Kindle e-Books for iPad, iPhone & iPod – Guest Post by S. W. Lothian

Today I have a guest post by fellow blogger and middle grade author, S. W. Lothian. It’s actually an abbreviated repost of his March 28 content, which ties in nicely with my last post, Using your Personal Computer as an Ereader. You can read Mr. Lothian’s original article here, and check out his blog and his new MG series. He also has some handy links to ipad and iphone/ipod apps in his right-hand margin. (Note: I have not read any of Mr. Lothian’s books, so this is not an endorsement but a reprint.) And now, S. W., take it away…!

Kindle e-Books for iPad, iPhone & iPod

Since launching Quest One. The Golden Scarab: The Quest Series for Kindle it’s been quite daunting knowing that my story is actually finally out there.  I’m constantly thinking of what the readers are thinking about my story.  Time will tell I guess.

Shortly after Quest One went live I ran a couple of introductory promotions aimed at getting my book out there for people to read, hopefully enjoy and recommend to others. During the promotions my book was downloaded many hundreds of times.  It was a very rewarding feeling knowing that my book was warmly nestled inside hundreds of Kindles in various parts of the world.

When I was discussing with a longtime friend that I’d published to Kindle the first thing she asked me was, “So how do I get a copy if I don’t have Kindle?”

‘Mmmmmm’ I thought …. This was something that I hadn’t even considered when I decided to publish by e-book.  I’d just assumed that non-Kindle owners would be on to it, that they would just know they had access to all these books.  But, as I now realize, there’s a stack of people out there who have absolutely no idea what a Kindle is, and those that do probably don’t have one.

We know that Kindles are popular and that this popularity is growing everyday … but in the grand scheme of things they aren’t anywhere near as widely used as smartphones and tablets.  I’ve heard stats that here in Australia there are way more smartphones than people (don’t quote me on that – but I’m sure a Google search would find some real stats to back it up).

I know that it’s as simple as downloading a free app to my iPad, iPod and iPhone that lets me download and read Kindle books.  But, like my friend, I bet there are a lot of iDevice owners in this big world who don’t realize this is possible.  I’m guessing that there are probably (well certainly) squillions of potential e-book owners out there who have no idea they can read Kindle books on their smartphones and tablets … without even needing to buy a Kindle.

So now because of me, my friend knows that she already has the power to read Kindle books on her iPad and her iPhone.

She got the free app…. then….. she went to Amazon.com … then … she downloaded her first Kindle e-book … mine.

My guess is that now she knows what she can do she’ll be buying plenty more Kindle books.

So let’s educate the world – I’ve started the wave with a small ripple.

Tell everyone you see (including those that you squish with on the train or bus everyday) that they can Kindle without a Kindle.

Using Your Personal Computer as an Ereader

(Here’s where to find free Kindle apps for your phone, ipod/ipad, etc.)

How to read ebooks on a pc is a topic that seems to be popping up around me a lot lately, especially from kids who do not own ereaders.  So it was time for a concise post on this subject. Yes, you can use your computer as an ereader. Yes, you can do it for free!

Ebooks come in two main file formats, MOBI, which is compatible with the Amazon Kindle, and EPUB, which is compatible with pretty much everything else. You can read both formats on your computer, giving you access to the extensive Kindle store and to the other bookstores like Barnes and Noble, Kobo, etc. that sell in the EPUB format. Here are the methods I like best:

Visit the Kindle website for free a software download that will open any Kindle book on your pc. You can manage your account right from the website. They will conveniently add purchased titles to your online library and store the books on their database (not your computer’s memory). And if you ever do purchase a Kindle, you can sync it to your account, making all your titles available on your new devise.

If you want to be able to read EPUB ebooks, there are two methods I really like. The Bookworm Online ePub eBook Reader is a free app that stores and opens ebooks for you. All you have to do is sign up. Any ebooks you purchase and download to your pc can then be uploaded to and stored on your Bookworm library and read via your browser, allowing you to free up memory space. Pretty handy, and no software download is required.

But maybe you don’t want to use your browser. Adobe Digital Editions is another free and easy-to-use option for reading EPUB files. Once the software is installed, it will open  EPUB ebooks for you automatically, no browser required. This is the method I use to preview my own ebooks in the EPUB format before I publish them.

Even without an ereader, the world of digital books is open to anyone with a pc. Take advantage of those low (and free!) ebook prices and give one a try!

I did a post about this last year, when I just learning about file formats, that includes some related information:  Reading eBooks on Your Personal Computer – PDF, EPUB, MOBI and JavaScript

How to Download Ebooks from Smashwords, and How to Use Smashwords Coupons

So you’ve heard about the great deals on Smashwords and want to learn how to download an ebook.  Or perhaps you already have a Smashwords account but you’ve never used a coupon before.  This tutorial will address both, as they involve the same steps.  And the process for account holders and new users is also identical, save one step.

First, go to Smashwords.com and locate your title with the search box.  Scroll down and decide what file format will work best for you.  (Click here for help choosing a file format.)  But don’t sweat it.  All the formats will actually be available to you after purchase.  So you can click “buy” beside any of them and decide later.

If you are a new user, you now will be prompted to create an account, which involves giving your email address and choosing a screen name and a password.  (Ignore all the stuff about publishing your own book; publishing is optional.)  You will then be sent a confirmation email with a hyperlink back to Smashwords.  You must open this email and click on the link to activate your account.  Those who already have accounts, of course, skip this sign-up.

Next, a purchase page appears.  If you have a coupon, type it into the appropriate box and click update.  Your new price appears.  Everyone click ”checkout.”  You will be given a link to your book.  Click it.

The next page lists file formats options again.  These are all available to you now.  You may download any format at any time.  The list will appear whenever you log in to Smashwords and click on your book’s page.

Notice that the first two file formats in the list (HTML and JavaScript) require no download.  They will open with your browser right on the Smashwords website.  If you don’t have a reading device or an app and will be reading on your computer, these are for you.  (Click here for more pc options.)  For any of the others formats, click on “download.”  A dialogue box will pop up asking if you’d like to open or save the file (or “save as,” depending on your browser).  Save your file.  Don’t forget to select or note its destination so you can locate it later.  If you forget and lose your new file somewhere in your computer, you can always download again.

You have now downloaded your ebook to your computer and can upload to your phone or reading device.  (For help sideloading to Kindle or Nook, click here.)  Happy reading!

Reading eBooks on Your Personal Computer – PDF, EPUB, MOBI and JavaScript

Digital ebooks are capturing a larger share of the book market each year, and for good reason. Millions of titles have gone digital, and many new authors make their work available only in digital formats. Ebooks are widely available, highly portable and they cost only a fraction of print editions. And did you know you don’t even have to invest in a pricey gadget to take advantage of this new technology? Lots of options are available for downloading, storing and reading ebooks on your own PC. Here are just a few examples.

PDF

Portable Digital Format (PDF) produces an extremely sharp image for PC viewing and has excellent navigation tools to maneuver through your ebook. In addition, the format’s rigid page-structure–detrimental to smaller devices–works wonderfully on a computer’s full screen. You can download the software from Adobe for free.

Ebook are widely available in PDF. I have titles on Lulu and Smashwords and I know both offer PDF downloads. A quick Google search turned up tons of other sites as well. On the downside, PDF files can take up a lot of memory space, so accumulating a library would evenutally bog down your PC.

EPUB

EPUB (electronic publication) seems to be the mostly widely used format. Nook uses it, as well as the Sony and Kobo readers, so a vast choice of ebooks are available at convenient websites, like megastore BarnesandNoble.com and a thousand others. If your computer is equipped with an app to read in EPUB, you have many, many options.

The Bookworm Online ePub eBook Reader is just such an app. It’s free; all you have to do is sign up. Then any ebooks you purchase and download to your PC can be uploaded to and stored on your Bookworm library and read via your browser, allowing you to free up memory space.

Adobe Digital Editions is another free and easy-to-use option for reading EPUB files. Once the software is installed, it will open  EPUB ebooks for you automatically, no browser required.

MOBI

The Amazon Kindle uses its very own file format, MOBI (mobipocket). This incompatibility is rather inconvenient, yet Kindle has an amazing store. And now Kindle ebooks are available for the PC. Visit the Kindle website for the free software download. Then with one click you can choose from over 900,000 titles and have them sent straight to your PC.

JavaScript

JavaScript is another option.  It’s built right into your web browser, so no software downloads are necessary. Honestly, I don’t know much about JavaScript, but I mention it because every title on Smashwords is available in it, and when you download one it opens instantly with your web browser, no work required.  Super convenient. I’ve opened my own books with it, and they read very nicely. But I don’t know how widely titles are available outside Smashwords.

Even if you don’t want to spend the money on a mobile gadget, the instant world of ebooks is only a few clicks away on your own PC. I’ve only scratched the surface of possibilites.  If you know of other formats or apps or websites, let us in on the know!

Tutorial: How to Sideload eBooks from Smashwords to Nook, Kindle

Smashwords.com is a great source for a free or inexpensive ebook downloads.  However, getting them from the website and onto your Nook or Kindle requires a USB connection and can be a bit tricky if you’ve never done it before.  This process is called sideloading, and both devices use a very similar method.  Here’s how to do it:

First, purchase your book through the site’s checkout.  Immediately afterwards, you will be given a link to the book’s page.  Click on it and scroll down to the listing of available formats.  (Nook is compatible with EPUB; Kindle needs MOBI.)  Click “download” beside the format you need.  A dialogue box will pop up asking if you’d like to open or save the file.  Click “save.”  Another box will pop up.  In this box, you can rename the file if you’d like, and you’ll certainly want to choose a destination so you can locate it later.  (I created an ebooks folder for this purpose.)  Click “save.”  If you forget to specify a destination and lose your new file somewhere in your computer, you can download again at no cost.  Simply return to the book’s page on Smashwords.

Now that you have successfully download your ebook to your computer, you must attach your USB cord to your ereader then plug it into your computer.  Your ereader will appear as an additional drive.  Next, simply locate your ebook and drag it into the documents file of your Nook or Kindle drive.

Viola!  You have sideloaded your ebook.  Unplug your ereader and happy reading!

Need more help?  Here’s a video tutorial for Nook.