Libreture
The Black library is was Warhammer’s flagship fiction bookshop, stocking paper, ebook, and audiobook formats.
The Black Library online bookshop has now been replaced by a new Black Library app, which allows readers to ‘buy’ and read ebooks and listen to audiobooks on their phones or tablets.
Customers have a limited period to download the new Black Library app, and connect it to their existing Black Library accounts to transfer their purchases across, before they lose access to their old accounts for good on the 31st of August 2026.
And it looks like customers will also be losing the ability to download DRM-free copies of ebooks and audiobooks they already own.
No more DRM-free Warhammer ebooks & audiobooks
Since March 2026, you can no longer buy ebooks or audiobooks from The Black Library website.
Fans are rightly concerned that this is the end of their ability to download the digital books they’ve bought and paid for, and to read them on devices and in ways that suits them best.
“Why in the unholy fuck would you replace a perfectly usable website with fucking app, what the fuck is wrong with you”
Lord Omlette of New Jersey – 18 Feb 2026
”Very worried about new Warhammer book app. Afaik the current site is the only source of epub books, so you can buy it to use on iPhone, kindle etc. Now you’ll be forced into closed ecosystems (app only etc) ...”
For many it’s an accessibility issue, or even simply a comfort issue. I hate reading long-form text on a phone or tablet screen. And I’m not the only one:
“I'm honestly just not a reading books on my phone kinda person. Especially if I buy them there, then can't access them any other way. Pants is Puzzled.”
Customers have already spotted the clear statement that Warhammer ebooks will no longer be DRM-free. The Black Library app FAQ states:
Can I upload an ebook I've bought to the ereader I already have? (Kindle, Kobo, Apple iPad etc.)
No but the great thing about the new Black Library App is that it provides everything you need for exploring, reading and listening, all within the App. You can still purchase Black Library eBooks and Audiobooks through alternative vendors to use with your preferred eReader.
But Warhammer does not stock ebooks at those ‘alternative vendors’ in DRM-free formats!
Time to backup your ebooks!
I added The Black Library to my Ultimate List of DRM-free Bookshops way back in 2017. It was likely in my ‘To Add’ list long before that. It’s a huge shame to have to mark it as Closed.
You can always spot a publisher that truly believes in DRM-free ebooks and consumer rights by the way they stock their ebooks at ‘alternative vendors’. DRM is an expensive system to implement and maintain, so publishers rarely add it on their own direct bookshops. But you can tell who would prefer to by checking their titles on larger ebookshops, such as Kobo or Amazon.
Warhammer ebooks at shops like Kobo have always had DRM applied. They are not DRM-free.
And that’s the point. The app exists to close off a reader’s ability to actually “own” an ebook or audiobook. But your books are only ‘yours’ as long as you can access the app. As Mr Waffle continues:
“We’ve already seen services die in the past, eg you can’t buy Xbox 360 games on the console anymore, so some games are gone forever. And apps constantly get worse, eg Netflix and Amazon Prime forcing ads into previously ad-less subscriptions. There’s a million ways this can go bad for the customer...”
You will be able to browse and download past Black Library purchases until the 31st of August 2026.
What you need to do
-
Log-in to your Black Library account
(you can no longer register or buy ebooks on the website) -
Download your existing digital books
-
Keep them safe – try a free Libreture library!
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Happy Reading,
Kevin
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