How to give eBooks as Gifts (updated for 2015)

by on Dec.15, 2015, under News

As Christmas is close, Winter Solstice is closer, and Hanukkah is already upon us, some of you may be looking for ways to give books to people that don’t involve shopping malls or overnight shipping. Give an eBook! Every year it has gotten easier and easier to send eBooks as gifts. Here are my short and easy instructions, with links to detailed explanations for each vendor.

How to gift at each of the eBook marketplaces:

Barnes & Noble: Nook eGifts

NOOK Books are formatted in the industry standard ePub format which can be read on every device. Nook Books can be gifted to anyone with a valid email address. Neither you nor the recipient need to own a NOOK device to purchase or read the standard ePub format.

To gift a NOOK Book,

  1. Click the Buy as Gift link just below the Add to Bag button on the product page.
  2. Enter your eGift recipient’s email address, the delivery date, and an optional message.

The item will be added to your cart. You may order multiple gifts to different recipients in the same order. The gift will be sent to the recipient in the early morning hours on the date you selected.

Apple iTunes: Send iTunes Gifts

You can purchase iBooks using iTunes on your desktop computer, or on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. iBooks can only be read using an iPhone, iPad, Macintosh.

  1. Open the iTunes Store (Mac or PC) or App Store (iPod or iPhone).
  2. iTunes: Pull down on the arrow to the right of Music (on the right sidebar) and select Books.
  3. Find a book you’d like to give.
  4. Click the down arrow to the right of the price and select Gift This Book.
  5. Enter the email address for the recipient.
  6. Under Send Gift: select Other Date and choose the day you want to send the gift.
  7. Click Next.

Amazon: Purchase a Kindle Book as a Gift

Kindle books can be read on a supported Amazon device, or the Kindle reading app available on nearly every device and platform. However it cannot be read using any other reader, and may be obsoleted by newer technology.

  1. In the Kindle Store, select the book you want to send as a gift.
  2. On the product page, click the Give as a Gift button on the right sidebar.
  3. Choose one of two options:
    • Select Email the gift to me if you want to hand the person your gift.
    • Select Email the gift directly to my recipient
      • Enter the email address for the recipient.
      • Select a delivery date.
  4. Click the Place Your Order button on the top right of the screen.

Other Stores: None of the following vendors allow eBooks to be given as gifts. I highly recommend taking your business elsewhere until they clue in.

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