To be annoyed when Kindle edits my books

[AlertCat]

I like to read books I enjoy over and over. I get to know the phrases and reading them is comforting and soothing. I recently re-read an old favourite (published in the 90s) on my kindle, and a lot of the more colourful phrases and terms have been removed. Sometimes for no good reason, eg they’re not offensive in any world; and sometimes their removal took something away from what was left.

I wish I had a paper copy of this book to read ☹️
the changes feel jarring and I can’t see the point- but more importantly, I bought the original, and Amazon have altered what I bought without notice.

I'm fairly sure the updates will be made by the publisher and the updated ebook version rolled out to all platforms, including Amazon.

I know, I loved that song and was so disappointed when I bought the DVD and they'd cut it.

Another one that didn't know this. I love paper copies but switched to kindle a few years back because it was easier to read at night if I was having trouble getting to sleep. Turning on the lamp to read was disturbing my dh.
I don't tend to reread books so I wouldn't notice if anything had been changed. I think I will start buying the paper copy of a book I think I will reread.
I am so torn with the kindle. I love browsing book shops but know my use of Kindle puts them in jeopardy. Think I need to commit to buy a certain number of paper copies a year

It’s not Amazon. They really, really don’t have time for that sort of thing. It’s whoever is publishing the book, which may be the original publisher, a new publisher, or even the author themselves. I absolutely agree that they should make it clear before purchase if there are substantive changes (more than just correcting typos). You can, however, return the book if you aren’t happy with it, so long as you do it within a certain time frame.

Get a Kobo, you can add epubs and pdfs without amazon's sticky paws all over the metadata on the files. The Guttenberg Project has thousands of free books, Anna's Archive is another where you can just download epub or pdf and load it to the Kobo. It connects to Libby via Overdrive so you can add your free library books on to it. The Kobo even brought out a colour version before Kindle did.

As a writer, I’d not be happy. If they made changes to my books on Amazon, I’d go fucking bananas.

Actually, ‘fucking bananas’ would probably be the first thing they’d change.

I did not know they can change the books you already have

1stWorldProblems · Today 08:10

This is main reason why you need to buy physical copies of anything you love - so it can't be changed or even withdrawn at a moments notice.

I'm another re-reader and store my books on my laptop, then load them when I fancy reading them again.

Sorry to derail but what the heck have they changed in Muppets Christmas Carol???

That is awful - I assumed things could get edited, but not retroactively ie I thought it would only apply to all copies bought afterwards...

Already angry about people buying digital music/films then companies being able to remove the files from their libraries, and now this!

I don't read ebooks but have been toying with the idea. Small comfort to think my method of buying (real) copies of the ones I love is the way to go.

In Bridget Jones’s Diary (the film), purple Julian originally shouted “you hamfisted cunt” and it’s been changed to “you hamfisted cow”.
i kind of knew that this happens but hadn’t really thought about it until reading this thread

Plus you are able to watch them if internet goes down. Had almost two days of no internet earlier this year (a third of the town went down).

99% of the Kindle books are non fiction so I really won't notice edits of contents as didn't read the physical book first.

Thats fucked up. Has Jess Bezos read 1984? Or Fahrenheit 451? Is this where our billionaires are getting their inspiration?

One thing that is so interesting and important about literature is that it gives us an insight into the ways people have thought and lived in different times and cultures than our own and helps us to expand our perspective beyond our own limited experience.

I'm fairly sure the updates will be made by the publisher and the updated ebook version rolled out to all platforms, including Amazon.

I thought it was this.

I re-read favorites and have noticed this often with long gaps.

One book the update ruined it but hard to say how it reminds me of when self published authors get picked up by big publishing houses and the style subtly changes and suddenly the flow is gone - it was like that.

Another book can no longer download - I think it's withdrawn seems to be what message says - it's a small story I read as a stand alone but main character had entire series and I think this doesn't fit in with the rest of the character arc.

I don't think I'd notice smaller words changes. I know it's an issue and that I have licence with them not the books but it's often more convenient to have the kindle or electronic form for me - though I could probably find ways round it.

It's not Amazon updating books, it's the publishers making changes and then pushing the new versions. Most of the time it's for things like errors and typos. But if they change anything for content reasons then it's quite likely they will want to push that updated version.

This is why I always strip the DRM from mine! It's probably not legal, but if I've paid for a book, I'm keeping it.

For example, in print you can only fix errors or change content in subsequent editions or by inserting a piece of paper with a change in it post-printing (this doesn't happen much nowadays!), but with ebooks you can fix them much more quickly and push the new version so it's updated. Pros and cons each way, really.

You can also turn this off in settings.

Thanks, I did not know this! Going to look into it right now.

It's in manage your content and devices, and then preferences at the top and scroll down to automatic book updates near the bottom.

I thought this too but was beginning to question myself getting to page 2 and it still hadn’t been pointed out to OP!

Thank you - I never knew this - very useful to know.

Thank you!

Oh the Nanny state comes into play again. Do the instigators of these actions think we can't make up our own minds? So annoying.

IMO this is a terrible stance. If you buy a book that's got (legal) "offensive and harmful language or narrative" and you don't like it, that's your problem. If there's enough of a market for special bowdlerised versions for sensitive grown-ups then sure, go nuts, as long as they're properly labelled as such. But when it comes to the standard versions of books, at least those intended to be read by adults, I don't see why your personal sensibilities should override my preference for standard, unexpurgated versions of works — i.e. getting the product I believed I was paying for. "Ordinary people" reading for "pleasure" don't all necessarily want nice easy prolefeed, sanitised for their comfort.

Maybe any time publishers decide to change content, it could be noted in the website description, or maybe on an internal change log or something, so I know what I'm actually buying. They already have information about the edition — they could add short descriptions of revisions, like if it's been lightly edited for spelling and continuity, or edited to remove harmful stereotypes and offensive terminology, or edited to adjust monetary amounts for inflation and update illustrations, or whatever (that last one drove me nuts with the Famous Five — the copies I read as a kid were, I think, a mix of 50s, 70s and 80s, so they swung about between things costing 43p and 2/6, neither of which was relatable to 90s prices anyway, so you wonder why they bothered).

Or leave the text as it is, barring minor corrections, and stick a peel-to-reveal content warning on it if you like. I don't care, I just don't want to buy a book that originally contained something that I should find upsetting or offensive, except someone's made it all nice and clean for me so I don't have to confront the fact that upsetting and offensive things happened and still happen.

Younger kids' books, yeah, I can see that it's either update or delist, in a lot of cases. But we're big boys and girls now, with access to more information than any previous generation. We can make informed decisions about what media to consume.