Today, I spent a couple of hours tinkering with removing the DRM from my purchased Kindle books and Audibles. Although I succeeded with some, not all, of the texts and audiobooks in my collection, I questioned why I was doing it and whether it was worthwhile. Technically, it was interesting to apply what some smart folks have figured out. However, the process wasn’t satisfying: it was frustrating due to the error-prone nature of hacks and workarounds, many of which had been patched.
So, why did I do it? Was it an idealistic pursuit of control and ownership? On the one hand, I believe I should be able to share the content I’ve purchased with others, similar to physical books. On the other hand, I feel conflicted because DRM exists to prevent digital piracy. When possible, I prefer non-DRM options, but many authors publish through Amazon for its exposure, accepting the corporate practices that come with it.
I spent hours freeing my books from Amazon’s grip, thinking it would be useful to share them with others. But then I wondered, which is more valuable: the ability to share DRM-free books or my own insights and notes from those books?
Instead of creating DRM-free copies for safekeeping, I could have spent that time writing down my takeaways. What’s more useful to me? The original books, or my original notes?
A collection of DRM-free PDFs might allow me to share books and help others learn. But a collection of my own notes, in plain text or with diagrams, could share my personal takeaways. I may not have the original books to share, but I would have nuggets of information that could be useful to others.
Would my book notes be valuable to others?
Would my book notes be more valuable to me?
Then it hit me. Having a book collection is cheap. I overlook the chance to internalize the knowledge and add my own thoughts. I miss the chance to build connections through sharing.
This is true for the paper books on my shelves. If I lend friends a book with messy annotations, they might prefer a clean copy. However, if I share my takeaways, friends would appreciate the insights.
Now I understand why others take notes on the books they read and hold them in high regard. I’ve seen Notion and Obsidian users proudly showcase their book notes. It’s crazy I never thought of it this way before. Make it your own. From today on, if a book is meaningful to me, I will start making notes on it.
This doesn’t negate the importance of the original text. That’s the source of knowledge. However, anyone can access that. Sharing a book can save someone money or time spent searching for a copy; its value is a fixed price. Sharing my insights might inspire others or help them form their own takeaways. It’s also a testament to my experience. It’s priceless.