unglue.it FAQ

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Help! My question isn't covered in the FAQs!: Let us know!. We want to make sure everything on the site runs as smoothly as possible. Thanks for helping us do that.

About the site

About Unglue.it

What is Unglue.it?: Unglue.it is a place for individuals and institutions to join together in support of free ebooks. We work together to support authors, publishers, or other rights holders who want their ebooks to be free. We work together to provide durable and effective distribution for ebooks that are free. We support Creative Commons licensing as an enabling tool to "unglue" the ebooks. We are part of the Free Ebook Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization.
Why are all these ebooks free?: The ebooks available on Unglue.it have missions to accomplish. There are textbooks to help you learn. There is literature to open up your mind. There are books on technology to help you create. There are academic books that are spreading ideas. There are books that want to change your mind. And there are books that belong to all of us, that want to live into the future.

Freedom can help a book accomplish its mission, and that why the ebook is free. We call these books "unglued" and we call the process of making them free, "ungluing".
So how do you make money?: We don't - we're an non-profit. If you like what we do, you can donate!
What about the authors and publishers, how do they make money?: That's the million dollar question. You don't make money by giving away ebooks. Many authors make money other ways - by teaching, by consulting, by getting tenure. Some authors do well be selling printed books alongside their free ebooks. We started Unglue.it because we hoped to give ebook creators additional ways to support their work: Ungluing Campaigns.

We hope you'll choose to support some of these Campaigns, but if you like an ebook you find on Unglue.it, don't hesitate to lend your support in other ways.
Who can use Unglue.it?: Anyone! We're located in the United States, but we welcome participants from all over the world.

To fund a campaign, or buy an ebook, you'll need a valid credit card. To use our fund raising tools for your books, you'll need to establish yourself with us as a rights holder.
What do I get when I help unglue a book?: You get a better ebook. Your unglued ebook has no restrictive DRM: you can put it on any device you want, in any format you want. You can read it on the network or off, with no one tracking your reading.

You may get premiums as part of a Pledge Campaign, depending on the amount you pledge.
Does Unglue.it own the copyright of unglued books?: No. Books available on unglue.it are licensed by the the copyright owner. Creative Commons licenses are licensing agreements. They grant certain rights but do not affect the status of the copyright. You can read more about these licenses at the Creative Commons FAQ.
If I'm a rights holder and unglue my book, can I still offer it for sale?: Yes. You are free to enter into additional licensing agreements for the work and its derivatives, including translation and film adaptations. You may continue to sell both print and ebook editions. Unglued ebooks can be free samples to market you and your work -- for instance, later works in the same series.
Does Unglue.it publish books? Can I self-publish here?: Unglue.it is a distributor, not a publisher. If you self-publish and want your books to be free, Unglue.it can help you distribute your ebooks.
What's a rights holder? How can I tell if I'm one?: A rights holder is a person (or entity) that has a right to copy, distribute, or sell a book in some way. There may be one entity with all the rights to a work, or the rights may be split up among different entities: for example, one who publishes the print edition in the United States, another who publishes the print edition in the EU, another who holds electronic rights, et cetera. For ungluing purposes, the rights holder is the entity who has uncontested worldwide commercial rights to a work.

If you have written a book and not signed any contracts about it, you hold all the rights. If you have signed a contract with a publisher to produce, distribute, publish, or sell your work in a particular format or a particular territory, whether or not you still hold rights depends on the language of that contract. We encourage you to check your contracts. It may be in your interest to explore launching an Unglue.it campaign jointly with your publisher.

If you haven't written a book but you have had business or family relationships with someone who has, it's possible that you are a rights holder (for instance, you may have inherited rights from the author's estate, or your company may have acquired them during a merger). Again, this all depends on the specific language of your contracts. We encourage you to read them closely. Unglue.it cannot provide legal advice.

If you believe you are a rights holder and would like us to help unglue your works, get started at the right holder tools page.
I know a book that should be unglued.: Great! Find it in our database (using the search box above) and add it to your favorites, so we know it should be on our list, too. And encourage your friends to add it to their favorites. You can also contact us at rights@ebookfoundation.org.
I know a book that should be unglued, and it's mine!: Fabulous! Please refer to the FAQ for Rights Holders and then contact us at rights@ebookfoundation.org.
Is there a widget that can be put on my own site to share my favorite books or campaigns?: Yes! Every book page has an "Embed" option. Click that and copy/paste the HTML code wherever you like.

Your Account

I forgot my password. What do I do?: Click on this forgot your password link (you can also find it at the bottom of the sign in page). Enter the email address you use for your account and we'll send you an email to help you reset your password.
I never received an activation email after I signed up, or my activation email isn't working. What do I do?: Check your spam folder for mail from notices@gluejar.com. If that doesn't work, Let us know!
How do I connect my LibraryThing accounts? How can I link to my personal web site?: Click on the edit icon: at the top right of your user page. (If you're logged in, your profile page is here.) Some new options will appear. You can enter your personal URL and your LibraryThing username here. Make sure to click "Save Settings".
Why should I connect those accounts?: If you connect to LibraryThing, you can import your books there onto your favorites list here, using the My Profile area. And we'll display book-specific and you-specific links to those sites for you.
I don't want to connect my accounts. Do I have to?: Nope.
How can I change my profile name or password, or the email address associated with my account?: At the bottom of every page there's a link to an account editing page where you can change your profile name, password, and email.
How do I subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, emails I receive from Unglue.it?: Make sure you're logged in and go to the Notification Settings page.

If you receive our newsletter, there's a link at the bottom of every message to manage your preferences. If you don't and would like to, you can sign up here.
Is my personal information shared?: Short version: no, except as absolutely required to deliver services you have opted into. If you have pledged to a campaign and are owed a premium, we will share your email with campaign managers so that they can deliver premiums to you; you are not required to share any further information and they are required to comply with our privacy policy in handling your information. We do use third-party providers to support some of our business functions, but they are only allowed to use your information in order to enable your use of the service. For a long, opinionated version of this answer, please read our privacy policy.

The Organization

How can I contact Unglue.it?: For support requests, use our feedback form. You can also contact us on email, Mastodon or Facebook.
Are you a non-profit company?: Yes. Unglue.it is a program of the Free Ebook Foundation, which is a charitable, not-for-profit corporation. We work with both non-profit and commercial partners.