email epub to Kindle?

[AlanHK]

I know I can email a mobi file to a @kindle.com address to send a file to a kindle user.

And also some other formats -- but can I do the same with epub?

I know how to convert to mobi with the Kindle Previewer or Calibre, but just wondering I could simply send the file I already have (presumably it would be converted in the same way as the previewer, but maybe a smaller file if it strips out the unneeded format).
I don't have an actual kindle, so can't test it easily myself.

[cvkemp]

This is the answer you need.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/email

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

This is the answer you need.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/email

So that looks like a "no".

Supported File Types:
Microsoft Word (.DOC, .DOCX)
HTML (.HTML, .HTM)
RTF (.RTF)
JPEG (.JPEG, .JPG)
Kindle Format (.MOBI, .AZW)
GIF (.GIF)
PNG (.PNG)
BMP (.BMP)
PDF (.PDF)

I recalled not seeing epub listed explicitly, but wondered if it worked anyway, since it must be easier to convert epub than many of these other formats, But Amazon doesn't want to encourage epubs, presumably.

[cvkemp]

You will get an email back if it fails. As long as you monitor your email.

[Cinisajoy]

Oh also, you have to be approved by the recipient before you can send to their Kindle.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

I know how to convert to mobi with the Kindle Previewer or Calibre, but just wondering I could simply send the file I already have

You can email an EPUB directly using calibre's "Sharing books by email" feature.
Since Amazon doesn't accept EPUB, just mark the @kindle.com email recipient as only accepting MOBI.

calibre will auto-convert it to MOBI, the same way it auto-converts when using Send-to-device.



I am assuming your reluctance to convert is based on the time-and-focus-consuming process of opening calibre, running a conversion, saving the converted MOBI, and then attaching it to an email?

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

{...}
I am assuming your reluctance to convert is based on the time-and-focus-consuming process of opening calibre, running a conversion, saving the converted MOBI, and then attaching it to an email?

If you don't want to install Calibre, or are away, there are several conversion web sites (which seem to use Calibre anyway)

I have used

http://convertfiles.com/

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

I know I can email a mobi file to a @kindle.com address to send a file to a kindle user.

And also some other formats -- but can I do the same with epub?

I know how to convert to mobi with the Kindle Previewer or Calibre, but just wondering I could simply send the file I already have (presumably it would be converted in the same way as the previewer, but maybe a smaller file if it strips out the unneeded format).
I don't have an actual kindle, so can't test it easily myself.

You'd be better off converting it to KF8, posting it to a Dropbox account and emailing the link.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

You can email an EPUB directly using calibre's "Sharing books by email" feature.

I knew Calibre can convert and send to Kindle, but didn't know it could use email -- obvious in retrospect.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I am assuming your reluctance to convert is based on the time-and-focus-consuming process of opening calibre, running a conversion, saving the converted MOBI, and then attaching it to an email?

I hate how I have to load a book into the manager module and Calibre makes copies of it in its own folders before letting me convert it.
Or have I missed a method that bypasses all that?
I use Calibre only as a last resort because of its hegemonistic attitude to my files.

[tomsem]

calibre has a command line interface:

http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/cli/ebook-convert.html
http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/cli/calibre-smtp.html

A calibre-free approach might be to:
- get Send To Kindle app and kindlegen from Amazon
- write a script to feed epub to kindlegen, producing mobi
- script opens Send To Kindle and feeds it the mobi
- check title and author manually (they're often not correct or otherwise ugly) and click Send

On a mac you could set up a watch folder to trigger this script (or the equivalent calibre CLI script) when you drag or copy a file into the watch folder. For windows and linux there are tools for setting up watch folders.

[AlanHK]

So I tried sending several different formats:

epub:
Immediate email response:
"The following document, sent at 03:20 AM on Fri, Dec 18, 2015 GMT could not be delivered to the Kindle you specified: * XXX.epub"

So I used the Kindle Previewer to convert the epub, then split it into an azw3 and a mobi using KindleUnpack. I was hoping that I could just send the kf8 format, since the formatting in the kf7 version was a bit off

But XXX.azw3 or the same file renamed as XXX.mobi also were rejected. I don't know if the latter would have been delivered if my friend had a newer Kindle.
The omnibus XXX.mobi containing both formats worked. I'm pretty sure the dumbed down kf7 mobi would also work.

So, no backdoor conversions via email then.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

So I tried sending several different formats:

epub:
Immediate email response:
"The following document, sent at 03:20 AM on Fri, Dec 18, 2015 GMT could not be delivered to the Kindle you specified: * XXX.epub"

So I used the Kindle Previewer to convert the epub, then split it into an azw3 and a mobi using KindleUnpack. I was hoping that I could just send the kf8 format, since the formatting in the kf7 version was a bit off

But XXX.azw3 or the same file renamed as XXX.mobi also were rejected. I don't know if the latter would have been delivered if my friend had a newer Kindle.
The omnibus XXX.mobi containing both formats worked. I'm pretty sure the dumbed down kf7 mobi would also work.

So, no backdoor conversions via email then.

No need to experiment with this - the facts are well-known.

As you've discovered, you cannot email either an ePub or a pure KF8 file to a Kindle. You can send a "dual Mobi" or a MOBI7 file.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No need to experiment with this - the facts are well-known.

As you've discovered, you cannot email either an ePub or a pure KF8 file to a Kindle. You can send a "dual Mobi" or a MOBI7 file.

So you just posted to tell me that I'm an idiot for actually testing this?
How obnoxious can you get?

I knew what the documents said. I also know that Amazon's documents are often out of date and contradictory. I also knew that you can submit an epub file to publish a Kindle, so I wondered if they actually used the same process for this, whether it was documented officially or not. It was worth investigating.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

So you just posted to tell me that I'm an idiot?

Screw you.

No, I posted to tell you that the results of your experiments match what is known. Ie they produced the results that one would have expected them to.

Your impoliteness is completely inappropriate. Please do not repeat if it you wish to remain a member of this community.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, I posted to tell you that the results of your experiments match what is known. Ie they produced the results that one would have expected them to.

Your impoliteness is completely inappropriate. Please do not repeat if it you wish to remain a member of this community.

I had moderated my '"impoliteness" before you made your threat.
Neverthelesss, your original post served no purpose other than to insult me.