FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
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Campaigns
- What are Ungluing Campaigns?
- Unglue.it has three programs that support ebook creators: Pledge Campaigns, Buy-to-Unglue Campaigns and Thanks-for-Ungluing Campaigns.
- In a Pledge Campaign, book lovers pledge their support for ungluing a book. If enough support is found to reach the goal (and only then), the supporter's credit cards are charged, and an unglued ebook is released.
- In a Buy-to-Unglue Campaign, every ebook copy sold moves the book's ungluing date closer to the present. And you can donate ebooks to your local library- that's something you can't do in the Kindle or Apple Stores!
- In a Thanks-for-Ungluing Campaign, the ebook is already released with a Creative Commons license. Supporters can express their thanks by paying what they wish for the license and the ebook.
Thanks-for-Ungluing Campaigns:
Reward the courageous creators who've made their ebooks free to all.
- Why Pay for Free eBooks?
- If you want to reward the creators of an ebook, why not pay for a book? If you want to encourage other creators to make their books free, reward the creators who have already done so! Say thanks for ungluing the ebooks.
- What is Thanks-for-Ungluing?
- Thanks-for-Ungluing lets readers say thank you for free ebooks. The program is designed to help rights holders promote and benefit from their Creative Commons licensed ebooks. Creators participating in the Thanks-for-Ungluing program can request payment for ebooks on a pay-what-you-want basis. They set suggested prices as well as metadata and descriptions for their books.
- How much of my "Thank You" contribution goes to the Creators?
- There’s no charge creators to join. Unglue.it charge $0.25 + 8%, which includes credit card fees. So if you pay $1 for a book, 67 cents goes to the creator (or whoever holds commercial rights), and 33 cents, the entirety of our fee, goes to pay bank network fees. If you pay $10 for a book, the split is $8.95 for the creator, $0.60 for the bank network, and $0.35 to support unglue.it. Unglue.it doesn't process contributions less than $1.
- What file formats are supported?
- The website is designed to work with pdf, epub.
- Why should libraries support Thanks-for-Ungluing books?
- Libraries that participate in Thanks-for-Ungluing campaigns make these books more accessible to their users. In addition:
- Libraries receive proof of conveyance letters that can be used as evidence that the rights holder has conveyed the Creative Commons License. Unglue.it is careful to validate the rights claims of the participating creators.
- Unglue.it users that have joined a library participating in unglue.it are never asked for contributions if their library has already done so.
- Catalog records will be available for all books participating in Thanks-for-Ungluing.
- Where are the files hosted?
- We prefer to link to files served from the Internet Archive, which has proven to be stable, reliable, and well managed.
- Can self-published authors participate?
- Yes, as long as we can confirm that they are the rights holder for the book and that the ebook files meet industry standards.
Buy-to-Unglue Campaigns
Read the ebook now, help to make if available to all in the future. The eBook wants to be free!
- How is Buying an eBook at Unglue.it Different?
- Buy-to-Unglue eBooks want to be free. But the people who create books have to make ends meet somehow. So they've chosen a funding level that will allow them to make the book free. When you buy an ebook at unglue.it, you're advancing the date at which the book will be free to everyone, but until then, the ebook is yours to enjoy. You can also buy the ebook for your library so that your neighbors can enjoy the ebook once you're done with it!
- What can I do with a Buy-to-Unglue eBook?
- There's no restrictive rights management on buy-to-unglue ebooks. That means you can put them on all your devices, and do the things you do with your print books. You're not allowed to publish or distribute them, but you'll be able to do that after the ungluing date. Once you've purchased a buy-to-unglue book, you can download it whenever you need it.
- What is an Ungluing Date?
- The ungluing date is the date a book gets released under a Creative Commons License. After the ungluing date, the ebook will be available for free at unglue.it, Internet Archive and any library, anywhere. You'll be able to make copies for all your friends, if that's what you want to do.
- How does that work?
- The rights holder for the book picks
- an initial ungluing date some time in the future, and
- a revenue goal
(days per dollar) = [(initial ungluing date) - (launch date)] / (campaign goal) (current ungluing date) = (initial ungluing date) - (gross revenue)*(days per dollar)
Here's a calculator you can use to see how this works: - How do I tell what a book's ungluing date is?
- The ungluing date is displayed on the campaign page for every Buy-to-Unglue book, and is printed inside every copy sold through Unglue.it on the license/copyright page. For ebooks sold anywhere else, you'll need to wait for the author(s) to die, and many decades after that, for the copyright to expire, even if the author or heirs no longer receive royalties or can’t be found.
Buy-to-Unglue Campaigns
Read the ebook now, help to make if available to all in the future. The eBook wants to be free!
- How is Buying an eBook at Unglue.it Different?
- Buy-to-Unglue eBooks want to be free. But the people who create books have to make ends meet somehow. So they've chosen a funding level that will allow them to make the book free. When you buy an ebook at unglue.it, you're advancing the date at which the book will be free to everyone, but until then, the ebook is yours to enjoy. You can also buy the ebook for your library so that your neighbors can enjoy the ebook once you're done with it!
- What can I do with a Buy-to-Unglue eBook?
- There's no restrictive rights management on buy-to-unglue ebooks. That means you can put them on all your devices, and do the things you do with your print books. You're not allowed to publish or distribute them, but you'll be able to do that after the ungluing date. Once you've purchased a buy-to-unglue book, you can download it whenever you need it.
- What is an Ungluing Date?
- The ungluing date is the date a book gets released under a Creative Commons License. After the ungluing date, the ebook will be available for free at unglue.it, Internet Archive and any library, anywhere. You'll be able to make copies for all your friends, if that's what you want to do.
- How does that work?
- The rights holder for the book picks
- an initial ungluing date some time in the future, and
- a revenue goal
(days per dollar) = [(initial ungluing date) - (launch date)] / (campaign goal) (current ungluing date) = (initial ungluing date) - (gross revenue)*(days per dollar)
Here's a calculator you can use to see how this works: - How do I tell what a book's ungluing date is?
- The ungluing date is displayed on the campaign page for every Buy-to-Unglue book, and is printed inside every copy sold through Unglue.it on the license/copyright page. For ebooks sold anywhere else, you'll need to wait for the author(s) to die, and many decades after that, for the copyright to expire, even if the author or heirs no longer receive royalties or can’t be found.
Thanks-for-Ungluing Campaigns:
Reward the courageous creators who've made their ebooks free to all.
- Why Pay for Free eBooks?
- If you want to reward the creators of an ebook, why not pay for a book? If you want to encourage other creators to make their books free, reward the creators who have already done so! Say thanks for ungluing the ebooks.
- What is Thanks-for-Ungluing?
- Thanks-for-Ungluing lets readers say thank you for free ebooks. The program is designed to help rights holders promote and benefit from their Creative Commons licensed ebooks. Creators participating in the Thanks-for-Ungluing program can request payment for ebooks on a pay-what-you-want basis. They set suggested prices as well as metadata and descriptions for their books.
- How much of my "Thank You" contribution goes to the Creators?
- There’s no charge creators to join. Unglue.it charge $0.25 + 8%, which includes credit card fees. So if you pay $1 for a book, 67 cents goes to the creator (or whoever holds commercial rights), and 33 cents, the entirety of our fee, goes to pay bank network fees. If you pay $10 for a book, the split is $8.95 for the creator, $0.60 for the bank network, and $0.35 to support unglue.it. Unglue.it doesn't process contributions less than $1.
- What file formats are supported?
- The website is designed to work with pdf, epub.
- Why should libraries support Thanks-for-Ungluing books?
- Libraries that participate in Thanks-for-Ungluing campaigns make these books more accessible to their users. In addition:
- Libraries receive proof of conveyance letters that can be used as evidence that the rights holder has conveyed the Creative Commons License. Unglue.it is careful to validate the rights claims of the participating creators.
- Unglue.it users that have joined a library participating in unglue.it are never asked for contributions if their library has already done so.
- Catalog records will be available for all books participating in Thanks-for-Ungluing.
- Where are the files hosted?
- We prefer to link to files served from the Internet Archive, which has proven to be stable, reliable, and well managed.
- Can self-published authors participate?
- Yes, as long as we can confirm that they are the rights holder for the book and that the ebook files meet industry standards.
Pledge Campaigns
Support the books you've loved and make them free to everyone.
- How does this work?
- Pledge Campaigns are aimed at books that have already been published and have been read - and loved - by many. At some point they stop selling, except in used bookstores where the creators don't make a dime. A pledge campaign asks those who love the book to pledge their support together with other ungluers to buy out enough rights to make the ebook free. Think of it as a way to make the public domain happen sooner.
- What the book I love doesn't have a campaign?
- To show the creators of a book that there are people willing to support it, just "Fave" the book. If enough people show their support in this way, the creators will take notice. They may even offer "premiums" to encourage you to pledge!
- How do I pledge?
- When the creators of a book have been persuaded to launch a campaign, there will be a "Support" button on the book's unglue.it page. You'll be asked to select your premium and specify your pledge amount; choose how you'd like to be acknowledged, if your pledge is $25 or more; and enter your credit card information. If tax deductions are important to you, consider donating instead.
- How do I support a campaign with a donation?
- Campaigns that meet the Free Ebook Foundation's guidelines for charitable support are eligible for support via donations to the Foundation. Essentially, the Foundation will pledge to the campaign based on your direction.
- When will I be charged?
- For pledges, your account will be charged by the end of the next business day after a Pledge Campaign succeeds. If a campaign doesn't succeed, you won't be charged. For donations, your account will be charged immediately. If a campaign doesn't succeed, the Foundation will use your donation in support of other ebooks.
- What if I want to change or cancel a pledge?
- You can modify your pledge by going to the book's page and clicking on the "Modify Pledge" button. (The "Support" button you clicked on to make a pledge is replaced by the "Modify Pledge" button after you pledge.) You can't modify a donation, but you can make another.
- How will I be recognized for my support?
- Pledgers and donors are indicated on the book's page. In addition, when ungluing campaigns are successful, you'll be acknowledged in the unglued ebook as follows:
- $25+ // Your name under "supporters" in the acknowledgements section.
- $50+ // Your name and link to your profile page under "benefactors"
- $100+ // Your name, link, and a dedication of your choice (140 characters max) under "bibliophiles"
- Can people contribute anonymously?
- Yes. Anonymous donors are included in the total count of supporters, but their names and links are not included in the acknowledgements.
- Is my contribution tax deductible?
- Donations to the Free Ebook Foundation are tax-deductible. Pledges to campaigns might be tax-deductible if the recipient of funds is a charity, otherwise probably not. Consult your tax advisor.
Premiums
- What are premiums?
- Premiums are bonuses people get for supporting a successful Pledge Campaign, to thank them and incentivize them to pledge. If you've ever gotten a tote bag from NPR, you know what we're talking about.
- Are premiums required?
- No, but they're strongly encouraged for Pledge Campaigns. They are not available for Buy-to-Unglue Campaigns.
- Who creates the premiums for each campaign?
- The campaign manager (typically the author or publisher of the book).
- Is there a minimum or maximum for how much a premium can cost?
- There's a $1 minimum and a $2000 maximum.
- Do I get a premium for a donation?
- No, just the good feeling you get for doing your part.