase from Waterstones.com using your device, and your chosen title will open automatically within the app.
4. Alternatively, to access your previous purchases, sign in to your Waterstones account, then select 'eBooks and Audio Downloads'.

Where can I get more help with Overdrive?

If you encounter any problems using Overdrive, please visit help.overdrive.com for assistance.

Please note:

We would strongly advise you to avoid creating more than one Adobe ID or Overdrive account, as this will cause problems with opening your previously purchased eBooks which will have been registered to your previous account. It is always preferable to reset your existing account rather than creating a new one.

Resetting your Adobe ID password

Your Adobe ID will be the email address that you registered with Adobe. To reset your password, or if you have forgotten your Adobe ID or password, please visit helpx.adobe.com/uk/x-productkb/policy-pricing/account-password-sign-faq.

Resetting your Overdrive password

To reset your Overdrive password, please visit help.overdrive.com/customer/portal/articles/1481566-how-to-reset-your-overdrive-account-password.

At the request of the publishers whose eBooks are sold on Waterstones.com, all of our eBooks are in the EPUB format secured with Adobe ADEPT Digital Rights Management, or 'DRM'. DRM is used to limit the ability to copy eBooks and ties your purchased eBooks to the Adobe ID or Overdrive account that you are using.

It is possible to use your account across up to six different devices authorised to the account, including eReaders, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.

Your Adobe ID or Overdrive account is the key to all of this, as it identifies you as the person permitted to open and read the eBooks you've purchased.

• You may authorize your Overdrive account on up to six devices and you may manage these under the 'Account' section at overdrive.com.
• If you have previously created an Overdrive account and would like to download your eBooks onto your PC, Apple Mac or eReader, you can authorize Adobe Digital Editions with an Overdrive account:  help.overdrive.com/customer/portal/articles/1481077
• If you have previously downloaded eBooks with Adobe Digital Editions and have an existing Adobe ID, you may also set up Overdrive on a mobile or tablet with your account. There is a guide to this available here: help.overdrive.com/customer/portal/articles/1481633-what-is-an-adobe-id-and-how-can-i-get-one

Due to differences in eBook formats and DRM, the eBooks currently sold on Waterstones.com (ePUB eBooks) are not compatible with the Kindle.

However, if you are using a Kindle Fire then you can use the OverDrive app if you wish to read ePUB eBooks on this device.

The price of each eBook is set by the publisher, but as a general rule they should be around the same price or cheaper than the print edition.

Unlike hardback and paperback books, eBooks are subject to UK VAT, which adds 20% to the price.

We are making every effort to offer our customers good value on all eBooks, so you'll often find price reductions on our site.

For information on submitting eBooks to Waterstones.com, please see our submitting eBooks guidelines.

If you have successfully downloaded an eBook or Audio Download, but you feel the content is incorrect, please contact our Customer Support Team.

Please try to provide as much detail as possible about the nature of the problem, including the book title and author, as well as your order number, so that we can feed back the problem to the publisher to rectify your order as quickly as possible.

We are currently only selling eBooks and MP3 Audio Downloads to customers who are in the UK and have a UK billing address, at the time of purchase.  If you are in the UK and are being prevented from purchasing these items from our website, please contact our Customer Support Team for assistance.

We have planned work to complete a number of technical changes to our website to allow us to remove our current restrictions. In the meantime, if you are outside of the UK, you can continue to purchase books, stationery and gifts from Waterstones.com, to be delivered to your home.

At present, we don't offer the option of giving an eBook or Audio Download as a gift.

However, you can give a Waterstones gift card.

You can purchase Waterstones gift cards online - see our Gift Cards And Vouchers page - or from all of our shops, which can then be used by the recipient to purchase digital books from Waterstones.com.