Transferring a books from Kindle on PC to Calibre and vice versa

[Heathside Boy]

Hi all,

I have downloaded the free Kindle app for PC and downloaded my first book from Amazon. Pretty cool!

What I would also like to know is:

1. Can I transfer a PDF book I already have on my computer to the Kindle for PC? If so, how?

2. Can you change the format once it is in the Kindle?

3. I know you can change format in Calibre. Can you transfer e-books in Calibre to the Kindle for PC and vice versa? If so, how, in both instances?

Thank you

HB

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

Hi all,

I have downloaded the free Kindle app for PC and downloaded my first book from Amazon. Pretty cool!

What I would also like to know is:

1. Can I transfer a PDF book I already have on my computer to the Kindle for PC? If so, how?

2. Can you change the format once it is in the Kindle?

3. I know you can change format in Calibre. Can you transfer e-books in Calibre to the Kindle for PC and vice versa? If so, how, in both instances?

Thank you

HB

1. yes, open the pdf with k4pc.
2. not in a kindle or in k4pc.
3. again open the file with k4pc.

[wallcraft]

Copy the PDF into the K4PC folder, which is "My Documents\My Kindle Content".

Calibre can manage K4PC ebooks (import from the K4PC folder, export to the K4PC folder). Use MOBI as the output format for the Kindle.

Many ebooks have DRM (encryption), Calibre can manage DRM-ridden ebooks but can't convert them to other formats. It is easy to strip Amazon and Adobe DRM, see Apprentice Alf's Blog for more about DRM and Calibre.

[Heathside Boy]

Thank you for your answers.

Alan,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'open the PDF with K4PC' or 'open the file with K4PC.' Perhaps you could explain this in more depth?

Wallcraft,

I did indeed copy the PDF into the K4PC folder and it did work. The book then showed in the Kindle. When I opened the book in the Kindle, the writing was tiny and hard to read. Can this be changed? Can you add a cover for the book in the Kindle as you can in Calibre?

Have you got the link to 'Alf's blog for more about DRM and Calibre?'

What I would dearly love to do is, somehow transfer the books from the K4PC to Calibre. I find it much easier to read books in Calibre once I get them in there. Can this be done and can you give me a detailed explanation on how to do it please?

How do I export books from the K4PC to Calibre? I do not understand when you say, 'Use MOBI as the output format for the Kindle.' I am new at all this so could you explain this as well please and what I should do as your explanation?

Just to let you know, I have Calibre (to manage my books) and Nook as well as K4PC.

Thank you

HB

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

Have you got the link to 'Alf's blog for more about DRM and Calibre?'

What I would dearly love to do is, somehow transfer the books from the K4PC to Calibre. I find it much easier to read books in Calibre once I get them in there. Can this be done and can you give me a detailed explanation on how to do it please?

How do I export books from the K4PC to Calibre? I do not understand when you say, 'Use MOBI as the output format for the Kindle.' I am new at all this so could you explain this as well please and what I should do as your explanation?

Just to let you know, I have Calibre (to manage my books) and Nook as well as K4PC.

Google for Apprentice Alf's Blog. Note that if you have been importing Nook ebooks you bought (i.e. with DRM) into Calibre and you can read them there - then you are already using the 3rd party DRM-stripping add-ons to Calibre. If not, Apprentice Alf's Blog tells you how to strip DRM from Adobe and/or B&N ebooks as well as Kindle ebooks.

In Calibre, right click on the Add Book icon, select "Add books from a single directory", navigate to the folder "My Documents\My Kindle Content", and select the ebooks you want to import into Calibre. You will first need to add the 3rd party DRM-stripping add-ons to Calibre.

MOBI is an ebook format that K4PC can read. If you want to export Nook ebooks (say) to K4PC you will need to use Calibre's "convert books" capability to convert the ePub ebooks to the MOBI format. However, if you can convert to MOBI you can also just read in Calibre.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

I did indeed copy the PDF into the K4PC folder and it did work. The book then showed in the Kindle. When I opened the book in the Kindle, the writing was tiny and hard to read. Can this be changed? Can you add a cover for the book in the Kindle as you can in Calibre?

If the PDF has a cover as its 1st page, K4PC will show it but you can't add a cover.

PDF is a format designed for controlling how text appears on a printed page. There are two approaches to displaying a PDF: a) like the printed page but with zoom, and b) extract text from page and "reflow" it. On your Nook (i.e. a small screen) reflow is usually best. On a PC (i.e. a big screen) zoom is more commonly used. K4PC is using zoom, so to make text bigger select the "page zoom" option at the top of the page (selector with % in it) and choose (say) "fit to width". There are many other PDF viewers for a PC and almost all of them use the zoom approach. If you want to try reflow on a PC, I suggest Sony Reader for PC.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

Thank you for your answers.

Alan,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'open the PDF with K4PC' or 'open the file with K4PC.' Perhaps you could explain this in more depth?

Wallcraft,

I did indeed copy the PDF into the K4PC folder and it did work. The book then showed in the Kindle. When I opened the book in the Kindle, the writing was tiny and hard to read. Can this be changed? Can you add a cover for the book in the Kindle as you can in Calibre?

Have you got the link to 'Alf's blog for more about DRM and Calibre?'

What I would dearly love to do is, somehow transfer the books from the K4PC to Calibre. I find it much easier to read books in Calibre once I get them in there. Can this be done and can you give me a detailed explanation on how to do it please?

How do I export books from the K4PC to Calibre? I do not understand when you say, 'Use MOBI as the output format for the Kindle.' I am new at all this so could you explain this as well please and what I should do as your explanation?

Just to let you know, I have Calibre (to manage my books) and Nook as well as K4PC.

Thank you

HB

you didn't specify your os, so i didn't get specific. in windows you right-click the file and choose open with, then choose kindle. it'll be opened and also a copy will be placed in your k4pc (my kindle contents) directory.

[Heathside Boy]

In Calibre, right click on the Add Book icon, select "Add books from a single directory", navigate to the folder "My Documents\My Kindle Content", and select the ebooks you want to import into Calibre. You will first need to add the 3rd party DRM-stripping add-ons to Calibre.

It worked and I transferred the book that I actually bought from Amazon that was in my K4PC to Calibre. However, you were perfectly right, it would not let me read it or change the format because it was DRM protected. So I deleted the book.

You say I can get over this by FIRST adding the third-party DRM stripping add-ons to Calibre and THEN importing the book. Is this correct?

Have you done this yourself? Have you got easy instructions on how to add the third-party DRM stripping add-ons to Calibre?

Once the add-ons are added, when the book is then imported, will it be readable then? Or, do you have to change it to EPUB format or something like that?

Thank you

HB

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Heathside Boy

Have you got easy instructions on how to add the third-party DRM stripping add-ons to Calibre?

No one here is permitted to give you any specific instructions on DRM removal. It's against forum rules. Nor will they be able to post links to DRM removal tools or instructions. If, however, you google "Apprentice Alf's Blog" you will find the instructions and resources you need. You'll also be able to ask questions there.

[Heathside Boy]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

No one here is permitted to give you any specific instructions on DRM removal. It's against forum rules. Nor will they be able to post links to DRM removal tools or instructions. If, however, you google "Apprentice Alf's Blog" you will find the instructions and resources you need. You'll also be able to ask questions there.

I completely understand. Thanks for all your advice :-)

HB