KFX Format

[datcha]

Originally Posted by Manabi

The Organ Scrubber, the first book in the Defragmenting Daniel trilogy by Jason Werbeloff is free until tomorrow. Probably only at Amazon, since he's in Amazon Unlimited.

Can you explain the inference in the last sentence.
First I know of two meaning of unlimited at Amazon that are of importance (at least for me):

• being available for Kindle Unlimited
• being specified in Product Details as:
  Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Your sentence seems more to imply the former. But when I follow your link, the Amazon page I get has no reference to Kindle Unlimited, but it does specify unlimited simultaneous device usage. So, which one do you mean?

Then , why should that imply that the book should be free only at Amazon?

I am curious because I am trying to understand what Amazon really means by unlimited simultaneous device usage. I have seen contradictory posts on the web, and my own experience did not clarify the issue.

BTW, thanks a lot ... I did grab it, and it seems to have excellent reviews.

[datcha]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

You are quoting a 6 month old post. A lot of things have changed since then. Well, it is still not possible to remove DRM from kfx books. But the download to pc, transfer via usb gives you a azw3 book that can be dedrmed just fine. That is the only workaround for now since Kindle4PC has been updated to kfx as well (far as I know). You won't have enhanced typesetting, but jhowell created a kfx file that can be sideloaded with enhanced typesetting. (See post #362 in this thread just a few post before yours).

I am trying to get my books in azw3 rather than kfx, but I do not quite understand this procedure of "download & transfer via usb".

I go to the "Manage Your Content and Devices" page of my account. When I click on the second square in the line for my book, I get the following message:

You have selected content that is not compatible with any of your registered devices. Please remove incompatible content from selection for eligible devices to appear.

All my devices are Kindle apps running on various support (Android pad and phones) and the Kindle cloud reader. And my selection includes only one book. I do not own a physical Kindle.

Do you have any idea on how I could/should proceed?

Of course, any other technique for getting my books in azw3 (or prc) rather than kfx would do.

[eschwartz]

If you don't have an E-Ink Kindle, you will need to use Kindle for PC (or Mac).

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by datcha

Can you explain the inference in the last sentence.
First I know of two meaning of unlimited at Amazon that are of importance (at least for me):

• being available for Kindle Unlimited
• being specified in Product Details as:
  Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Your sentence seems more to imply the former. But when I follow your link, the Amazon page I get has no reference to Kindle Unlimited, but it does specify unlimited simultaneous device usage. So, which one do you mean?

Then , why should that imply that the book should be free only at Amazon?

I am curious because I am trying to understand what Amazon really means by unlimited simultaneous device usage. I have seen contradictory posts on the web, and my own experience did not clarify the issue.

BTW, thanks a lot ... I did grab it, and it seems to have excellent reviews.

E-books included in Kindle Unlimited are part of Amazon's KDP-Select, which requires they be sold exclusively through Amazon. (Or at least I know of no other way to get an e-book included in KU.) I'm not sure how you don't see it's in KU, since there's a KU "Read for Free" button above the buy button:



Notice how it's before the buy button, they push KU way too hard.

Glad to hear you grabbed it, it's a great book. I have book two to read (same deal as first one, I have to do an honest review pre-launch) but haven't had the time to read it yet. I'm excited to find out what happens next! If you read it and enjoy it, you should sign up for his newsletter. That's how I got the free review copy, he asked for readers willing to review it pre-release. You also get a free copy of his e-book Solace Pill for signing up. I haven't read it yet, so I can't comment on how good/bad it is.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by datcha

...
I am curious because I am trying to understand what Amazon really means by unlimited simultaneous device usage. I have seen contradictory posts on the web, and my own experience did not clarify the issue.
...

As far as I know the term "unlimited simultaneous device usage" only means that the book does not have any form of DRM (Digital Rights Management, or "Copy Protection") applied. That might be good to know if you have a non-Kindle ereader.

[Brendan Moody]

Originally Posted by Manabi

E-books included in Kindle Unlimited are part of Amazon's KDP-Select, which requires they be sold exclusively through Amazon. (Or at least I know of no other way to get an e-book included in KU.)

There are e-books in KU that aren't Amazon-exclusive, but only those few from writers and publishers major enough that Amazon has more to gain from forgoing exclusivity.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by cromag

As far as I know the term "unlimited simultaneous device usage" only means that the book does not have any form of DRM (Digital Rights Management, or "Copy Protection") applied.

That is not completely true. Most books are now delivered to newer Kindle apps and devices in KFX format, and those are always encrypted even if they are marked Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited.

There are ways to download these books in older formats without DRM, but that might not always be the case in the future.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by datcha

I am trying to get my books in azw3 rather than kfx, but I do not quite understand this procedure of "download & transfer via usb".

I go to the "Manage Your Content and Devices" page of my account. When I click on the second square in the line for my book, I get the following message:

You have selected content that is not compatible with any of your registered devices. Please remove incompatible content from selection for eligible devices to appear.

All my devices are Kindle apps running on various support (Android pad and phones) and the Kindle cloud reader. And my selection includes only one book. I do not own a physical Kindle.

Do you have any idea on how I could/should proceed?

Of course, any other technique for getting my books in azw3 (or prc) rather than kfx would do.

Placing this in a thread for KFX is not appropriate place to ask the question. I take it you are trying to download a eBook from Amazon which you believe is in KFX format and you want to download it in AZW3 format. Is this close? It is possible that the book is not available in any format other than KFX so you download it you would need a app capable of reading KFX. There error message seems to be that you do not have an app cable of reading this format.

[datcha]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Placing this in a thread for KFX is not appropriate place to ask the question. I take it you are trying to download a eBook from Amazon which you believe is in KFX format and you want to download it in AZW3 format. Is this close? It is possible that the book is not available in any format other than KFX so you download it you would need a app capable of reading KFX. There error message seems to be that you do not have an app cable of reading this format.

I am asking the question here because this thread is one of the two places on the web where I found this technique suggested. And I was actually replying to the post suggesting it. The other place is in a Calibre documentation for releases, precisely about release 2.40 [02 Oct, 2015].

My question is about how to avoid getting my books in kfx, and all my searching on the web, including reading this thread, suggests that it is a topic for kfx experts.

I actually downloaded all my books (more than a hundred) and looked at the files. About 15% are prc files that are fine for me. The remaining 85% is, apparently without exception, exclusively kfx files. I supposed that is what the kfx suffix means. Given that the kfx format is recent, and that prc is still used, it is more than reasonable to think that most of these 85% ebooks are originally in azw3, or at least in a format that was formerly downloaded as azw3.

Furthermore I get that error message even for books that are in prc, which my devices apps can read.

Actually, all my apps are capable of reading kfx (I tried). But kfx is a device dependent format, and is therefore not appropriate for local management, such as using Calibre. That is why I want to get azw3.

I can add that nearly all of my ebooks are not supposed to have DRM.

But I am open to suggestions for a more appropriate place where to ask my question.

[darryl]

@datcha. As far as I am aware, you can get a file suitable for your purposes rather than a kfx file by the following methods:

1. If you own an e-ink Kindle (but not otherwise) your content and devices tab will give you an option to download to your computer for transfer via usb which will give you a suitable file.
2. If you download a book to an older e-ink Kindle that does not support kfx (Paperwhite 1st generation and earlier) you will get a suitable file.
3. If you install Kindle4PC to your Windows machine and download the books you want, you will also get suitable files. I'm not sure about Kindle4Mac. I have seen one suggestion that Kindle4PC now supports KFX, but I don't believe this to be correct. Amazon indicates this is not the case.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by darryl

1. If you own an e-ink Kindle (but not otherwise) your content and devices tab will give you an option to download to your computer for transfer via usb which will give you a suitable file.

Owners of non-e-ink Fire tablets can also use the download option. (Useful for DRM-free books.)

Originally Posted by darryl

I have seen one suggestion that Kindle4PC now supports KFX, but I don't believe this to be correct. Amazon indicates this is not the case.

Kindle for PC was updated to version 1.17.0 a few days ago. It still does not have support for KFX.

[datcha]

Originally Posted by Manabi

E-books included in Kindle Unlimited are part of Amazon's KDP-Select, which requires they be sold exclusively through Amazon. (Or at least I know of no other way to get an e-book included in KU.) I'm not sure how you don't see it's in KU, since there's a KU "Read for Free" button above the buy button:

Sorry ... my mistake.

Since it is free, and looked good, I bought it right away. Then the Amazon page stopped showing the "Read for Free" KU button, and I did not see it when I read again your question and wrote my reply.

I am quite willing to pay for my books, but it seems that finding a free access is the only way to get them unencumbered with DRM, or DRM substitutes like KFX (does that mean Kentucky Fried Anything ?). Doing reviews is not exactly free, but it is a way involving no money. But currently I owe another review (for a book I could not otherwise get without DRM), and I do not read fast.

[datcha]

Originally Posted by jhowell

That is not completely true. Most books are now delivered to newer Kindle apps and devices in KFX format, and those are always encrypted even if they are marked Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited.

There are ways to download these books in older formats without DRM, but that might not always be the case in the future.

This is precisely my original problem (why I am interested in understanding). I recently learned how to download my ebooks, but that gave me mostly kfx versions of them, which are unusable (except for about 15% that are still prc format).

So I am looking for ways of downloading older formats (at least for the "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" books, and those that are explicitly supposed to be without DRM, though "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" may not be there (I have seen some, from Tor imprint).

I tried to use the "download & transfer via usb" procedure (on the Amazon content management page), but it apparently does not work for any of my devices or Kindle apps (I get an error message). My devices are actually Kindle apps on Android, and the Kindle cloud reader. I have no physical Kindle, and I do not use Windows or Mac (though I can probably borrow a Windows PC if necessary).

So I am very eager for your ways of downloading in older formats.

And if the is a tool to reverse kfx to older format, that could be nice too (maybe nicer). There is a company advertising such a product for sale (www.epubor.com), but I am wary of this.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Owners of non-e-ink Fire tables can also use the download option. (Useful for DRM-free books.)



Kindle for PC was updated to version 1.17.0 a few days ago. It still does not have support for KFX.

Thanks.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

If you don't have an E-Ink Kindle, you will need to use Kindle for PC (or Mac).

That should be the relevant answer for what you asked previously and asked again in different words. I am personally not sure if Kindle for PC / Mac still works, because since KFX surfaced I am only using the download option for eink Kindles. (download and transfer via usb) myself. My calibre and any plugins for it are outdated, and I won't bother to upgrade until what I have stops working.
Edit: apparently K4PC still works, see post above mine.

Originally Posted by datcha

I can add that nearly all of my ebooks are not supposed to have DRM.

All of the books we buy are not supposed to have DRM. That is why you disinfect them to be able to load on any of your devices. If they are already free of DRM, then you still need non KFX files to format shift for use on non KFX readers. The principle applies the same as DRMed books: download, import to calibre, organize, side load. Download and transfer via usb for eink devices still downloads the book as KF8 as of yesterday (last time I downloaded a book).