# e-book available!



## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Hi Folks,

I just published an e-book version of my book _Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_. I did it myself, and if I must say, it is quite nice (5 megabytes). A few updates and revisions, but it is basically the printed book in electronic form.

This is great for foreign hobbyists, since they can order the book on-line with their credit card and get it immediately. No month waits or $15 shipping costs.

Cost of e-book is $15, which allows one download and a single printing.

Book is only available now from the following website:

Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad

The BookMasters company who handles this website are total professsionals and trusthworthy.

Diana


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## Satirica (Feb 13, 2005)

Congratulations, Diana and congratulations to the many people who can now enjoy the benefits of your book!


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## longlywalker (Nov 7, 2005)

Cool! I have just downloaded the e-book, I love it. Thank you.

regards,
Erich Sia


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## Aquatic addict (Apr 14, 2006)

HI Diana,
Is there much new info in the 2nd edition? I have a copy from the first printing, it is an excellent book.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Aquatic addict said:


> HI Diana,
> Is there much new info in the 2nd edition? I have a copy from the first printing, it is an excellent book.


Thanks. The First Ed. (1999) and the Second Ed. (2003) are very similar. The Second Edition has 4 color plates of my aquariums.

The e-book (2006) is a digital version of Second Edition. It has the same pictures and a few miscellaneous/one paragraph updates (information on mycobacteriosis disease in tropical fish and hatching/raising brine shrimp).


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

I just got the book for Christmas. Oh, well, the only place I can read anymore is the bathroom and my wife won't let me take the computer in there anymore.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

*E-Book*

ound:


> Oh, well, the only place I can read anymore is the bathroom and my wife won't let me take the computer in there anymore.


Diana, you have a wonderful book! I am so glad to hear about this for those that need it.

I am so happy that I was able to get the hard copy. It is wonderful. 
I refer to it again and again. 
And I am so glad that I finally made the leap of faith to try soil.

Thank you and others for the gentle encouragement.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

schaadrak said:


> I just got the book for Christmas. Oh, well, the only place I can read anymore is the bathroom and my wife won't let me take the computer in there anymore.


Bathrooms are sacred-- a private place of quiet reading and contemplation. Some of my relatives had a rather large bookcase in theirs.

Cheers!


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## Aquayne (Dec 11, 2006)

I purchased your book. If I had known how much personal information it would demand for the download I would NEVER have bought it. It insists that you complete the passport on your computer. I intentionally did not want to put all that information on my machine due to hackers.
This is the first time I have heard of the One print part. I printed a low quality copy to look at until I could get new cartridges for the printer. I have purchased many e-books before and they were nothing like this. I cannot even put it on my computer at work to read off the screen. You have to be connected to the INTERNET for the thing to work. 
I love the book, at least what I can see in the little print I printed it in. The section on algae and the advantages of emergent plants is amazing. 
I wish I had purchased the hard print instead.

Love the book, hate the format.

Wayne Johnson 
[email protected]


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Aquayne said:


> I purchased your book. If I had known how much personal information it would demand for the download I would NEVER have bought it. It insists that you complete the passport on your computer. I intentionally did not want to put all that information on my machine due to hackers.
> This is the first time I have heard of the One print part. I printed a low quality copy to look at until I could get new cartridges for the printer. I have purchased many e-books before and they were nothing like this. I cannot even put it on my computer at work to read off the screen. You have to be connected to the INTERNET for the thing to work.
> I love the book, at least what I can see in the little print I printed it in. The section on algae and the advantages of emergent plants is amazing.
> I wish I had purchased the hard print instead.
> ...


Sorry to hear about your problems. However, the website does clearly say one download and one printing only. The program does not allow the book to be transfered to other computers.

I hope that your letter will prompt others to carefully plan how and where they download the e-book.

Thanks for writing.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

So what happens if one buys a new computer?

I ask because I just purchased the ebook and am planning to buy a new computer within a month or so... 

Great idea by the way to have it in ebook form!


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

I am not a happy camper either. I downloaded the ebook. It says right in the Adobe stuff on the download site that you can read the book on your PDA. So I bought it, downloaded it to my computer to move it my PDA and much to my surprize, it won't run on the PDA because it says the Permission to use this document has expired.

I am not happy. Feel a little ripped off. I think my next step is to dispute the purchase with my credit card company.

And yes, the site says one download and one printing. I can't find anywhere where it says only one computer.


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## Aquayne (Dec 11, 2006)

I actually downloaded it to a thumb drive. If you have the right adobe it will let you read it from the drive on another computer but not print it. The other computer must be connected to the net for it to work.

Wayne


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Once you download the book to a computer, you cannot move it to another computer, PDA, etc-- no matter what Adobe says or what you've heard from others. 

I recommend that before you buy the book, you decide which computer you want the book on and then print it out immediately.

If you plan ahead, it should work fine. I had no problem downloading the e-book to my work computer and then printing it out. 

The purpose of the e-book is to make the information freely available at a reasonable price-- especially to foreign hobbyists. However, the Adobe program used to handle the book and prevent pirating is admittedly unforgiving. A single download and a single printing. That's all you get. 

Please realize that preparing the e-book required several months of hard work and expense on my part. 

Diana Walstad


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## Aquayne (Dec 11, 2006)

Ms. Walsta,

I am surprised with your "tough luck" approach to your customers. It is a shame you have such little sympathy for people who have paid money for your product. I made a video of diy aquarium filtration a few years ago, spent thousands for the equipment and production costs then nobody wanted it. Of the ones I sold I got a few complaints. I sent another disc with the material free of charge. I am not suggesting you give copies of your book but these are real concerns. Just refering to the warnings posted on the sales page is poor form. 

Again, I love your book and I am sure you are a wonderful person. Please do not consider this an attack I am a big fan of your work. It will hurt me deeply if you are offended by this comment. I hope to be able to interract on this site on an ongoing basis.

Wayne


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

dwalstad, your comments just add fuel to the fire. So your saying that regardless of what is stated in the links that Adobe takes you too from the booksite, they are not true, you can't load it on your PDA etc., and thats just too bad.
Well that's a fine way to sell a product. This sounds alot like false advertising. I am very disappointed in you and the way the book has been marketed. 
I feel cheated.

JR


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

I wouldn't get upset at the author of the book. It's the publisher who could have made things a bit more clear as to the limitations of the e-book. At least it does tell you that the buyer is entitled to only ONE download and ONE printing. So if you do intend to print it, you should consider making sure you won't have any paper jams, you have plenty of ink/toner in the printer, and that the power does not go out (by using your battery backup). Unless the software has a recovery feature for that possibility. 

Has anyone contacted the publisher with their problem? Thay might be more helpful than you think they would be but you won't know unless you try.

If you downloaded the protected e-book PDF file and can't do what you want to with it, you MAY be able to load the file with a non-Adobe reader and print it again, possibly even save it as an unprotected file so you can move it to your PDA. 

Please remember that doing so may be considered illegal if it is not for your own backup purposes only or to fix a problem you have with the e-book. 

If you search on Google for the following words:

copy protected pdf files

and do some research, you may find a solution to your problem. 

There was some information in the first few "hits" on Google that might lead you where you want to go. 

You MIGHT also be able to capture the information going to the printer in a file (you can print to files somehow) and use that file for later printing or reading. You might need to use a special printer driver to do that. But make sure your work-around really does work or you will use up your download.

Google the following words:

print to file

and you should find some solutions. 

There also may be a temporary file somewhere that might be able to be copied to another location and used from there, but I'm not certain of that. It works for some types of streaming audio files.

It's not my purpose here to explain how to do it. I've been able to save some PDF files that I believe were not intended to be saved by using an older version of the Acrobat reader software, but it was only an instruction manual. 

I have the print edition and love it. I personally don't like the e-book format, and downloading an e-book to print it has the hidden expenses of paper, ink or toner, and wear on the print head or laser printer rollers of the printer.



I'll stick to printed books myself. 

Donald Hellen


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I'm a bit disappointed too. I would think that if I purchase an ebook, I have the legal right to read it on a new computer. I have purchased ebooks before that allowed this.

But I don't think it's Diana's fault, she didn't create the copy protection. However she (or the publisher) should have chosen a technology that wasn't so restrictive! 

And no, I'm not about to print 208 pages on my printer. If I wanted a paper copy I would have purchased the book...


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

I'd like to know if anyone finds a solution that works. 

My approach would probably be to install one of those special "print to file" printer drivers and use the resulting file.

I don't think I would print out the book, either.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I just talked to the company that prepared the e-book. I would not mind there being two downloads, but the Adobe program we use does not allow more than one download to one computer. It just cannot be done. 

However, apparently the book can be transferred to some PDAs, and the company is going to post the Adobe link on the book's website that explains how to do it. This linking business will probably be done sometime next week.

Also, I've instructed the company to make the instructions even more clear for future potential buyers. That is, that the purchase allows one download to only one computer and the file cannot be transferred to another computer.

Sorry for the confusion.


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## Dabolox (Jan 5, 2007)

Diana thanks for your very interesting book from all the aquarium-lovers in Italy... 

Stefano!


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

Dwalstad,
Thanks for the explanation. I look forward to the PDA instruction, although I have followed all the instructions on the Adobe site to do this and I still can't read the book on the PDA. I will wait and see what is posted next week.

t200kw,
I tried the printing to Primo PDF first and it saves a blank edition. That is the PDF print driver I have used many times, but of course I can't try another because you only get one shot at it.

And just for the record, my intent is not to rip off the publisher or the author, I just want to read the book on my PDA.


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## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

t2000kw said:


> I'd like to know if anyone finds a solution that works.
> 
> My approach would probably be to install one of those special "print to file" printer drivers and use the resulting file.
> 
> I don't think I would print out the book, either.


I am not an expert in the use of computers, but if you need a foolproof method of easing your trouble of re-use of the matters in the e-book to your new computer, you will need to do a bit of manual work. Take the printed copy, scan it, convert it to a MS Word document, and load it in as a MS word file.

I did not have to take such steps as the the few E-Books I subscribed to had the following facility 'A Book Download is an Adobe PDF file that is completely identical to the original book in print. You can print multiple copies, share with your friends and family, and search the book by word or phrase.'


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

Dwalstad,
The link or a link is posted on the book site but it appears to be worthless for those using PDA that run Pocket PC. All the current link does it direct you to Adobe for PDA but I already had that software loaded up. It does not help at all to unlock the book are to view in in Pocket PC.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

This is just my opinion, but I thought the entire purpose of the ebook was for people that lived somewhere that shipping would take months for the book to get to. (Somewhere far, far, far away from the USA.)

If you live in the USA or somewhere that you could easily get the hardcopy, why would you ever want to get the ebook? I mean I use computers all the time, but NOTHING replaces a good book. (Unless you HAVE to.)

Ask Dan Gookin. Even he recommends when you REALLY want to know something about your computer - BUY A GOOD BOOK. 

I hope it all works out for you all.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Take a ride on the NYC subway sometime and notice all the PDA's. Reading eBooks on PDA has become quite the popular way to do things.

I probably should not open my mouth but my take as to why people posted their complaints here rather than somewhere else: the first sentence of Diana's first post announcing this book stated that _she_ just finished the eBook and _she_ published it herself.

I understand that it is a great idea for overseas people but it is still a product. I am not criticizing anyone because I did not read the initial website or download info but I will say that the "one shot only and if it does not work too bad" attitude is a little wrong, IMO. That being said, I can certainly understand an artist/author trying to protect their work.

However, its issues like this (especially Laith's comments about buying a new computer) that keep me from buying. If I can't read my book on my two separate computers, PDA while traveling or switchmy copy to a new computer when my current one is old/infected, I am not interested. As a poor college student, I initially thought it would be great to be able to buy a cheaper type eBook. At this point in my life I have a hard time justifying anything I can't eventually eat. I'll request the book through my library instead where no one but the library gets my money.

I guess my opinion is that it would be beneficial to the author, publisher and public (ie, more money would actually be made) to have a different attitude and a better solution. An idea I like, since you seem to have the rights to your book, is to offer a CD copy. Maybe for $10-15 for the copy, it is protected to allow x number of copies ( so you can put it on your PDF and such) but it can be viewed from any computer. Shipping is very feasable for this and what about all the people who are interested but don't have fast enough internet connection to make it worth while, or a connection that may be lost while your downloading. Also, lets face it, anyone who wants to illegally copy/pirate this can and IMO is very different that private use. These "safe-guards" really only keep honest people honest.

Please, not take this as a bash but rather as a suggestion for a way to get more people to buy and experience a terrific resource.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Hey JRIL,

Her name is Diana or Ms. Walstad. It is amazing to me to hear all these people try to tell someone else how to run their business. It never ceases to amaze me. Just because it is something that you do not like you think that you can dictate how things should be. I don't care if reading a book on a PDA is the current fad or not. I wrote an ebook and sell it too. Its different from Diana's. It is a file that can be loaded from a disk onto your computer. It doesn't work on PDAs or Macs, and it hasn't stopped me from selling them. Whatever way Ms. Walstad handles this is her business, but no matter what you do there is always some winey person out there who will threaten to dispute the charge on their credit card if you do not give them exactly what they want. That is the leverage these people always think they have to solve any dispute or situation.

A) there is software out there that allows only a single load, and can not be transfered to another computer... software programs. My shopping cart software I had was like that. I had a software program that made ebooks that was like that. If the computer crashed, I would have to buy the program all over again. This is not that unusual. 

B) if the WEB site clearly says one download one printing... then you have nothing to complain about. Should every electronic device that displays the internet or is a computer device be listed on the WEB site for compatibility? If it was would you have even bothered reading it before making the purchase? What if you insist on being able to read it on your Cricket cell phone? And it doesn't , who's fault is that? Get a grip. If you can afford a PDA, then 15 dollars is nothing.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Robert,

I agree that how Diana sells her ebook is her business and nobody else's.

However, most successful businesses that I know of *listen* to customers for several reasons:

- Sometimes customers actually have good ideas that the business may want to incorporate into their service or the way they do things.

- Sometimes customers do notice something that they are not pleased with that maybe the business can take into account for future changes.

- Customers will also give a good indication of what's being done correctly, which is also a good thing for the business to know.

Customer feedback, good or bad, is a big part of running a business.

You can't just turn off customer feedback because you don't want to hear it. Just compare a business that does that and one that listens. Tell me which one does better.

I am enjoying reading Diana's ebook. It is very informative and well written. I think I will have the time to finish it before buying a new computer. Once I do switch computers, I will no longer have it as a reference. I will also never buy another ebook from Diana, no matter how good, if it has similar restrictions. That is my feedback as a customer.


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

Hey, Robert Hudson,
First off, I am not the one who picked her forum name of Dwalstad, she is. In case you have not noticed, the vast majority of users here use forum nicknames.
And I agree, she can run her business any way she wants. But she is the one who chose to further market her book on this forum. That being the case, then we should also have the right to comment on the product if it does not perform as advertised. Lets talk about that . The web site says, one download. I fail to see anywhere on the sales site where it says that one download limits you to one computer. I assit with the running of a medium size network along with my other duties and have purchased many software packages online that have limited me to one download. That has never meant that I was limited to one computer unless otherwise stated in the license. The fact is if you go further into the Adobe software on the restrictions you may find it clearly says that you will be able to transfer the product to you PDA.
False Advertising?, Maybe.
Should I have researched more before I bought the book? Maybe, but I thought I did. I also figured that Dwalstad seems to be a reliable person and would put out a good product. I like her books. I like this book. 
I just want to read the book on my PDA. That is what I paid for.

JR
(sorry for the spelling errors, I am in a hurry and off to work)


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Diana does not run a business. She is the most unassuming, softspoken person in this hobby that I have ever known. She is a true hobbyist. She is not in it for the money, for ego or any other self indulgence. I have a huge amount of respect for her as does every regular contributing member of this forum. In my opinion, this jrIL person is simply being disrespectful. You could have contacted her privately to discuss this, but instead you chose to make a big show out of this publically. That is disrespectful. The fact you want to continue this conversation here is disrespectful. Your beef is with the WEB site selling her Ebook, but instead you are going after Diana because she is an easy target for you. If you have a problem with Amazon, do you blame the author? You want your 15 dollars back that bad, I'll give it to you.

This forum was created for one purpose: to provide a gathering place for those who follow her book, and we are extremely grateful that she is gracious enough to participate here. For many of us she is the only reason we are here on APC, so when you start questioning her intergrity and her "cold attitude" it is very upsetting to many of us.

Now I apologize to Diana for contributing to this discourse and I hope sincerely I am not just making this worse.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

You are making it worse.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

One of the reasons I like APC is that this kind of stuff doesn't happen here. Let's keep it that way.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

> You are making it worse.


Maybe I am Dennis, and I apologize, but I do not think you totally appreciate whats going on here. I think this whole thing should have been addressed privately. There was no reason to do otherwise. And considering there are two moderators involved in this, one of you by now should be saying enough already.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

jrIL said:


> Dwalstad,
> Thanks for the explanation. I look forward to the PDA instruction, although I have followed all the instructions on the Adobe site to do this and I still can't read the book on the PDA. I will wait and see what is posted next week.
> 
> t200kw,
> ...


I understand. My publishing company kindly gave me this link to the Abode website for downloading the e-book to some PDAs.

Adobe - Reader: Adobe Reader for Palm OS

I hope it works for you. However, I don't even know what a PDA is, so I'm hoping others can help you out.

In the end, I hope that people enjoy reading the book and learning more about their aquariums.

Diana Walstad


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

> My publishing company kindly gave me this link


See, that is what you guys don't seem to understand. Diana is just the author, it is the WEB site that is selling the ebook. It is not her "business" Diana, I for one am very glad you put your book in an ebook format, and while it may not be perfect for everyone, I am sure many people will appreciate it. I think it was a very innovative thing for you to do.



> n the end, I hope that people enjoy reading the book and learning more about their aquariums. ...However, I don't even know what a PDA is


Amen. That about says it all










Common man! Look at that mug! Does that look like someone who's "cold"!


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

Robert,

Well aparantly you feel I should appoligize for expressing my opinion and pointing out problems with the ebook marketing. 
That would be a sad thing to be recommending in a forum.
And just so I understand because I don't know having never publishing a book. Are you saying that the author has no control over how a book is presented, sold, marketed or presented, etc. from the web site?

Just wondering.

Oh, and yes Robert, If I can't read the book in my PDA I would like my $15.00 back. Did you want to send me a check or paypal?

JR


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

If you can not act like a gentleman and discuss this with Diana privately, and you are just going to drive this into the ground and never stop, and giving you the money is the only way to get you to be quiet, then yes, I will be happy to do that. Send me your email address and I will take care of it immediately. Is this going far enough for you yet Dennis? Where can I find a moderator that will take care of this, who cares about this forum?


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Thank you Robert. To answer your question, yes, I agree with Dennis, you did make it worse.

As much as I dislike intervening to prevent honest customer feedback of any product or service, you have managed to turn this ugly. I am closing the thread.

Thanks again Robert. We all appreciate your insight.

Diana, I don't think anyone meant any disrespect by trying to give you their feedback. I don't think any of us customers were personally attacking you or your book in any way by giving you the feedback that has been given. I hope that the feedback has been valuable for future reference for you and your publisher.

It is however unfortunate that some people believe that any customer feedback, especially if it is not always positive, is not welcome and should be banned.


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

I opened the thread for one last comment. 

The only way the market can evolve is with feedback. Ebooks are new product to the market. Yo make them work the people marketing them need to hear from the end user what works and what doesn't work. Without this feedback the seller cannot adjust to make a product not only profitable but also easy for the consumer to use. 

That said those that opened their mouths before putting their brains in gear please take to time to think about your actions.

I point no fingers, you know who you are. 

The End


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