Create An Account

Before you purchase any download product from us, you can create a personal account in our online store. Although this is not necessary, and you will have the option of a Guest Checkout, it is recommended.

Why should I create an account?

  • After your purchase is complete, your ebook or download kit will be available for download from your account, and
  • Because downloads can and sometimes do fail, and the hardware devices used to read ebooks can also fail, we maintain a copy of your purchase for you in your account. All you need to do to get your book back is log into your account and download it again.

We ask for very little information when you create your account and we will neither spam you nor allow anyone to see your private information.

Formats

download kits

Our download kits typically contain PDF forms, Word forms, and sometimes Excel files. Products where the book/guide are included in the download kit (probate, divorce, separation) the PDF files are secured and password protected to restrict unauthorized copying and printing.

After you purchase a download kit, you'll receive a link to download - either in an email confirmation or accessed through your customer account (if you created one). Click the link to initiate the 'filename.zip' download. Save the .zip file to your desktop or a folder where you can locate the file after. Once the download is complete, you now must find the file and extract its contents.

You will need a program that has the ability to unzip the folder/parcel. Most newer operating systems can unzip files simply by double-clicking or right-clicking the .zip file and selecting "extract" or "unzip". Older operating systems require an extracting program such as WINZIP or 7-ZIP which you'll have to download and install separately.

Once unzipped, the instructions included in the kit will be written on a .html file and should be opened with any modern web browser (ex. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer). Please find the 'instructions.html' file and "open with" your current web browser. Follow the instructions.

Important notice: If you are using Internet Explorer to buy and download files, you should be aware that Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, and 8 do not handle ZIP files correctly and will give an error (The Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupted.) when you try to open the file.

Solutions: either download and install the latest version of Internet Explorer 10 or download and install Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

For more information about our Download Kits (legal and business forms) please read this article

ebooks

We currently sell ebooks in one format - EPUB. This format is used by iBooks, Nook, Kobo, and many other reading systems. All ebooks sold on this site can be found on Amazon.com in the Kindle format. We DO NOT sell Kindle format (Amazon) ebooks on our site.

Using an iPad?
If you're trying to open / view / edit a download kit on a tablet like an iPad you will need to install additional applications to do this. An app called iZIP is available for free in the iTunes App Store. Installing this application will allow you to UNZIP the file and view the content. It will also allow you to open and save the Word and PDF forms in other applications designed for file storage and sharing, like Dropbox or Google Drive.

If you're attempting to EDIT Word and Excel documents from a DL kit on your tablet, you will also have to install another application that is designed for working on Microsoft Office documents. There are many options available to you in the App Store, and most of them are not free. Printing documents from a tablet can also be a challenge as this has to be done through a wireless internet connection (Wifi). We recommend you complete the forms in your kit on a desktop or laptop device that is designed for editing, saving, and printing documents.

Digital Rights Management (DRM)

DRM is a form of copy protection software which is used to "lock" your ebook to one device. It is supplied by, and relies upon, third-party vendors and in the short time it has existed, we have seen DRM vendors shut down causing users to lose access to the books they paid for. We don't believe DRM is a good idea, and we do believe we can trust our readers, so all Self-Counsel eBooks are DRM-free.

You Need Software or  Hardware

To read one of our ebooks, you need either a dedicated device with e-reading software on it, or appropriate software on your personal computer. To learn more about these options, please read this article.

Installing Your eBook

To learn how to install your ebook on your dedicated reading device or your personal computer, please read this article.

CDs in Printed Books

Many of our printed books contain CD-ROMs with forms, checklists, spreadsheets, and other useful materials for the reader. We cannot "attach" a CD-ROM to an ebook, and displaying letter-sized forms on (for example) the small screen of a smartphone is not very useful.

What we have done is, made the CD-ROM contents available as a separate, optional download at a very low price. You will find these "kits" in the same place you find your ebooks in our store. Each kit is designed to work well in a web browser on Windows, Apple OS X, and Linux operating systems. Each kit contains all the forms and other materials normally found on the CD in the printed book. If you cannot find a kit you want, please email our Customer Service (see this page for contacts


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