What is an eBook (electronic book)?

An eBook (electronic book) is a book published in digital format that consists of text, images, or both and can be read on a PC, Mac, e-reader, iPad, iPhone, Tablet or Smartphone with an Android operating function.

What are the advantages of eBooks over printed books?

All your books can be on stored on an electronic device (PC, Smartphone or Tablet). This means they do not take up space, they are easy to put in order, quick to use and simple to carry. There are also lots of ways to search the text, and it is possible to add notes and comments, which can be erased, unlike in real books. You can also adjust the size, colour and style of the letters as you wish to make the book easier to read, even for those with sight problems.

They can be purchased anywhere at any time, without restrictions.
Finally, eBooks are available at a much lower cost than the corresponding printed books.

Information and Instructions for using eBooks published by the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery

1. Our eBooks are individualised.

2. From the moment it is purchased the eBook bears the purchaser’s name and is intended for personal use.

2. Our eBooks are not supported by Kindle devices.

Step-by-Step Guide to buying an eBook

Step 1

If it is the first time that you are using an eBook, you should make sure that you have the appropriate devices and applications to access the file that you are going to buy.

Step 2 - Application

There is no limitation on the device you can use, as our eBooks can be read on both iOS and Android software, provided that you have an application for reading EPUB files.

1. For PC or Mac

All you need is an application for reading (e.g. Adobe Digital Editions for PC or iBooks for Mac).
If you have a Windows PC and do not have an application installed for reading EPUB files, you can download one of the free applications      available on the Internet.

2. For iPhones or iPads

You can read your eBook with the existing Apple application (iBooks).

3. For devices with Android operating system

You can read your eBook using one of the available Android applications.

Step 3 - Activation

1. For PC or Mac

Simply open the file that we send you by email using the designated application.

2. For iPhones or iPads

Simply open the file that we send you by email using the designated application.

3. For devices with Android operating system

Simply open the file that we send you by email using the designated application.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  Unlike eBooks purchased from electronic bookstores, our eBooks are sent by email to the customer Monday to Saturday between the hours of 09:30 and 16:00, Greek time.

Because of our monastic timetable and because we send our eBooks directly to the customer’s email address without using any other application, it is not possible for us to offer a 24-hour service.
If the order is placed outside the hours mentioned above, the eBook will be sent as soon as possible, in some cases the following day.

Step 4 – Receiving the eBook

Download the file onto your device and open it with the corresponding application.
Select it by clicking on it, depending on the set-up of each browser, and the option ‘Open with…’ or ‘Open in…’ will appear. Then you will choose the programme for reading the eBook.

Limitations:

There are no limitations on use with such portable devices as e-reader, iPad, or Android Tablet, or with mobile devices, PCs, laptops or Macs.
NB: Our eBooks are not compatible with Kindle devices.

Terms of Use for eBooks

The selling of electronic books is governed by the same general principles that apply to printed books.
You can copy the book onto your computer to read or even to print it. It is illegal to make multiple copies or prints for the use of more than one individual.

Copying parts of the book is not permitted for any purpose, unless you have been granted written permission by the publishers, the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, who hold the copyright. The eBooks supplied by our e-shop have been produced and distributed using special systems to protect them from illegal copying. Digital copies of the books may only be opened and read on the personal computer or other electronic devices of the user. It is forbidden to reproduce the files received by the user more than once for each file. It is also forbidden to distribute them, wholly or in part, to third parties, with or without payment.

The copyright of the material contained in digital books and in all the digital material on the website www.pelagia.org belongs exclusively to the publisher, Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, and the author, Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos and St Vlassios.
Any attempt to distribute this individualised electronic material on the Internet will be detected by specialised tracking systems, and will lead to prosecution.

The website of the Publications of the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery gives its readers the opportunity to buy books using electronic commercial applications in accordance with the particular terms that are laid down, and taking care to protect the personal details that customers submit in order to use these services.

In order to use the electronic commercial services, details in addition to those requested when the user registers must be accurately notified and completed. These details are required in order to complete the order placed by the user of the website. They include the delivery address for the order, contact telephone numbers.

These details are not revealed to third parties, with exceptions provided for by the law, when they are passed only to the relevant authorities, but their personal character is retained. The website of the Publications of the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery keeps these details exclusively for the purpose of communication and in order to improve the service it provides.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I buy eBooks

1. Using Windows PC or Mac

Search on www.pelagia.org for the title that you want.

The description of the book is marked eBook. Choose ‘Add to cart’. Once you have finished choosing titles and adding them to your cart, choose ‘Go to checkout’. If you need to delete a title or to alter the quantity, do this by choosing the button marked ‘X’ next to the title, or by changing the quantity in the ‘Quantity’ field.
Continue with the order. If you have not already entered the bookstore, you will now be asked to do so. If you are a new user, you will be asked to create an account. If you do not wish to create an account, you can complete your order without an account. Choose the method of payment and complete the necessary details (if you have chosen Business-Invoice), to enable us to send you a purchase invoice. At the final step, you will be asked to make an online payment and to confirm the order, in order to complete the procedure. (For the purchase of eBooks payment by Cash on Delivery does not apply.)
As soon as possible after payment, you will receive, at the email address that you have supplied, the eBook of your choice in the form of an EPUB file.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The EPUB file that you receive is protected. The process of digitally protecting and personalising the file may cause a slight delay in dispatching the eBook to you. Although it is an electronic product, the eBook is not ready for delivery immediately.

For your own convenience, we should inform you that it is not possible to cancel or replace a digital product. Our eBooks are delivered to the email account that you supply as soon as possible after payment is made. The non-delivery or return of the product is, therefore, impossible.

2. If you have an iPhone or iPad

Using the Safari browser, visit our bookstore on www.pelagia.org and select the books that you wish to purchase by placing them in the shopping basket.
Then pay with your credit card.

3. If you have a device with an Android operating system

Use your browser to go to www.pelagia.org and choose the eBook(s) that you wish to purchase by placing them in the shopping basket.
Then pay with your credit card.

Do I need to have a program installed on my computer to read the eBooks?

 1. PC/Mac

You do not need to have a specific program apart from an application for reading EPUB files.
As we have mentioned, if you have a Windows PC and you are reading an EPUB file for the first time, you will need to download one of the free applications for reading eBooks from the Internet.

2. iPhone/iPad

You do not need to have a specific program apart from the application for reading EPUB files.

3. Android Devices

You do not need to have a specific program apart from the application for reading EPUB files.

Where can I read eBooks?

The books can be read by all reading devices that can support EPUB files.
NB: They cannot be read on Kindle devices

In which formats are eBooks available?

All the digital books published by the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery are available in EPUB format.

What methods of payment are there?

Digital books can ONLY be purchased using credit cards or PayPal.
Because of the way in which eBooks are delivered, the other payment methods (Cash on Delivery, bank transfer) do not apply to digital purchases.

I have downloaded the file onto one device, but I want to transfer it to another.

You can transfer an eBook from your computer to your e-reader or Smartphone.
You cannot distribute the book by reselling it or by distributing it free of charge on the Internet. Any such action is detected by the eBook’s protective mechanisms and will result in prosecution.

How can I read eBooks published by the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery using a Kindle device?

Unfortunately you cannot read our books on a Kindle device.
Kindle devices are produced by Amazon to promote the purchase of electronic books from amazon.com, so it is not possible to use them to read books purchased from other websites, except books that are out of copyright and are not digitally protected. Amazon protects the eBooks that it distributes from amazon.com so that they can only be read on Kindle devices or using Kindle applications.
EBooks published by the Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, like those of most publishers worldwide, have DRM (Digital Restrictions Management) copyright protection, a protocol that Amazon does not support, as Amazon uses its own copyright protection in order to defend their interests.

What do ‘encrypted DRM’ and ‘individualised’ mean? What restrictions exist on the books I buy?

DRM stands for Digital Restrictions Management.
DRM is a technology used by suppliers in order to check the way in which the digital files that you receive are used and distributed.
It aims to protect digital content from being arbitrarily copied and distributed.
In order to protect copyright, all the books that you purchase should be read and used only by the person who purchased them.

Can I cancel or replace the eBook that I have purchased?

No, eBooks are digital products and are delivered to the email address that you supply as a user of the e-shop on our website, as soon as possible after you make the payment. It is therefore impossible not to accept delivery of the eBook or to return it.
 
If you encounter any kind of difficulty or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email: [email protected] or telephone; +30 22610 35135, selecting option 2 after the recorded message.