Where do I download e-books?

Many bookstores have webshops where they offer e-books in addition to paper books, especially the larger chains such as Bruna and De Slegte. Larger webshops also often have e-books in their assortment. E-books are always in stock and you'll receive them within a few minutes via a download link. It's possible that the books are protected and that you can only open them with Adobe Digital Editions.

Kobo is one of the largest e-reader brands and also has its own webshop, the Kobo Shop. You can buy e-books there or take out a Kobo Plus subscription. Kobo also offers many free e-books, but they're not the bestsellers. You can download books via your computer, and via your Kobo e-reader itself. For that, you only need a WiFi connection. On your Kobo e-reader, go to 'Explore', choose, an e-book, and buy it. The book will then be added to your library automatically.

Book enthusiasts will recognize this. You walk out of the library with a stack of 10 books, ready for the holidays. With a subscription to the online library, you can easily borrow e-books through the website from the comfort of your home and you don't have to carry anything. If you already have a subscription to the public library, you automatically have access. Read our article for an elaborate explanation on how to put e-books from the library on your e-reader.

You can download e-books for free anywhere on the internet, but the quality differs a lot. A reliable website is Project Gutenberg, for example. It focuses particularly on books which aren't copyrighted anymore, so they can be distributed for free. Here, you'll find classics such as Pride and Prejudice and Moby Dick. The Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (Digital Library for the Dutch Literary Arts) has a similar website, but for Dutch books. For example, you can download Max Havelaar, a real Dutch high-school classic.