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Pre-pub in epub format
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Hi everyone,
I've been a premium member for quite some time now, and enjoys the pre-publication of my favorite novels, but I still find it uncomfortable to read them on either a computer or mobile display instead of an e-reader which is perfect for the job.
Since J-Novel Club could not integrate with every e-reader OS (some e-readers support apps, some don't), I was wondering if the pre-pub chapter could be made available in epub format (with DRM since they are time-limited).
Sure, I can do it myself, but the process is quite tedious/time-consuming, whereas it could be streamlined in the release workflow on j-novel side (doesn't mean it can be done with a snap of the fingers though).
So I was wondering if it would be possible, and if others are interested in the feature.
Regards.
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As someone with an e-reader I can see why it would be neat. Unfortunately I wouldn't be surprised if there were contractual reasons why JNC couldn't do this.
Stay shiny, y'all.
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@Schadows unfortunately shiny is correct. What you are asking is (contractually) equivalent to requesting Crunchyroll make their simulcasts available to download as mp4s...
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@Shiny Not sure if this is exactly the same thing (I was talking about having epub with DRM since even members have time-limited access to the chapters), which doesn't seem far fetched when J-Novel Club even sells complete volume as DRM-free epubs.
But I could understand if there was "contractual" restrictions like, for example, the scope of the contract with rights holders only covering pre-pub chapters directly hosted on j-novel servers, or whatever else.
Even without contractual issues, there may be technical issues, or cost issues (the solution is too costly to put in place, etc).
I was just wondering if it has been considered with the proper attention it needs (probably have but it didn't cost me anything to ask ^^).
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@Schadows The problem actually would be in implementing that DRM on the prepub parts. If you want to be able to read those part, DRM'ed epubs on a device and then like, have those devices stop being able to read them after a certain point in time, you really only have 1 choice because the devices need the secret keys installed into the hardware, and that's Adobe DRM. The pricing model for that DRM (it's like, on a per file basis, plus monthly server rental costs, or if you host your own DRM server I think software licensing costs...) makes it untenable for this use.
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Out of curiosity, does anyone know if the prepubs can be read on the Onyx ereaders? I know it runs on Android and so I see no reason the app wouldn’t work (heck I’ve heard for certain BookWalker runs on it).
Just saw them at a store and I’ve been considering getting one ever since (though now I’m in India so might not be able to find them here).
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@the-green-death You might want to just make a new topic in the support forum for that and see if anyone else has one and can check for you. I'm not sure how many people are going to see your question when it's in this topic.
In general terms, if it can load the google play store you should be able to install the app on it, otherwise if it comes with a web browser such as chrome, you should just be able to access the site that way and read.
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@the-green-death
I have an Onyx (not sure about the exact model), and I've been able to access the pre-pubs using Firefox on it. I imagine other eReaders with internet browsers would also be able to get to the pre-pubs as well, but I'm not sure which models have them.And yes, I also have a range of specific book apps on it as well (Play Books, Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Bookwalker, even VitalSource Bookshelf for more educational reading) alongside the native reader for EPUBs and PDFs, which helps for keeping all the reading on the one device if you've swapped apps in the past or there are app-exclusive books.
You might need to do a bit of messing around to get the Play Store set-up for the other apps, although guides should be readily available online and mine came with the Play Store installed anyway.
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@admin Thank you for your detailed answer.
like I though, they were technical/economical issues with such a feature.
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Well, there is a way to download DRM-free pre-pubs for offline reading. Both on mobile and desktop. Pretty sure it isn't an intended feature though.
Does JNC have a bug bounty program? -
On my Onyx Boox, I just read prepubs on the JNC official app, which is more convenient than reading through the website.
