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| Help with WOWIO |
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For New Users
For Advanced Users
Troubleshooting
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For New Users
What is WOWIO?
WOWIO is a new kind of online bookstore that enables readers to download ebooks for free, using commercial
sponsorships to compensate authors and publishers. Readers get free
ebooks. Sponsors get a powerful new channel to communicate their message to precisely the people they
want to reach. Publishers get a new means of distributing their books, expanding their readership, and
monetizing their intellectual property.
What is an ebook?
An ebook is an electronic book. It looks and works just like a print book except that you read it on a
computer, mobile device, or ebook reader.
How do I get started?
Set up a WOWIO account and then download free ebooks. That's all there is to it. If you don't have Acrobat
Reader, download the latest version from Adobe for free.
How do I get my books?
First, find the books you want and click on the "Add to Download Queue" button. When you are ready
to get your books, click on the QUEUE button at the top right of the page. The Download Queue shows
a numbered list of the books you chose. You can get the top three books in your Download Queue each
day, not to exceed 30 per month. You can change the position of books by changing their corresponding numbers (left of title)
and clicking Update. Click the GET EBOOKS button when you are ready to get your books. Download
buttons will appear when your books are ready for download (this usually takes a couple of minutes).
You can wait for the Download buttons to appear, or you can come back later. An email will be sent
to you when your books are ready. Clicking the Download buttons will save each ebook on your computer.
Do I need any special software or equipment?
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe Web site. A broadband
connection is not technically necessary, but strongly recommended. That's it.
Why do you require that I authenticate my identity?
Signing up for a WOWIO account requires that you agree to the terms of a licensing agreement. Since an
agreement is only meaningful when it is between two real parties, we require that people offer some proof
that they are who they say they are. This licensing arrangement is what enables WOWIO to protect the
content of our publishing partners and provide you with free ebooks.
Is my information kept private?
Absolutely. We only allow publishers and sponsors to review usage data in aggregate. No user-specific
information is ever shared, sold, or disclosed in any way.
Do I have to be a United States resident to sign up to WOWIO?
For now, WOWIO is only available to people living in the United States. Copyright laws vary by country and
currently our licensing restrictions limit distribution to U.S. residents.
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For Advanced Users
Why do you only support Adobe Acrobat (PDF)?
Currently, the PDF format is the most widely available and reliably supported ebook format, and the
format most easily and inexpensively supported by our content partners. If and when other formats
establish themselves sufficiently, we will consider offering them as well.
How big are the ebooks?
Most ebooks range from 5MB to 20MB, plus or minus.
Can I print, copy/paste, or extract content for accessibility?
We encourage our content partners to make these features available, but it is their decision. In
many cases, they cannot legally let people access these functionalities due to rights issues that
were written in contracts that were signed long before people were surfing the Web. Change takes time.
Why is there a limit on the number of books per day?
It's a Tragedy of the Commons thing (find out more).
The current limit is three free ebooks per reader per day, not to exceed 30 per month.
Why does the number of ebooks I can download for free sometimes get reduced?
As WOWIO grows its readership, the number of free downloads per user per unit time will generally be tuned downward.
This inverse relationship is necessary so that WOWIO can accommodate the greatest number of people possible, and
ultimately realize its goal to make books available to everyone in the world (including unsponsorable regions in the
developing world) for free. However, during periods of equilibrium or surplus, the queue will be tuned upward.
My Queue's "EBOOKS YOU CAN DOWNLOAD TODAY" box is filled with books ready for download. How do I remove them so I can get new ones?
Books that are ready to download stay in your Queue until you download them. Once downloaded, they are moved from the Queue to your History after midnight (U.S. Central Time), at which time you can get additional books.
How can I delete items from my Queue?
Enter an X into the number field to the left of the title and click Update — that will delete it.
I have already downloaded three books today. When can I get more?
You can download three more books after midnight, U.S. Central Time.
I have reached my monthly download limit. When can I get more?
Your count will be reset to zero at midnight, U.S. Central Time, on the first day of the next calendar month.
I am looking for books you don't have. Will it do any good to
request them?
Request away. We are meeting with publishers as fast as we can to bring on new books, and telling them
that we have people requesting their books will help us seal the deal. Contact us
and let us know what you're looking for.
Can I read WOWIO ebooks on my mobile device?
You can read WOWIO ebooks on any device that will run Acrobat Reader. Note, however, that WOWIO ebooks
can not be read by reader software using 40-bit encryption, which includes Documents To Go on Palm devices.
Does WOWIO use any kind of digital rights management (DRM)?
Since anyone can defeat the most "sophisticated" DRM with the print screen button, we believe
that technology-based DRM is essentially a fraud. Our approach takes the market incentive out
of misbehaving, rewards people for doing the right thing, and tries to stay out of the way of
honest users. To help keep everyone honest, however, readers must authenticate their identity
and agree to a licensing agreement when they set up their account. Then, each ebook is serialized
with the reader's authenticated name and a unique serial number, as well as other less visible
markers. WOWIO will immediately terminate the account of anyone caught illegally distributing
ebooks, and will prosecute serious offenders.
How will the availability of free ebooks impact sales of print books?
There is good reason to believe that the availability of WOWIO ebooks will improve sales of print
books. A few reasons are: (1) many of the people who download WOWIO ebooks would not otherwise
buy the print versions — readers will give them a chance because they are free
and because the ebooks are available on-demand, (2) this increased exposure will grow the readership
and, correspondingly, the potential market for the print book, and (3) most people who really
like a particular ebook will buy the print version because ebook readers and computers continue
to lack the resolution and portability of print books.
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Troubleshooting
I signed up but have not received a confirmation email.
If your domain is already on our white list, you should receive a confirmation email within a minute or two
when signing up. If not, it could take up to 24 hours. Also, be sure to add accounts@users.wowio.com to your
address book and mail server's white list, and check your spam/junk folder for WOWIO email. If still
no luck, contact us
and we'll take care of it.
Note that some service providers (Comcast is one example) pre-screen what they consider to be spam so it never
reaches your mailbox or spam/junk folder. If you haven't received your confirmation email and don't see it in
your spam/junk folder, look for an option to save all possible spam in the spam folder and turn it on before you
request another confirmation email (which you can do by starting the registration process again).
Also note that the confirmation email comes from an address that can not receive email. If your mail provider (Earthlink is
one example) uses a challenge-response system, requiring an unknown sender to verify that they are a live person
by responding to a challenge email, no such verification can take place and you will not receive the email.
I cannot open my ebook.
One of two things is likely wrong: (1) you don't have the latest and greatest Acrobat reader,
in which case you need to download the latest version from Adobe, or (2) the file was corrupted
somehow, in which case you should try downloading the book again or re-ordering.
If the file is again corrupted, the problem is likely security or
virus software on your computer (e.g., multiple reports that Web Shield
from McAfee and AVG from Grisoft corrupts downloads). Try temporarily disabling
this software and re-downloading.
If this still
doesn't get it fixed, contact us and we'll check things on our end.
I have blank pages in my ebook.
The most common cause of blank pages is an incompatible reader. Try upgrading to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. If the problem persists, let us know.
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Gift an Ebook