FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more about ebooks, payment options, delivery and so on? Read these Frequently Asked Questions!

And if your question is not covered here? Just write to us at easyreaders@nonparlo.com and we’ll get you an answer ASAP!

Questions about Ebooks

Ebook Formats

We don’t sell books made from dead trees.

All of our easy readers and parallel texts for foreign language learners are .PDF format ebooks, some of which also have the option to receive .MOBI (Kindle-compatible) and/or .EPUB (other ebook readers) at no extra charge.

You can see whether .MOBI (Kindle-compatible) and/or .EPUB (other ebook readers) versions are available for the title or titles you want to buy by checking the format information, which you’ll see right under the cover image, in our online shop. Or click on the cover image to visit the product page. Or email and ask.

.PDF e-books are readable on just about any computer, tablet, smartphone or ebook reader. However, it’s always a good idea to download the free sample chapter for any ebook that interests you. That way you can verify that the format is compatible with the device you want to use it on BEFORE you purchase the full version.

.MOBI format ebooks can be read on a Kindle or Kindle app. We do not offer free sample chapters for these, but the content should be the same as in the .PDF format.

.EPUB format ebooks are good for most other ebook readers and can also be viewed with common browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Firefox. We do not offer free sample chapters for .EPUB but the content should be the same as in the .PDF format.

If you’d also like to receive the .MOBI (Kindle-compatible) and/or .EPUB (other ebook readers) version(s), at no extra charge, then let us know by adding a note to your order form, or emailing at the time of your order.

How long does it take to send out ebooks?

Most of our ebooks are delivered via a download link which is sent automatically by our shop software as soon as your payment has cleared. However, the download link, for security reasons, will only get you the default .pdf format ebook.

If you’ve also asked for one of the other formats (these are only sent to people who ask for them) these will be emailed to you within 24 hours, promise! If it’s day where you are but night were we are, it might have to wait until morning. But it’s usually done within a few hours, perhaps just a few minutes.

Problems with ebook download links

As mentioned above, our ebooks are delivered via a download link which is sent automatically by our shop software as soon as your payment has cleared, usually immediately.

The download link is set to expire after 7 days (we really want you to read your ebook, not just buy it…) so please use the download link when you receive it. You get 3 download attempts, which should be more than enough.

However, perhaps you’ve never done this before, and clicked more than three times without understanding where the downloaded ebook has gone? Or maybe you were on holiday, so put off doing the download until you got home, by which point the link had expired? You will then see an error message, something unhelpful about a system error, which it wasn’t.

DON’T WORRY! We can fix this. Just write to us and we can either renew the download link for a further period, add more download attempts, or  – if all else fails – email the ebook or ebooks to you manually, as attachments. That always works!

N.b. People using iPhones and iPads often have problems with download links, as Apple would prefer you to buy ebooks and so on directly from them, so make things harder than they would be on a computer or an Android device. With this in mind, why not just click the download link once and see what happens? (Or better still, use a device that isn’t produced by Apple to download your ebook.) Then, having clicked once, if it’s not obvious what you should do to view/save your ebook, you’ll still have two further attempts, so you can figure out what you’re doing wrong (it is an Apple / Apple-user issue, not a problem with our system, we promise…) But if you can’t manage the download, just email us for help.

Where’s my ebook, dude??

We sent you a download link immediately after your payment cleared, or if you requested additional versions other than the .pdf, we emailed those to you within 24 hours of purchase using the email address you gave in your order form. Please check your email account, including the spam and junk folders. Please be aware that if you are checking your spam/junk folders using an iPhone or iPad, it’s possible that they will seem empty (the device’s operating system may choose to save data by not ‘synching’ junk emails it thinks you won’t want to see.) To be SURE the ebook or download link isn’t in your spam, check your email on a computer.

Many email apps will allow you to search a word or phrase, so try typing the name of the ebook you purchased or downloaded for free into your email app. That should turn up the email with the download link or attachment. However, if you have received NOTHING from us, no order confirmation, no receipt, it could be that you mistyped your email in the order form (it happens surprisingly often…) In which case, just write to us and we’ll sort it out.

How do I add my .MOBI (Kindle-compatible) ebook to my Kindle?

Save the .MOBI ebook that we sent you to a location on your computer where you’ll easily be able to find it i.e. on the desktop, or in the ‘downloads’ folder.

Switch on your Kindle and connect it to a computer’s USB port using the cable that came with the Kindle when you bought it. It will appear as an external storage drive on the computer’s desktop (in Windows, navigate to ‘My computer’).

Click on the Kindle icon on your computer to find a folder named “documents.” Now drag or copy/paste the .MOBI ebook from the location you previously saved it on your computer to the “documents” folder on your Kindle.

When it has finished copying, unplug your Kindle. Your ebook will then be readable on your Kindle.

You can also add .MOBI files to your Kindle by emailing them to your special ‘Kindle’ email. Locate your Kindle’s “Send-to-Kindle email address” by switching on your Kindle, selecting “Settings” from the home screen menu, then choosing “Device Options” followed by “Personalise Your Kindle”. There’s a note of your “Send-to-Kindle E-mail” under that heading.

How should I use my easy reader?

Here’s how to use our easy readers:

  1. First read/listen at the same time. Don’t worry about stuff you don’t understand, don’t stop to look up things. Try to finish the book, or at least the chapter at the speed of the audio. You should get a sense of achievement just by ‘finishing’ the audio + text, even if your understanding is very limited…
  2. Now (maybe another day) read again at your own pace. Best to guess the difficult words from context if you can. Use a dictionary only if you really must, as it will make the whole thing more arduous and reduce the benefit you’ll get from actual reading…
  3. [optionally, repeat stage 1 at this point]
  4. The next stage is to listen again but this time without the text. This phase is to work on listening comprehension. You should by now have a reasonable idea of what’s going on, so the challenge is to see how much you can pick out when just hearing it. You can repeat this as often as you want. It’ll be hard at first, but will get easier with practice. And come back to it again in the future! As with a song, the more times you hear it, the more you might get out of it, until it becomes boring of course.
  5. Now get another book and repeat the process. Stay at approximately the same level of difficulty until you can do the steps above with confidence. Then move up to something harder, knowing though that you’ll feel less confident at first. Gradually push up through the levels until you feel confident moving on to authentic materials like novels, films, etc.

You sent me a zipped/compressed folder. How do I open it?

Most of our ebooks come as a single .pdf file. To open it, just download it and click on it. Your device’s .pdf reader should do the rest.

But some of our older ebooks come with .mp3 audio files, so we’ll send you a zipped/compressed folder containing multiple files.

We also zip/compress ‘bundles’ of ebooks, for your and our convenience.

In either case you need to download the attachment as normal, but then ‘unzip’ it, just like opening a bag to get at what’s inside!

This SHOULD be easy, but like most things that are easy only if you know how, it can trip you up.

There’s no need to buy any extra software to do this. As I said, it should be easy…

If you’re using a Windows PC here’s what Microsoft advises:

Locate the zipped folder that you want to unzip (extract) files or folders from.

Do one of the following:

To unzip a single file or folder, open the zipped folder, then drag the file or folder from the zipped folder to a new location.

To unzip all the contents of the zipped folder, press and hold (or right-click) the folder, select Extract All, and then follow the instructions.

For Mac users, the Lifewire site explains that…

Unzipping a file or folder couldn’t be easier. Double-click the zip file and the file or folder will be decompressed into the same folder the compressed file is in.

And if you’re using a smartphone or tablet?

Then honestly, I have no idea.

However, whatever the device you’re using, if you encounter any difficulties, just write to me and I’ll send you the files again, this time with no ‘bag’, so all you have to do is download them and open them as usual.

For help of this type, my email is at the bottom of every page on our website. Expect a reply within 24 hours, usually much sooner!

How do I listen to the audio at the same time as reading the .pdf?

YOU NEED TO JUGGLE TWO APPLICATIONS ON YOUR DEVICE – THE BROWSER AND THE .PDF READER.

First, download the .pdf ebook. Save it some place safe, where you’ll know to find it again.

Click on it. Your device’s usual .pdf reader will open it.

Easy readers typically have an audio link at the top of Chapter 1.

The audio files for the entire story, not just Chapter 1, are available to listen to, absolutely free of charge, at Soundcloud.com.

Click the audio link. Here’s an example: https://soundcloud.com/onlineitalianclub/sets/la-vita-e-bella

A new browser window will open, in the usual way, showing the Soundcloud.com interface.

If you’re reading these words, then you’re clearly NOT looking at that new browser window showing the Soundcloud.com page with our audio example.

Go find it now…

Got it?

Press the play button (white triangle in an orange circle).

The audio will begin. Make sure you have the audio on your device turned on, and up enough so you can hear it.

You can see from the Soundcloud.com page whether the track is playing or not.

If you still don’t hear anything, the problem is at your end (on your tablet, smart phone or computer.)

Verify that by visiting another site with audio and seeing if THAT works.

If not, you’ll need to figure out how to play audio on your device, or change the device.

Audio playing OK?

Now MINIMISE the internet browser showing the audio player (leaving it playing.)

Go back to your .pdf viewer and view the ebook as you did before.

To listen and read at the same time, all you have to do is juggle the two windows (leaving both applications on and working.)

Switch to the browser to pause, stop, replay, etc.

And back to the .pdf viewer to follow along with the text.

Help! I can’t figure out how to play your audio recordings multiple times.

Many (not all) of the audio tracks to our ebooks are hosted on Soundcloud.com so as not to overload our server. When you click on the ‘Listen online’ link (test this in the free sample chapter!), a browser window will open showing the page at Soundcloud.com for this particular audio book. You’ll see ‘Play’ and ‘Pause’ buttons. So far, so good, right?

The problem comes when your track finishes. Where the ‘play’ and ‘pause’ controls were, you see a message ‘Explore more tracks like this on Soundcloud.com…’, when what you really want to see is the ‘Play’ command, so you can hear the track again.

Look for the little X in the right-hand corner of the Soundcloud ad. Click on that, and the grey part will disappear. You’ll then be back where you were before and will see the ‘Play’ command you need to hear the track again as many times as you wish.

Parallel Texts – How To View The Chapters Side-By-Side!

Viewing the chapters of your parallel text ebook side by side (so as to compare the different languages) is not hard, but probably won’t happen automatically.

There are a few simple, free things you’ll need to do first.

The file is a .pdf so will open with whatever the default .pdf reader on your device is.

These can vary and will probably NOT show the chapters side-by-side, as intended.

For this reason, we recommend the free Adobe Reader, which is installed on many computers in any case.

If you don’t have it, download it here (though I’d suggest un-checking the ‘Optional Offers’…)

Once you have Adobe Reader installed, this is what you do:

  1. Download the file
  2. Don’t just click on it or it will open in a browser, which probably works differently
  3. Instead, view it in your device’s downloads file
  4. Open with Adobe Reader (right click on the file, choose ‘Open with’, select Adobe Reader)
  5. In Adobe Reader…
  6. Look in the menu (at the top) for ‘View’, then choose ‘Page display’
  7. Choose ‘two page view’ (for the parallel text) or ‘single page view’ for normal documents
  8. Use ‘View’ / ‘Read mode’ to make the text larger or smaller so that it fits your screen
  9. Use the ‘zoom’ and ‘page up/down’ buttons to navigate through the book

N.B. iPad users report that the Adobe Reader mobile app for iOS doesn’t have a two-page view option.

However, iPad users can apparently read the parallel readers in 2 page view using the SideBooks app, which is a free download.

How do I get the free ebooks?

1. Visit our online shop, and select the language that you are studying, for example Italian: https://easyreaders.org/product-category/italian/

2. The first two ebooks (top left) are the free ones. In the Italian category I’m using as an example these are:

Il ristorante – a beginner-level easy reader – very short and simple, with audio!

and

La sorpresa – an Italian/English parallel text, no audio but you get a translation so you can compare the two versions.)

3. Looking at the ebook cover images in the shop, just click on them to find out more. If you want to download one or both, click the ‘Add to cart’ button.

4. If you want ALL the free ebooks, find them the other language sections, click the cover images, add to cart, repeating until you have the lot! N.B. There’s no need to do multiple separate orders…

5. Next, view your shopping cart: https://easyreaders.org/cart/

(or there’s a dark blue button at the top right of the screen that’ll take you right there…)

6. In the cart, SCROLL DOWN until you see the ‘Proceed to checkout’ button, which is large and orange so it’s hard to miss. Click it.

7. Once you reach the checkout page, the only obligatory fields are ‘Name’, ‘Surname’ and ‘Email’. The rest is optional, but it’s nice for us to know who and where you are, so please fill in your details.

8. If you plan to come back sometime, I’d suggest checking the ‘create an account’ button, which you’ll find right below the ‘Phone’ section in the form.

That’ll save your information so you’d be able to log in and get your downloads were you to lose the email with the download links (about which, more below.)

9. Filled in the form? Now scroll down and look for the big orange button with ‘Place order’ on it.

Assuming you’ve only selected the free ebooks, there’s no payment stage. If you’re also buying something (thanks!), you’ll see payment options such as Paypal and Amazon.

10. What if you’ve selected something, then changed your mind?

No worries! Just go back to the cart and click the RED X next to the product you no longer desire.

That’ll delete it. Then repeat from stage 6, above.

11. Where were we? Oh yes, no. 9. We were in the checkout and clicking on the big orange ‘Place order’ button.

12. Having clicked that one, you’ll be shown the next page and see the message:

“Thank you. Your order has been received.”

13. At which point check your email account for an email from EasyReaders.Org.

The subject line will be something like:

Your EasyReaders order from August 21, 2017 is complete

14. It’s THAT email which contains your download link (or links.) There’ll be a download link for each of the free products.

Paid-for ebooks are sent separately and manually, but the free ones are automatic and immediate.

15. Click the download link in the email you received. The .pdf file containing the ebook should download to your device.

Repeat that process for each link/ebook. Normally the downloads will be saved in your ‘Downloads’ file.

(If you don’t know where that is, ask a teenager!)

15. IMPORTANT: The download link is valid for three downloads only and expires after seven days.

Which means you should save a copy of the .pdf some place where you’ll be able to find it when you want to study or revise.

I didn’t get the free ebooks!

We get this a lot.

However, if you ordered a free ebook you WILL HAVE RECEIVED an email with a download link.

The subject line of the email containing the download link was something like:

Your EasyReaders order from (DATE OF YOUR ORDER) is complete

It arrived immediately after you made your order.

If you didn’t find that email with the link(s), check in your spam and promotions files, and any other place it could have ended up.

Still nothing? That usually means one of three things:

1. You mistyped your email address in the order form (really, I see this happen every day!)

2. Your email provider blocked the messages with the download links, so you never received them (they shouldn’t do this, but they do…)

3. You DID get the message with the download links, but didn’t realise what it was, or didn’t open it. Some people just delete anything they don’t recognise.

The easiest solution is to reorder using a different email address, if you have one (Gmail or Hotmail are usually reliable).

You can do that here: https://easyreaders.org/

Make sure you type your email address correctly in the order form.

Then watch out for an automatic message – it should arrive almost immediately with the download links.

Questions about payments, taxes & refunds

Payment Options

We offer various payment options, so you can select your preferred payment method when you get to the ‘checkout’ page by clicking on the DARK BLUE DOT next to the payment method. Payment methods are (in the order that you’ll see them on the page):

Credit Card (Stripe) – Stripe is a company that processes card payments for us, takes a commission and pays the remainder to our bank account. They also handle refunds. It works 100% of the time. Why not give it a try?

Paypal is loved by some, hated by others, but they do offer a pretty good service to customers who are unhappy with their purchase.

Direct Bank Transfer – if you have a UK bank account and home banking, and don’t mind typing in account numbers and so on,  select this payment method.  Once your order is received you will be redirected to a page with our bank information and then it’s up to you to log into your home banking and send us some cash! Please use your Order ID as the payment reference. Your order won’t be confirmed until the funds have cleared in our account, which can be the same day or take several days, depending on the bank. If you’re in a rush, email us when you’ve made the payment so we’ll know to look out for it. N.B. Any fees charged on international bank transfer payments or for currency conversion will be your responsibility – to avoid this risk, use a credit card instead (choose the Credit Card – Stripe option and input your card details in the usual way.)

Is it safe to input my credit card details in your shop?

Well, actually  you’ll be sending your details directly to the payment processor you selected (Stripe for credit card payments, or Paypal), and while that may appear to be on our website, it really isn’t! We never get to see your card details, however we’re assured that the security offered by our payment processors is the best. Besides, they offer a great deal to the customer: if you aren’t happy with your purchase, there’s a good chance of getting a refund from them or at least their help in arguing your case (not that there are usually any issues…)

Do you charge VAT/sales tax?

Ebooks are ‘zero-rated’ in the UK where we are based, so no VAT is charged.

Refunds

Do please download the sample chapter of any ebook you’re interested in BEFORE you buy it. Check it opens on the device you want to use it on. Check the audio (if there is audio) plays on your device. Check the index. See the number of pages? That’s what you’ll be getting if you decide to buy the full version. Scroll through the free sample chapter you have downloaded. The rest of the ebook will be more or less like that.

Want it? Great! Then go ahead and buy it, use it, learn from it and enjoy it. And if there’s a problem, write and let us know what the issue is and how we can resolve it for you.

But if things can’t be worked out? This almost never happens, but in any case  you’ll find the following information in the footer of the ‘order confirmation’ and ‘receipt’ e-mails sent out by our system when we receive your order:

EasyReaders.Org is a trading name of: EASY READERS LLP, registered in England, no. OC439580
Tregarth, The Gounce, Perranporth, Cornwall, England TR6 0JW.

The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 allows you the right to withdraw from a contract made through our website within 14 days from the date that the contract is finalized, without incurring any penalty or having to give a reason, if you are not satisfied with the purchase you have made.

To withdraw from this contract in accordance with the terms of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, please e-mail us: easyreaders@nonparlo.com.

EASY READERS LLP will repay the whole amount you paid within 14 days of the date we receive your notification to withdraw, normally using the same means of payment that you initially used.

With particular reference to the supply of digital content (ebooks) via download link or emailed attachment, by clicking the download link or asking specifically for an ebook version to be sent to you by email you expressly consent to us providing the digital content within the 14 day cancellation period and acknowledge that you lose your right to cancel the contract as a consequence.