Help side-loading to a Kindle please.

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peejayw

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#299145 15-Aug-2022 14:50

My daughter has aquired a Kindle, I have a Kobo so don't know how Kindles work. She tried to download a book from the local library using her phone to access the library site but there was no option to send to her Kindle and the book just downloaded on her phone.
It's there a web browser on the Kindle that can be used for that?
Also, what would be the easiest way to side-load a book to it?
Thanks.

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

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#2954901 15-Aug-2022 14:59

https://calibre-ebook.com/ is the best for converting and transferring ebooks to a kindle (epub to mobi/azw).

Not sure that I can state where to get epubs of mainstream books without breaking FUG but there are lots of free ones out there.

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shk292

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#2954902 15-Aug-2022 15:00

The best way is to use the Calibre application on a PC. It's slightly complex to set up but works very well, and allows a unified view of books from all sources.

peejayw

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#2954909 15-Aug-2022 15:12

Thanks guys, I use Calibre for my Kobo but my daughter is not really computer-wise so I would need some way to send the book to her Kindle remotely ( we live in different cities) . Is that a possibility?

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

gehenna

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#2954910 15-Aug-2022 15:16

No it'll need to be a locally connected Calibre app

peejayw

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#2954912 15-Aug-2022 15:19

Ok. Thanks for that. So does the Kindle have a web browser that could access the local library website to download?

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

shk292

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#2954920 15-Aug-2022 15:44

I don't think Kindle can access library books without calibre; that's always been a selling point for Kobo. If you want to use library books, you either need Kobo or Calibre.
Not sure why Amazon have never fixed this but it could have something to do with them being a bookseller

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Bung

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#2954926 15-Aug-2022 15:53

No, the libraries use a non kindle format. The work around in the US is Amazon serve Kindle format versions of the library books.
Here you have to borrow an Epub version and any conversion is over to you.

bongojona

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#2954933 15-Aug-2022 16:09

You can use the windows app 'send to kindle' to send supported files to your kindle device

So you could convert say an .epub book into .mobi in calibre then email it to your daughter who could use the app to upload it to her kindle

Can confirm Kindles do not support the local library formats, it is a locked system where they want you to buy books in their store, but you can use calibre to convert formats and then this app to upload them

Handsomedan

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#2954985 15-Aug-2022 16:15

Yeah - this is why I have started using my iPad Mini over my Kindle of late.

I can still use the Kindle app for Kindle books, but the versatility of being able to use Libby and iBooks has made it an easy choice,

With a case and a matte Paperlike screen protector, the iPad is no longer painful to read on.

Alternately, a Kobo is the way to go for easy Library use.

Kindles are amazing - just not for anything other than Kindle eBooks or PDF's for the average user.

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davidcole

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#2954990 15-Aug-2022 16:22

bongojona:

You can use the windows app 'send to kindle' to send supported files to your kindle device

So you could convert say an .epub book into .mobi in calibre then email it to your daughter who could use the app to upload it to her kindle

Can confirm Kindles do not support the local library formats, it is a locked system where they want you to buy books in their store, but you can use calibre to convert formats and then this app to upload them

This is the way.....once it's converted to a kindle compatible format, the send to kindle can be used, there's a specific email address for a kindle and it will receive the book via email. I remember doing this years ago. I'd assume it still works.

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#2955017 15-Aug-2022 17:23

davidcole:

bongojona:

You can use the windows app 'send to kindle' to send supported files to your kindle device

So you could convert say an .epub book into .mobi in calibre then email it to your daughter who could use the app to upload it to her kindle

Can confirm Kindles do not support the local library formats, it is a locked system where they want you to buy books in their store, but you can use calibre to convert formats and then this app to upload them

This is the way.....once it's converted to a kindle compatible format, the send to kindle can be used, there's a specific email address for a kindle and it will receive the book via email. I remember doing this years ago. I'd assume it still works.

I do this regularly, it works well.

Send2kindle is the easiest way but requires login to the Amazon account. Emailing it to the kindles email address doesn't require login

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-put-free-ebooks-on-your-amazon-kindle

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allan

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#2955020 15-Aug-2022 17:30

Yes if your daughter has created a Kindle account she will have a "send-to-kindle" email address of somename@kindle.com. You will be able to email books to her at this address from Calibre provided you have converted them to a Kindle friendly format (e.g. mobi). They will turn up on her Kindle classified as Documents rather than Books, but for all other purposes, they will behave just like a book.

One other trick I have just learned, because the USB port on my Kindle has gone faulty (it charges, but nothing recognises it as a device any longer), is that if you fire up the "Content Server" (web server) on Calibre and point the Kindle web browser to it and select a book, the Kindle will download it quite happily. Probably not appropriate in your case, because you won't want to expose the Calibre web server to the world, but works fine within the confines of my home.

peejayw

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#2955027 15-Aug-2022 17:58

Will give that a go, thanks.

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

SepticSceptic

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#2955076 15-Aug-2022 22:44

The mobi format is being discontinued shortly.
I have been using the email to kindle from Calibri, and get notifications that the mobi format will no longer be accepted end of August.
Conversion to EPUB works.

timmmay

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#2955143 16-Aug-2022 06:46

Convert to AZW3 with Calibre and send to kindle / copy using USB cable / use the Kindle email address.

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