FAQ
Find answers to the most common questions readers have about Libreture.
- I'm an author, can I add my own ebooks to Libreture?
- None of my book pages show where I bought the books. Why is this?
- How do I get more space for my ebooks?
- How do I download my books?
- Why can't I import my Goodreads data?
- Why can't I find a particular book when searching for it?
- Can other people see the ebooks I own?
- Am I breaking some law somewhere in the world by uploading my books to Libreture?
- When does my payment renew?
- How do I add ebooks to my library?
- How do I delete individual books?
- Why don't I get a bunch of fancy additional features if I'm paying for an account?
- Why is the description missing from some of my book pages?
- Can I upload my own ebooks that have Social DRM applied?
- When I make my library public, does that mean other people can download my books?
- How do I track my reading?
- If I keep my library private, does this disadvantage me?
- Can I use reading apps with Libreture?
- How do I delete my Libreture account?
- What does Wishlisting do?
I'm an author, can I add my own ebooks to Libreture?
Yes, feel free to add your own DRM-free ebooks to your Libreture library.
You can use your Libreture library just like everyone else.
As an author, you can also promote your own ebooks and the preferred DRM-free bookshop to buy them from.
Libreture directs hundreds of readers to a huge range of DRM-free bookshops each month. Adding your ebooks to your own Libreture library, and signposting readers to your preferred DRM-free bookshop could help you sell more books.
Ensure the bookshop is listed and your books point to it.
If your ebooks are available to buy from a DRM-free bookshop (such as your own author site) that's already included in Libreture's Ultimate list of DRM-free Bookshops then simply select that bookshop on each book listing.
If your own or another DRM-free bookshop isn't already listed, let me know and I'll add it!
You'll need to make your library publicly visible to allow others to find your book information
Nobody but you can download your ebooks.
More information on using Libreture as an author.
None of my book pages show where I bought the books. Why is this?
When you upload ebooks to your Libreture library, you can select where you bought them from. If the shop where you purchased your ebook, digital comic, magazine, or RPG is not listed, contact me and I'll add it to the list.
If you upload lots of ebooks from many different sources all at once, you can Edit the book's page later to select the relevant bookshop. Again, if the shop is not in the list, contact me .
How do I get more space for my ebooks?
Need a bigger bookshelf for all your awesome ebooks and digital comics? You can buy Extra storage to suit your needs.
The free account provides enough storage for an average ebook collection... but you're not the average reader, are you? No, you're gonna need to upload a shelf-load more ebooks. Luckily we can provide A LOT more storage.
Choose a new storage amount from the Library Capacity section of your Account page. The section displays how much space you're currently using and your maximum capacity, along with what Extra plans are available to switch to. You'll only see plans that provide as much or more storage than you currently use - so you may need to remove books before you can downgrade to a cheaper plan with a smaller capacity.
When you've chosen a suitable option, select Change Storage and enter your payment details if requested. All done!
Now it's time to upload MORE BOOKS!
How do I download my books?
Download any of your books from the individual book page.
This also works from most e-reader devices if they have a built-in web browser. Log-in to Libreture from your e-reader's web browser and download the book as normal. Books are only available to download in the format they were uploaded.
Why can't I import my Goodreads data?
Libreture is an ebook storage facility, so the data it uses is directly from the books you upload. It does not support additional data about books that are not being stored.
Why can't I find a particular book when searching for it?
It's likely because nobody has uploaded and made publicly visible the book you are searching for.
You can search Libreture for books using title, author name, or ISBN from publicly visible libraries.
Can other people see the ebooks I own?
When you first join Libreture, your library is always private.
You can change this at any time by selecting Make my library public from your menu. You can hide it again by selecting Make my library private.
Leaving your library private keeps your books and reading activity hidden. This means nobody can even see that you have a Libreture account. It's your own private library.
Making your library public means your library and reading activity are visible to others, and means you can share book information and activity posts through social media.
Book files are NEVER shared with others.
Libreture does not condone piracy - it harms authors, publishers and readers.
To exclude individual books from ever being publicly visible, regardless of your library setting, select the Private button on an individual book's page.
Private libraries and books never appear in public lists or activity feeds.
Am I breaking some law somewhere in the world by uploading my books to Libreture?
It is highly unlikely that storing your books in an online library is breaking any law anywhere. Storing your books doesn't constitute sharing them, and Libreture does not condone piracy in any form.
When does my payment renew?
If you've upgraded to Extra storage, Libreture automatically collects the subscription fee on or near the monthly anniversary of your join date.
Your renewal date is the date on which you first subscribed to an Extra plan and started paying.
If there are any problems with your payment, you will receive an automated email from the payment provider.
How do I add ebooks to my library?
Once you've joined and logged-in, select Upload.
Your books must be DRM-free and in Epub, Mobi, AZW3, PRC, PDF, CBZ, or CBR format or you can upload a Zip file containing books in those formats. Your books may take a few minutes to process, before appearing in your library and personal Activity stream.
If there are any issues processing your books, you will receive an email detailing the problem. And you will always receive an email report after uploading a Zip file.
Remember: Libreture does not condone piracy of any kind
Libreture exists to provide readers with a means to store legitimately purchased or received ebooks. In doing so, we hope to help authors, presses and publishers produce more great titles and support DRM-free bookshops in getting them to us.
How do I delete individual books?
Deleting a book permanently removes all information about the book and the file itself from your library.
Select Delete this book from the book's page. Any data connected to your book is also deleted, so please use this facility carefully.
Why don't I get a bunch of fancy additional features if I'm paying for an account?
Libreture is built with fairness at its core. We believe that it is fairer to make every feature available to everyone - even with a free account, so that all you pay for is storage space. This helps keep costs down for everyone and makes Libreture fun to use for all.
Why is the description missing from some of my book pages?
Libreture scans the files you upload for information about the book. If the book file doesn't contain all the data, those missing bits won't appear on you book pages, and you may see things like Unknown Author.
This doesn't affect how Libreture works. But to add missing information, you can:
- Edit your book on Libreture to add the missing information.
- Use an ebook management application such as Calibre to ensure the metadata of the ebook is complete, and then upload it to your library.
Can I upload my own ebooks that have Social DRM applied?
A number of DRM-free bookshops use a process called watermarking (also known as Social DRM) to mark legitimately purchased ebooks with the customer's name, email address, or other identifying information.
The purpose of this method is to try and dissuade customers from publicly sharing the ebooks they have personally bought, since their personal details would be easily identifiable in the ebook files. Publishers could discover the culprit and take legal action.
It's used by a number of bookshops, such as Verso, Pluto Press, Repeater Books, and others.
Social DRM is a "soft DRM" method, that only punishes those who illicitly upload their ebooks to file sharing sites. Legitimate customers who keep their ebooks private can access and read them without issue, since the files are not technically locked down in any way.
Libreture is a great place to store your watermarked ebooks. Your library is private, only you can download your own ebooks, and no identifiable metadata is ever displayed publicly on your library or the site at large, regardless of your privacy settings.
When I make my library public, does that mean other people can download my books?
No. You can make your library publicly visible, so others can see information about your book collection, but nobody can download your books except you.
How do I track my reading?
Record your reading activity by changing the reading status of individual books.
You can change the status of each book by selecting from the Reading Status list on a book's page. Set it to Currently Reading, Read, To Read, or Given Up. Your book will appear in the relevant list, and the action recorded in your Activity Stream (eg. My Activity).
If I keep my library private, does this disadvantage me?
Not at all, but it means that others can't see your books, favourites, or recommendations, and perhaps get interested and go buy them!
If you do choose to make your library public, you can still make individual books private. Private books will never be visible, regardless of your overall library settings.
Take a look at our Privacy Policy.
Can I use reading apps with Libreture?
You can download your books to read in any reading app that supports their particular format.
You can also use any OPDS-compatible reading apps to browse your Libreture library and download your books direct to your device.
OPDS (or Open Publication Distribution System) is like RSS for books. It's a way to distribute, discover, and download electronic publications. If you use a device that supports OPDS, you can connect your device directly to your Libreture account (among many others) and access your ebooks through your device.
How do I delete my Libreture account?
You can close and delete your Libreture account at any time.
Select Delete Account from your Account page.
Deleting your account PERMANENTLY DELETES ALL YOUR BOOKS, associated information and personal details from Libreture at the end of your subscription month. There is no way of recovering it.
This is to ensure your details are always safe from prying - if we don't need to store your details, we shouldn't have them at all.
Your payment will not be taken at the next renewal date. Your account will remain open and accessible until then. If you change your mind, please contact me.
What does Wishlisting do?
If you come across a particular book that interests you in someone else's library, you can add it to your Wishlist.
Use your wishlist as a reminder of the books you plan to buy or want to take a closer look at.
If you have a problem that isn't answered here, feel free to get in touch. I'll get back to you asap!
