copying books to readers looks like a jungle for newcomer

arctic guy · 06-27-2012, 08:42 PM

I thought this will be easy - NOT!

1. I downloaded a couple of books from Kobo site and they are stored on my laptop as URLLink.acsm, I have been able to read them off line thus they must be in the computer stored in a usable format for that. What on earth do I need to do to copy these books to Sony and Kindle ereaders?

I already downloaded and started calibre but it does not even see the books in my laptop.

2. How do I best keep myself free to download to my laptop and then be able to copy to my reader and my spouses reader files from a multitude of sources?

bigtext · 06-27-2012, 09:01 PM

An .acsm file must be opened with Adobe Digital Editions
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/ACSM

ADE will open the file and download the actual ebook from Kobos site. On Windows that file should end up in the <My Documents>\My Digital Editions folder.

You can then use the Add Books option in Calibre to add it to your Calibre Library.

Joykins · 06-27-2012, 09:28 PM

If the ebook has DRM (which if you're downloading an .ascm file it probably does), Calibre will manage metadata about it but cannot convert the file to Kindle (mobi) format. You will need to remove the DRM to convert it. There is someone googlable called Apprentice Alf who has some instructions for doing that with Calibre; we can't discuss how to do it here.

Lynx-lynx · 06-28-2012, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arctic guy

I thought this will be easy - NOT!

1. I downloaded a couple of books from Kobo site and they are stored on my laptop as URLLink.acsm, I have been able to read them off line thus they must be in the computer stored in a usable format for that. What on earth do I need to do to copy these books to Sony and Kindle ereaders?

I already downloaded and started calibre but it does not even see the books in my laptop.

2. How do I best keep myself free to download to my laptop and then be able to copy to my reader and my spouses reader files from a multitude of sources?

Are you familiar with book formats?

If not you may find the following link useful:

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_formats

In short, as you've purchased from Kobo then you probably have an EPUB formatted book.

But your Kindle uses AZW formatted ebooks.

Plus, any ebook you buy is likely to have Digital Rights Management (DRM) controls on it, that attempt to prevent you from copying the book, changing the format or reading your purchase on a device of choice.

However - there are ways and means to remove DRM and the previous post has referred you to Alf, check it out.

Then, in order to read any books on your Kindle you must first change the format to AZW - or only buy books from the Amazon store front because they're AZW formatted books. You can do that in Calibre.

Yep .... you need a roadmap in order to get from A to Z if you want to read your ebooks on a device of your choice!!

Chi Cygni · 06-28-2012, 10:21 AM

Have you downloaded Adobe Digital Editions to your computer? Have you created account with them? ADE will open your book and convert acsm file into ebook with .epub format which you can then find in your computer in folder My Digital Library (or some such I can't remember the correct name now)

http://www.adobe.com/products/digita...?promoid=GYTAX

What I did I created shortcut to that library to have easy access rather then look for it everythime on C drive. And then that "something.epub" you can put on your reader. If I am not mistaken it is good (correct me if I'm wrong here) to have your reader connected to computer while ADE is open so it will recognise it.

Me I take this .epub file directly to calibre which has some nice bells and whistles thanks to aforementioned Alf and do as I please with it. But that's another story entirely...

As for calibre you need to ADD books to it (drag and drop is enough) for it too see books on your laptop.

It is NOT that difficult - once you get a hang of it it will be a breeze.

So, basically the steps are (please anyone if I missed something, correct me)
attention, does not concern Kindle
1. Have ADE on your computer
2. create account.
3. buy book.
4. add said book to ADE so it will open acsm file.
5. find that converted file in your computer folder
6. connect reader via usb, copy paste to reader file with .epub extension
7. disconnect, read.

arctic guy · 06-28-2012, 10:24 AM

thanks. OK now I got the Adobe digital editions. Yet, it can not see any books which are already downloaded on my laptop. They were downloaded and read by kobo software on the laptop.

Joykins · 06-28-2012, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arctic guy

thanks. OK now I got the Adobe digital editions. Yet, it can not see any books which are already downloaded on my laptop. They were downloaded and read by kobo software on the laptop.

Try redownloading them.

arctic guy · 06-28-2012, 10:30 AM

Thanks Chi,
I thought this reader business is indeed straightforward - but it only appears so if you are willing to submit to the whishes of the providers of readers and book stores married with them...

I have an adobe ID and the digital edition now. Also downloaded calibre, now it is hopefully only a matter of time to get there...

arctic guy · 06-28-2012, 10:32 AM

Thanks Joykins, one step at a time, this is frustrating but hopefully rewarding at the end of it.

HarryT · 06-28-2012, 10:34 AM

The "ACSM" file is not the actual book - it's a file which tells Adobe Digital Editions how to download the book. If you open the ACSM file in ADE, your book should automatically download, and you can then transfer it to your reader.

In order to do this, both ADE (on your PC) and your reading device need to be registered to the same ADE account that you used to buy the book with.

Chi Cygni · 06-28-2012, 10:35 AM

Nothing will ever see anything by itself if you do not drag and drop or add or open it with a certain program. I would try to drag and drop this URLLink.acsm which you already have to ADE when it is open.

Ah you answered as I was typing. My pleasure. It WILL be easy and you surely will be a master. After all we all started exactly the same...

If you get a free .epub or .mobi book from internet this whole dance with ADE is not necessary. Just usb and drag and drop to your reader.

arctic guy · 06-28-2012, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joykins

Try redownloading them.

Joykins,
Do you mean downloading with the kobo software, that would be the only one to access the store where the book was originally purchased? Also is it normal that you can redownload what you have purchased?

arctic guy · 06-28-2012, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The "ACSM" file is not the actual book - it's a file which tells Adobe Digital Editions how to download the book. If you open the ACSM file in ADE, your book should automatically download, and you can then transfer it to your reader.

In order to do this, both ADE (on your PC) and your reading device need to be registered to the same ADE account that you used to buy the book with.

Ok I understand nothing that is not registered can access any of the content! Funny that they do not tell up front!

HarryT · 06-28-2012, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arctic guy

Ok I understand nothing that is not registered can access any of the content! Funny that they do not tell up front!

Bookstores generally have a page somewhere which tells you how to download books, but it's not always obvious, I agree. Once you've done it the first time, it's easy, but you're right in saying that it can be a little daunting at first.

arctic guy · 06-28-2012, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Are you familiar with book formats?

If not you may find the following link useful:

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_formats

In short, as you've purchased from Kobo then you probably have an EPUB formatted book.

But your Kindle uses AZW formatted ebooks.

Plus, any ebook you buy is likely to have Digital Rights Management (DRM) controls on it, that attempt to prevent you from copying the book, changing the format or reading your purchase on a device of choice.

However - there are ways and means to remove DRM and the previous post has referred you to Alf, check it out.

Then, in order to read any books on your Kindle you must first change the format to AZW - or only buy books from the Amazon store front because they're AZW formatted books. You can do that in Calibre.

Yep .... you need a roadmap in order to get from A to Z if you want to read your ebooks on a device of your choice!!

Lynx-Lynx,

Yes thank you for your encouragement. It obviously does not happen instantaneously that one can bypass all these built in protections, to break the built in marriages of hardware, software and the book stores.

Will have to try to now take a few of the a,b, c... steps.

06-27-2012, 08:42 PM	#1
arctic guy Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 3732 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: sony prs t1	copying books to readers looks like a jungle for newcomer I thought this will be easy - NOT! 1. I downloaded a couple of books from Kobo site and they are stored on my laptop as URLLink.acsm, I have been able to read them off line thus they must be in the computer stored in a usable format for that. What on earth do I need to do to copy these books to Sony and Kindle ereaders? I already downloaded and started calibre but it does not even see the books in my laptop. 2. How do I best keep myself free to download to my laptop and then be able to copy to my reader and my spouses reader files from a multitude of sources?

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06-27-2012, 09:01 PM	#2
bigtext Member Posts: 24 Karma: 44882 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Nook Simple Touch	An .acsm file must be opened with Adobe Digital Editions https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/ACSM ADE will open the file and download the actual ebook from Kobos site. On Windows that file should end up in the <My Documents>\My Digital Editions folder. You can then use the Add Books option in Calibre to add it to your Calibre Library.

06-27-2012, 09:28 PM	#3
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,609 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	If the ebook has DRM (which if you're downloading an .ascm file it probably does), Calibre will manage metadata about it but cannot convert the file to Kindle (mobi) format. You will need to remove the DRM to convert it. There is someone googlable called Apprentice Alf who has some instructions for doing that with Calibre; we can't discuss how to do it here.

06-28-2012, 10:21 AM	#5
Chi Cygni 秋子 permanently lurking Posts: 844 Karma: 6590735 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Europe Device: Oasis 3, Pocketbook Era	Have you downloaded Adobe Digital Editions to your computer? Have you created account with them? ADE will open your book and convert acsm file into ebook with .epub format which you can then find in your computer in folder My Digital Library (or some such I can't remember the correct name now) http://www.adobe.com/products/digita...?promoid=GYTAX What I did I created shortcut to that library to have easy access rather then look for it everythime on C drive. And then that "something.epub" you can put on your reader. If I am not mistaken it is good (correct me if I'm wrong here) to have your reader connected to computer while ADE is open so it will recognise it. Me I take this .epub file directly to calibre which has some nice bells and whistles thanks to aforementioned Alf and do as I please with it. But that's another story entirely... As for calibre you need to ADD books to it (drag and drop is enough) for it too see books on your laptop. It is NOT that difficult - once you get a hang of it it will be a breeze. So, basically the steps are (please anyone if I missed something, correct me) attention, does not concern Kindle 1. Have ADE on your computer 2. create account. 3. buy book. 4. add said book to ADE so it will open acsm file. 5. find that converted file in your computer folder 6. connect reader via usb, copy paste to reader file with .epub extension 7. disconnect, read.

06-28-2012, 10:24 AM	#6
arctic guy Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 3732 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: sony prs t1	thanks. OK now I got the Adobe digital editions. Yet, it can not see any books which are already downloaded on my laptop. They were downloaded and read by kobo software on the laptop.

06-28-2012, 10:30 AM	#8
arctic guy Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 3732 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: sony prs t1	Thanks Chi, I thought this reader business is indeed straightforward - but it only appears so if you are willing to submit to the whishes of the providers of readers and book stores married with them... I have an adobe ID and the digital edition now. Also downloaded calibre, now it is hopefully only a matter of time to get there...

06-28-2012, 10:32 AM	#9
arctic guy Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 3732 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: sony prs t1	Thanks Joykins, one step at a time, this is frustrating but hopefully rewarding at the end of it.

06-28-2012, 10:34 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The "ACSM" file is not the actual book - it's a file which tells Adobe Digital Editions how to download the book. If you open the ACSM file in ADE, your book should automatically download, and you can then transfer it to your reader. In order to do this, both ADE (on your PC) and your reading device need to be registered to the same ADE account that you used to buy the book with.

06-28-2012, 10:35 AM	#11
Chi Cygni 秋子 permanently lurking Posts: 844 Karma: 6590735 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Europe Device: Oasis 3, Pocketbook Era	Nothing will ever see anything by itself if you do not drag and drop or add or open it with a certain program. I would try to drag and drop this URLLink.acsm which you already have to ADE when it is open. Ah you answered as I was typing. My pleasure. It WILL be easy and you surely will be a master. After all we all started exactly the same... If you get a free .epub or .mobi book from internet this whole dance with ADE is not necessary. Just usb and drag and drop to your reader.