The thing that killed the download -> crack DRM workflow is that Amazon removed the "download and transfer via USB" option. I haven't bought an ebook from Amazon since.
The only viable option would be to buy the book and then pirate a de-DRM'd copy.
Might as well send the author the money directly, instead of spending it all on publishers and middlemen that you’re specifically trying to avoid. When you do, include a note on how their chosen method of sale is most hostile to legitimate consumers and recommend some DRM-free book stores.
When I upload the PDF on Amazon, a minimal price is automatically calculated. In the case of the DOOM, Amazon sets the minimal price at $51.35.
There is a slider which authors can use in order to add their "share" on top of Amazon price. I have added $3.88 which Amazon also takes a cut on. The result is $1.59 royalty and $0.77 profit per book sold.
He doesn't have to get 3%. He could raise the price so he gets more.
Color printed books are expensive, but I think he chose the premium color print option rather than the standard color print option. You can try it out: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/royalty-calculator { pages: 432, dimensions: 7.5"x9.25" } Roughly $18 for basic color and $36 for premium color (which probably also means heavier, higher quality paper).
Amazon takes 40%. Barnes and Noble Press takes 45% for self-published books, and their printing costs are within a couple dollars. Compare to typical retailer+distributor costs of >50% while authors get <15%.
The economics of retail print publishing and logistics don't seem to work out at higher author royalty rates. Authors who don't want to give up 40% of list price always have the option to handle printing, shipping, and accounting themselves, selling on ebay or from their own website.
In the old days, we used to cart boxes of books down to the used book store in exchange for credit, and then load back up with more reading to bring home.
I mostly meant that suggestion as a joke, but to be real I can't imagine reading so many books that you run out of room for enough bookshelves. I have several boxes of books and it's a huge pain when moving to a new apartment, but otherwise I just get more shelves when I need more. I don't think having a lot of full bookshelves would ever be perceived by others as a hoarder scenario if the apartment is kept clean and neat. But I do think that being seen to own many books will generally give people a better impression of you, so I was sort of serious with that joke.
>> to be real I can't imagine reading so many books that you run out of room for enough bookshelves
I don't have anywhere close to enough bookshelf space for the number of books I've read over the years.
I moved my book boxes many times before I gave up on most of them. Now I don't even have space to put them all out. 88 square meters for a family of four with toys etc. doesn't go very far.
Or, you might find the author online and see if they have some sort of donation mechanism set up. It's very common these days for a lot of professionals, but some authors are old school.
You are still buying a copy, that I imagine is the practical effect you want.
You don't keep proof, though, and probably isn't allowed to keep a backup after you give the book away. But most countries laws don't care about any of this (and it's not a backup).
Many people live in small apartments. The footprint of a single physical book may be negligible but five hundred books can become a logistical nightmare.
That sounds simple, but wouldn't the ebook you "pulled off" the Kindle still be in Amazon's format with DRM? I don't think this solves the original problem.
The first problem was to get the original file from somewhere in a usable format, then strip DRM in a later stage. Seems like step 1 was already made significantly harder now.
Most of the books I read are from authors long dead (current one: Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit, by Frank H. Knight, highly recommended). They don't need the money.
The only viable option would be to buy the book and then pirate a de-DRM'd copy.