Kindle Questions

[ithildin]

So I'm trying to put books on the Kindle we got mum for Xmas. She loves romances, so I thought I'd get her a Harlequin subscription, and bought a single book as a test. I read through a bunch of stuff and chose the Adobe PDF version since Kindle supports PDF files. Except after I bought it, I found another FAQ that says they can't be read on a Kindle. Is there some sort of conversion program? I know I've read that people put there fanfic on a Kindle, so I'm hoping :)

Comments

[beeej.livejournal.com]

I use MobiPocket ebook creator (http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp?Language=EN). It's free, and easy to use. I do believe it can convert .pdf files.

[otterevil.livejournal.com]

One of the new Kindles? They definitely support PDF: Improved PDF Reader
Now with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs. Easily carry all of your documents on the go. From Amazon.

I think the biggest problem is that they (PDFs) don't always format right. I've got at least 3 on mine - the Kindle 2 - and they're too small to read. It shows 2 columns of text. Haven't tried adjusting them yet.

You also used to be able to send things to Amazon and they'd convert them for you for like $.10. Nice enough, but if you had a lot of files, could get pricey.

I'd suggest getting a sample chapter if possible and seeing how it formatted. What other types of format did they offer?

[otterevil.livejournal.com]

Oh, and yeah for getting Mum a Kindle! :)

Read read read!

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip!

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it turns out the files have some sort of encryption in them so they aren't just plain old PDF files. Glenn tried and it didn't work. That's okay, just bought her some books from Amazon, plus a bunch of free titles they offer. She'll be busy for a while :)

[lilliew.livejournal.com]

There's often some free Kindle books on Amazon (look for the $0.00 ones), a bunch of them are romances. Some of them are good, some of them so so. Often they are the beginning books for sequels.

I believe you can also "mail" stuff to your Amazon/kindle account and it will convert them for you (for a fee perhaps).

Just warn her that buying books is really really easy with a few clicks on Amazon (and can be pricey), but there's LOTS of free stuff out there you can find, both public domain and what publishers offer.

I also recommend: http://www.kindleboards.com/ They often list the free/bargain books that can be found.

I love my Kindle. Great gift for the avid reader.

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

that's what I use too. As for books, I just buy the Kindle version for Amazon. It looks great on the Kindle.

[otterevil.livejournal.com]

You could always get the software to rip the DRM off [eg]

[brightknightie.livejournal.com]

You've received many useful answers here!

I will point out just one thing that I had to learn the hard way, that I don't think anyone has mentioned here yet: While Kindle will display pure PDFs, it's important to remember that the PDF will be displayed as-is on the Kindle. That is, an 8.5x11" PDF will be shrunk down to fit the Kindle screen, which can be hard on people with ordinary eyesight. It's worth checking the PDF's set size. When I do view PDFs on my Kindle, I first crop off all the white space to minimize the size distortion (there's a function in the latest Acrobat Pro that will do this for you).

However, I generally load fanfic to my Kindle as TXT rather than PDF. Unless there's a _lot_ of formatting, it's much easier and faster, and the formatting loss has minimal impact. (In my fandoms, vintage stories are formatted in ASCII anyway. ~g~)

Handy Links: Kindle Popular Classics (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_ex_n_1?rh=n%3A133140011%2Cn%3A%21133142011%2Cn%3A2245146011&bbn=2245146011&ie=UTF8&qid=1271540315) (free, out-of-copyright, Kindle books) and Kindle Bestsellers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ref=pd_ts_zgc_kinc_digital-text_mot1?pf_rd_p=1270494382&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=133141011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=042CW84DVKQKE6K53YN9) (notice the "free" column on the right; brand-new books often pop up here for a few days or a week for promotional purposes, especially by second-tier publishers or third-tier authors, but occassionally by "name" authors, too).

[dj-aida.livejournal.com]

I agree with what brightknightie - pdfs in most readers are displayed as is, especially if they're built from scanned images. If they're text, some readers will reflow them, but since I don't have a Kindle, I can't tell you if it does the same thing. Your best bet is to build them yourself, at the size appropriate for the Kindle's display. I have a Word template where the size of the doc is a little less than A5 sheet of paper, margins at 0.1 inches all around, and font is at 12pt.

MobileRead (http://www.mobileread.com/) also has a large selection (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=132) of out-of-copyright books in various formats, nicely formatted. It also has a large community of users who are willing to help and explain things step by step. They have a lively Kindle forum (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140).

Kindle Questions

[eleesiadoovey.livejournal.com]

Hi,
I know I don't usually post but I thought I would this time. If you use the program 'Calibre', (this works with MAC or PC) you can convert your PDF files that do not display well on the Kindle to the 'mobi' files that it like. You can do this with your fanfiction as well. I have over 2,000 slash fan fiction, (Duncan/Methos only) and I have them all on one kindle. All have been turned into 'mobi' file. Also with Calibre you can convert most other ebook file formats. So if you have Lit, Rar, TXT PDF, etc you will be able to convert them.
The only problem that I have found in converting is the time that it take to do it.

I hope this helps and if you need help converting please let me know.

Eleesia

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing, but I had wanted to get the monthly subscription thing since it's cheaper and you get free books tossed in.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Yep, I put a bunch of free books on as well, plus paid for a few mystery novels in a series she's reading. Thanks for the link.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Re: Kindle Questions

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Thank you - nice to 'hear' from you :)