(Anticipated) Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work?

eBook Exchange accumulates requests to borrow ebooks throughout the day.

Since a book can only be borrowed once, when multiple people request a book, eBook Exchange chooses who gets to borrow the book based on several factors, including the order the requests were submitted, members' listed-books-to-borrowed-books ratio (higher is better!), their community rating, their average contribution, etc.

Everyone hoping to borrow any given ebook has a chance to be selected! Borrower requests are processed twice a day. Notifications are sent via email. If you don't get one ebook, try again on another!

If you're the one selected to borrow a book, you can contribute before or after you've received the ebook. All profits during 2011 will go to charities supporting childhood literacy and fostering a love of reading.

How can I tell if an ebook is lendable, so I know what to list?

For Amazon Kindle books, you easily can look at that Kindle book's page on Amazon.com. Make sure you're looking at the Kindle version, and not just the paper version of the book! If the Kindle book you bought is lendable, you'll see a section near the top of the page that says "Instant Order Update." That section will have a sentence that says "Loan this book to anyone you choose." You can also look in your Amazon account page where it says "View your Kindle orders."

If you use Barnes & Noble, you can simply look at the cover graphic for your ebooks. Lendable ones say "Lendable" or "LendMe" right across the cover.

What should I expect when I list a book?

When you list a book, you're letting the community know you're willing to lend the book out for the two weeks allowed by Barnes & Noble (and soon Amazon).

You'll provide the book's title, author, and suggest a price you think someone should be willing to contribute, based on what you think the author deserves and/or how strongly you're encouraging a borrower to contribute to the eBook Exchange cause of improving your ebook licensing rights and contributing to children's literacy. Your price is a suggestion and is not enforced by eBook Exchange, although there may be a floor limit to a "used ebook" price if the author requested one.

When a borrower indicates he wants to borrow your book, you'll receive an email from eBook Exchange letting you know the email address (which is the account identifier for the Barnes & Noble or Amazon account) to which you'll "send" your ebook.

Once you lend the book, there's nothing else you need to do. You'll automatically get your ebook back in two weeks.

And what should I expect when I borrow a book?

You will get access to the book (it will be delivered to your Barnes & Noble or Amazon account) for 14 days. You will be asked (but not required!) to pay the amount suggested by the lender. You may pay more or less to borrow a book; what or whether you pay is up to you. We hope that you'll be willing to pay something to support our cause, support the authors who bring us such great books, and do some social good!

You're allowed to borrow one book at a time, unless you're contributing to eBook Exchange, at which point you can borrow up to three books simultaneously (but remember, you have to either finish the books you borrow within 14 days or hope to borrow the same book from someone else if you need more time to complete it).

When you borrow a book, the lender sends it to the email address you provide to us, which is the email used on the B&N or Amazon account to which you want the book sent. Fourteen days after you receive and accept the book, it will be removed from your e-reader and returned back to the lender automatically.

I can't find the book I want. Now what?

If you put the ebooks you want to borrow on your wishlist, when someone lists that ebook as available for lending, our system will notify you via email.

Oops, I accidently listed a book I shouldn't have (or want to cancel a listing). How do I remove an ebook from the listings?

Simply login to the site, click on the "Lend an ebook" link, and you'll see the ebooks you've listed. In that list, click on the "Edit" link. On the resultant page, you can change your ebook's status to "Withdrawn." Periodically, we'll purge withdrawn books from the listing. In the meantime, no one will be able to borrow those.

All profits will go to charity? Why aren't you a non-profit?

Yes, for 2011, 100% of profits will go toward charities supporting increasing childhood literacy and fostering a love of reading as one of the greatest education multipliers. We also commit to keeping expenses as low as possible, to maximize our contributions.

We have elected not to be a non-profit because our long term goals are best accomplished with a for-profit corporate structure, even as we sustain the practice of applying profits toward social good.

How often can I borrow a book?

If you're borrowing books without contributing, you can borrow one book at a time. When you finish a book and the lender reports they've received it back from the bookseller (Barnes & Noble, etc), you will be allowed to borrow another. if you're supporting eBook Exchange with contributions, you may have up to three books out at a time. This is useful if you're sharing an e-reader and account with a family member.

Can I earn credit (or maybe money!) lending out my ebooks?

That's our intent. In fact, we'd like to bring about this scenario: Plan ahead when you make the decision to buy an ebook, then earn credit (and send value to the author) by loaning it, and then again if you decide to sell it. But, for now, you're limited to lending and borrowing ebooks for 14 days. Amazon and BarnesAndNoble.com do not allow you to sell your ebooks. By contributing to eBook Exchange when you borrow a book, you're helping us work to change that.

Can I lend out my Kindle™, Google, or Apple iBook ebooks?

Yes, for the Kindle ebooks. Amazon announced this capability on December 30th, 2010. Google ebooks and Apple ibooks are not yet lendable.

Can I sell my old ebooks?

Well, you could, but it would violate your license agreement, and might actually be against the Digital Millenium Copyright Act ("DCMA") tenets. So, in other words, no. Any ebook that is tied to your "permanent" Amazon or B&N account (defined as an account that you would not want to transfer to someone else) is stuck there. However, ebooks can be loaned out one time for 14 days. If not for the terms of your license agreement, you could earn money selling your ebooks here while benefitting the author and contributing to charity. It would be a great way to reward authors whose work you enjoy, and bringing those rights to you is part of our vision. eBook Exchange expects to get to this point one day.

How many times can I loan one of my ebooks?

Currently, Amazon and Barnes & Noble limit ebook lending to one time per ebook. This is almost certainly a limitation imposed by the book publishers. Improving your rights and your flexibility with regard to what you can do with your ebooks is one of eBook Exchange's long-term missions. Your support helps us work on your behalf.

What charity is eBook Exchange supporting?

The first charity we will support is RIF ("Reading is Fundmental"), but ultimately we will allow those frequenting our marketplace to drive this decision, allowing multiple charitable organizations to benefit each quarter. eBook Exchange is not affiliated with any charity. All profits during 2011 will go to charities supporting childhood literacy.

Why doesn't eBook Exchange set the price for borrowing an ebook?

Because it would likely lead to market fragmentation as other markets arose to compete on price, decreasing the benefit of secondary markets to consumers searching for a specific book and authors who deserve compensation for the content they create. We believe a free market where supply and demand, and book readers' sense of fairness and philanthropy (giving) is the best model for a single, global marketplace. We may set a lower limit for those that do contribute, but that would be driven by the costs associated with payment processing and transaction support more than anything else.

Are you affiliated with Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com, or any other distributor or publisher?

No.

I often read series of books by the same author. If I buy those all under one account that I'm willing to transfer to someone else, can I list a set of books for a single price?

We plan to add that capability as soon as possible. Keep in mind it requires someone to read multiple books inside the currently allowed 14-day window!

I'm done. I'll register!