For more information on using Eat Your Books go to the Help section where you will find a Quick Tour of Eat Your Books; a Getting Started Guide and a 'How To' section.
How much does it cost to become a member of EYB?
It is a very simple process to become an Eat Your Books member. Simply click on the Registration button of the Home Page, and complete the registration form. You can choose:
How many times may I take advantage of the 30-day free trial?
Only once. We hope that 30 days gives you enough time to get to know the site and decide whether you want to become a member. If you don't sign up immediately following your 30 days, we will store your My Bookshelf data in case you want to sign up for membership at a later date.
How long is my membership good for?
If you sign up for an annual membership, you will need to renew it annually. We will start reminding you 30 days before your membership is due for renewal. If you become a Lifetime Member your membership lasts as long as you do.
What are the advantages to Lifetime Membership?
We are offering a Lifetime Membership for a limited period only. Our early members are very important to us and we'd like to reward them for signing up for Eat Your Books while it's still in its infancy. The advantage is that having paid the Lifetime Membership fee of US$50, membership continues for ever without any future payments being required.
Why should I have to pay to become a member of Eat Your Books?
We feel that we are offering a valuable service to our members which is worth a small fee. Unlike other free sites that rely on the members to provide the data, we have invested heavily in setting up the site and providing the data for their use. Additionally, we have taken the decision at EYB to be an advertising free site - we feel that our members would prefer to pay a small fee and the site to be clutter free.
Can I give a membership as a gift?
We don't have gift vouchers, but it is something we may introduce later.
Can I transfer my membership?
No it's not possible.
How do I renew my membership?
Eat Your Books will notify you 30 days before your renewal is due. Regular reminders will be sent to you to remind you that your membership is due to expire.
Are there any penalties for early termination of my membership?
No, if you choose not to continue using Eat Your Books, you would simply not renew your annual membership fee when due. There is no repayment of annual or lifetime fees once they have been paid.
What types of payment do you accept?
We accept PayPal accounts and all major credit cards - Visa, Amex, MasterCard.
What happens if I let my membership expire - if I renew at a later date will I lose My Bookshelf?
We will send regular reminders to you during the 30 days preceding expiry of your membership. If you do not renew your membership, you will not have access to the site until your annual membership fee is paid. We will store your My Bookshelf data for a limited period.
Are there any rules?
The only rules we impose on our members are to ensure that nothing illegal happens on our website and to ensure that members are respectful to each other. All the rules are outlined in the Terms and Conditions which you acknowledge and agree to when you become a member. There is a link to the Terms and Conditions from every page on the site.
Why do you need my personal information?
We only ask you for personal information that we feel will enable us to personalize your EYB experience. We have tried to keep it to a minimum. Some of this information is disclosed to other members should you decide to have a Public profile - you can easily see what this information is by going to My Profile page. We would NEVER give your email address to anyone without your permission.
What does EYB do with the information I provide?
As detailed in the Privacy Statement, EYB will not provide any 3rd party with your personal details. These are contained on a secure server and every possible measure is taken to ensure they are protected.
What if I don't want EYB to share my personal information?
You have the option of having a Private profile, so no one can see your personal information. We do encourage all members to have a Public profile, as one of the benefits of joining EYB is for members to share their experiences of using cookbooks.
How can I change my email address or password?
Just go into My Profile, click on Edit Details and enter in your new email address or password.
What happens to my information if my membership is terminated either by me or by EYB?
We will store all data contained in your My Bookshelf for a limited period.
Why do I need to create a Bookshelf?
When you become a member your Bookshelf exists but it's empty. When you add the cookbooks you own to your Bookshelf you are creating a digital view of your books. You can then use EYB's extensive searching facilities to search for recipes in your indexed books.
What does Indexed Books mean?
An indexed book means that the recipe name and all the main ingredients for every recipe in that book is stored. So you can search for recipes by the recipe name, the ingredients it uses, the book it's from, or the author. We have also categorized recipes by: ethnicity, recipe type, meal type, special diet and occasion. So you can find out, in seconds, if you have a recipe in your cookbooks for Greek Beef Casserole. We do not have the complete recipe on EYB - you have to refer to your cookbook for all other details.
What does "Request to Index" mean?
You may find some of your favorite cookbooks aren't indexed. You can send a request to EYB for a book to be indexed by clicking on the RI icon against the book. An email will be generated to EYB with your request - you may not see the email if you can't use MailTo links but your request will have gone. We can't guarantee that we will Index this book, it will depend on how many other requests we're getting and priority will be given to books that we get multiple requests for. You will know if we are going to Index it as the status will change from RI to WI (waiting to be indexed), and it should be within 4 weeks. We will also notify you when it has been done.
How can I get my cookbooks indexed faster?
Sometimes less-requested cookbooks may take a while to get to the top of the indexing pile. Or, if you are the only person who requested it, it may never get indexed. If you would like to index your own cookbooks, please click on Contact Us and volunteer. We will love you for ever!
Is there a limit to the number of cookbooks I can have on my Bookshelf?
There is no limit, you can put all your books on your Bookshelf.
How do I know which edition of a cookbook EYB has indexed?
We usually only index one version of a book. To see which edition of a book has been indexed click on More Detail to show the ISBN. If other versions of the book exist it will show them against Linked ISBNs. If you own one of the Linked ISBN's you can choose to add this one to your Bookshelf - it will include the indexed recipes, though be aware there could be variations. Some books have UK and US versions, we have indexed some of these separately, so you will see two indexed versions. Choose the one that you own. For example several of Nigella Lawson's books have both the UK and US versions indexed.
I keep some of my cookbook collection at my vacation home - do I need two Bookshelves?
No, you only need one Bookshelf. You can set up your own locations and specify which books are kept there. You can do this when you're adding books to your Bookshelf or later. For more information go to the How To section.
Can I use my own categories for my cookbooks and recipes?
Yes you can. At EYB we have categorized thousands of books and recipes, so you can search for books by Ethnicity, Occasion, Special Diet, Course and General Categories such as Soups, Cakes. However we knew people would want to create their own as well. You can categorize your books as you add them to your Bookshelf or later. For more information go to the How To section.
Some recipes include store-cupboard ingredients - what does this mean?
As you will know by now we are not a recipe site! Eat Your Books lets you search for recipes in your cookbooks by ingredients. It's unlikely anyone would want to search for recipes by basic ingredients such as oil, flour and sugar. Most people have these basics in their cupboard, so we decided not to include them. Always refer to the recipe in your cookbook to ensure you have the complete list of ingredients.
Why should I write a comment against a book or recipe?
By registering as an EYB member you become a member of the EYB community - these are people, like you, who own and love to use cookbooks. By sharing your enjoyment of owning a cookbook or discovering a recipe that you love with other members, they will be grateful and reciprocate. By becoming an active member - everyone benefits.
What is Notifications for, there's never anything in it?
This is where you will be notified if you have been invited to be a Friend by another member, or if someone has accepted your invitation. Invitations to Forum Groups and Forum activities that you are interested in are also posted here.
How can I request a new feature that I'd like to see on Eat Your Books?
We are continually updating and improving Eat Your Books based on feedback from our members. If you have any suggestions for improving the site, post your ideas to the New Features on EYB section in the Forum. Or send an email to us by clicking on Contact Us.
How can I let EYB know if I see a mistake?
At the bottom of every page is a "Report an Error" tag, click on this and let us know what the error is and which Book or Recipe it's in. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the site is error free, it probably isn't, so we appreciate your help to make it so. If you don't have a mail client installed, mail us at errors@eatyourbooks.com