1G* Do i need to have kindle to access [CELBANPrep] E-books

Updated 2021

Kim,

… One more question Kim, Do i need to have kindle to access the e-books that are available though Amazon? or can i use my iphone?

Thanks,

Dear R,

Since I began CELBANPrep in 2009 technology has changed. At that time Youtube was only a few years old, and zoom did not exist. Hosting webinars was a new fronteer. Tablets and smart phones did not exist. With it, so has CELBANPrep. Each year I released a new version because technology had changed so much. And so there was a lot of experimenting with what worked and what did not. There were alot of complications because some things worked on Android but they didn’t with iPhones and iPads.

CELBAN E-Books

So, I have continually been looking for ways to use technology to make CELBANPrep both accessible and (relatively in Canadian terms) affordable.

E-books provided that.

There are no printing costs.
There is no shipping and handling. (I got charged the download fee.)
There is no wait time. Accessibility is immediate.

So, no, I would never design something where you had to go out and purchase some kind of device.

How it works

How it works with the e-books that are available through Amazon, is pretty simple. All you need, if you don’t have a Kindle, is the Kindle App, which is FREE.

Then, through the Kindle app, CELBAN material by CELBANPrep Publishing is available through Amazon’s national sites:

You can purchase them from the site, or through an In-App-Purchase.

FREE CELBAN Material

It might be important to note that with the CELBANPrep Compassionate Pricing Policy, I have continued to ensure that some of the CELBAN material I create is available for FREE.

How I do this.

If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you get access to the entire e-book library available through Amazon. So, many of my CELBAN preparation books are availabe for FREE if you have a Kindle Unlimited membership.
Amazon has expanded the Amazon Prime membership to also include e-books. So, if you have Amazon Prime, the e-books that are available for FREE through Kindle Unlimited are also available to you: for FREE.

The Two Formats for CELBAN Books

There are two different types of e-books available on Amazon.

Reflowable Text. Reflowable text happens in books that are like novels and present similar to PDFs, where the words in a sentence flow to the next line so that the number of words on each line depends on the device you are using and the font size you choose. When you read this blog, it is reflowable text.
Print Replicas. A print replica is a term that Amazon gave to books that are created like textbooks or magazines. The graphics, images, and even videos, are placed strategically on the page. In this case, content creators do not want the content to be reflowable. They want it to be at a certain place on the page.

Both CELBANPrep textbooks and workbooks are designed as print replicas with the knowledge that you will be reading them on a phone or tablet: so they are designed to fit on your screen. (It is really hard to read textbook pages that are not formatted this way.) That means, that even the design of the CELBAN material created for you through CELBANPrep keeps you, the learner, in mind all the time.

And, once you buy an e-book through Amazon: it is yours. Mind you, updates and revisions happen. Links change over time. So, if you purchased an older version, check the CELBANPrep website for updates on how to access the information.

CELBAN Videos

That brings me to the topic of CELBAN Videos.

With the advent of all this fun technology (e-books with embedded videos) I created Print Replica text books and study guides for CELBAN reading, CELBAN writing, CELBAN listening and CELBAN speaking. It took a long time to format the videos, and to embed them within the Print Replica. And I was so excited. Finally, I found a way to deliver the content that was affordable, accessible and easy!

But then something happened. I started getting reviews, on Amazon, that I was a scam because the videos did not work. That was clearly not the truth. I spent hundreds of hours, months, creating those print replica e-books with built in interactivity.

The problem was that Apple products did not acknowledge the built in video player. So, the videos only worked on Android phones and tablets, PC laptops and desktops.

Once again, I had to take them down, and start over again. I had to do something new.

Finally, I had to bend to the will of the people who had been asking for books in print.

CELBAN Paperback Books

Because I had been distributing CELBAN material through Amazon since 2011, I began to explore how to turn my e-books into print.

Once again I had to change the designs, because the e-books were formatted for tablets and phones, not for print.
The cost went up. Where I could sell an e-book for $10, now I had to add in printing costs, shipping and handling.
And, where the print replica e-books were available in 100 countries, now availability was based on the location of the printing presses.

Paperback books, CELBAN material, available through Amazon are available on the following sites:

So now people in India, Brazil, and Mexico have to order the CELBAN books (CELBANPrep Writing and Speaking textbooks, and Grammar Essential Workbooks) from other sites.

Which brings me back to the CELBAN Videos.

CELBANPrep Videos

Since 2009 I have been teaching CELBAN preparation courses, holding CELBAN preparation classes. To me there is a difference between these words.

CELBAN online courses: is the content created to teach you about the CELBAN which includes: textbooks, workbooks, lesson plans, and the like.
CELBAN online classes: are the small groups that I schedule on a regular basis so that IENs can practice skills taught during the online courses.
CELBAN material: is material I have created in addition to the courses including but not limited to: quizzes, handouts, assigments.
CELBAN reviewers: are different from courses, classes and material. To me a reviewer is something that gives you information about the exam and not how to develop skills. This might include guides, websites, blog posts, Facebook updates. The intent is to expose IENs to the format and structure – expectations – of the CELBAN.
CELBAN intensives: I started creating intevsives to supplemement the CELBANPrep Suite (Speaking and Writing). Intensives are CELBAN online courses, classes and material that helps people to decrease the amount of time it takes to prepare for the CELBAN.

So, CELBANPrep Speaking and CELBANPrep Writing Level One and Two are textbooks. They become CELBAN courses when you access the videos, and follow the instructions step by step: one lesson at a time, one week at a time.

To do so the learning and teaching videos have to be accessible to you. In the past they were included in language books as cassettes, CDs, and DVDs. I attempted the Print Replicas with embedded videos. That did not work. I had to move everything to my website, and use memberships to protect the content. That worked for a while. But now technology is changing once again. New options are available on the horizon.

What that means is that there are two parts when you purchase a book:

CELBANPrep Publishing: CELBAN e-book, book, textbook or workbook from Amazon.
CELBANPrep University: learning and teaching videos through the website.

Together the book and the videos make the CELBAN preparation course. Online classes are sold separately.

In Summary

So, while you asked a simple question about the e-books that are available internationally, in 100 countries, through Amazon: the answer is not so simple.

No, you don’t need to have a Kindle to access the CELBAN e-books available through Amazon. They are available immediately, and are yours indefinitely.
Some of the e-books are available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited and/or an Amazon Prime membership.
Most CELBAN E-books are Print Replicas, formatted for reading on phones and tablets.
Paperback books for CELBAN Speaking and CELBAN Writing (Task 1 and Task 2) are also available.
Paperback Workbooks for the Grammar Essential series, with the teaching graphics, are available in print.
The cost of paperback books is higher because of printing costs, there is shipping and handling, and a wait time. Accessibility is limited by the locality of the printing presses.
When you purchase CELBAN e-books and paperbacks through Amazon accompanying leaning and teaching videos are available through the CELBANPrep website.

Kim

Learn more. Explore CELBANPrep University.