All Questions
1,518
questions
88
votes
13
answers
102k
views
Reading PDFs on Kindle device
I have many interesting books and documents in PDF format. Can I read PDFs on Kindle in comfortable way?
My concern is, that PDFs are adapted to the print page size and Kindle screen is much smaller....
user43
68
votes
7
answers
55k
views
How can I convert an HTML site into an ebook?
I'd like to create a .mobi file from a website like the Python Tutorial, to read on my Kindle.
Is it possible to do it on Ubuntu?
- 1,068
52
votes
2
answers
43k
views
Any way to find a lost Kindle inside a house?
I left a Kindle Paperwhite with my mom a month ago and it disappeared in the house, probably in between books somewhere. I know it still connects to wifi and receives documents through the kindle ...
49
votes
8
answers
9k
views
Is Markdown a viable source format for writing ebooks?
I've for some time enjoyed using Markdown to handle straightforward text formatting, image presentation and the like, which I use for keeping notes, or drafting blog content. I'm aware that different ...
- 835
47
votes
8
answers
10k
views
Is there any software that facilitates scanning of a paper book into an ebook?
I have some old sci-fi novels that are out of print and the rights owners are not creating them in ebook form. Is there any software that facilitates scanning and conversion of these paper books into ...
- 1,688
38
votes
15
answers
80k
views
How to create clickable table of contents in a PDF?
I have many technical PDF ebooks where there are no chapters (no clickable table of contents or other means for quick navigation through a document) and therefore it's really painful to search for ...
- 483
37
votes
6
answers
13k
views
Clean up converted ebook
I have some ebooks which are converted from other formats to ePub. Some are ill-formatted: there are hard line breaks in words and orphaned page numbers between paragraphs.
Example:
How can I repair ...
- 946
35
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Are there any ebook search engines?
Are there any websites that work like ebook search engines, where you can perform a search over multiple stores and have the results sortable and/or filterable for file format, price, presence of DRM, ...
- 6,156
34
votes
4
answers
5k
views
What information does my Kindle share with Amazon?
One of my Kindles spends most of it's time in the car. Most books are loaded to it from my PC, via Calibre. I almost never turn the WiFi on because it just burns up the batteries looking for a ...
- 6,212
34
votes
5
answers
137k
views
If I buy a Kindle Paperwhite do I have to get books from Amazon?
If I have a kindle paperwhite, am I limited to books from Amazon? Can I purchase or download books from other sources/retailers?
- 6,212
34
votes
2
answers
22k
views
How does the Kindle's reading rate algorithm work?
One of the Kindle Touch updates included a "Time-to-Read" feature. It seems to be based loosely on how fast I turn the page. I usually turn back to the cover when I start reading a new book and flip ...
33
votes
9
answers
28k
views
Are there any WYSIWYG editors for EPUB books?
I am looking for an easy to use editor that provides a WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) interface. I know that you can import a Microsoft Word document into Calibre, but I would prefer to be ...
- 1,688
33
votes
2
answers
27k
views
What are the differences between EPUB2 and EPUB3?
What are the differences between EPUB2 and EPUB3? Which is most popular?
- 541
32
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Does a “one-fits-all” file format exist or should I offer multiple ebook formats?
I want to publish my first e-book, but the multitude of available file formats (PDF, ePUB, MOBI, TXT, etc.) is a bit overwhelming. As a result, I am not really sure which format (if any) would be able ...
- 1,169
31
votes
3
answers
16k
views
Updating EPUB book author and title metadata
I own many EPUB books (Spanish, English). Some have the name of the author wrong, such as "Esquivel, Laura" instead of "Laura Esquivel". And have the name of series in book title, where it does not ...
- 425
30
votes
4
answers
44k
views
How do I publish a book permanently free on Amazon
I have tried to publish a book permanently free on Amazon but I couldn't. I have seen many books on Kindle that seems to be permanently free. How do I publish a book on Kindle and keep it free forever?...
28
votes
10
answers
5k
views
If a book doesn't have DRM does that mean it is OK to give a copy to my friend to read?
I downloaded a book that does not have DRM (Digital rights management), I did not have to pay anything for it. Does this mean it is OK to give a copy of the book to my friend?
Note: This question is ...
- 6,212
28
votes
3
answers
168k
views
How to synchronize Kindle collections across all devices, including older Kindles?
I have just started organizing collections on my bottom-of-the-line Kindle (the Kindle 4?). Despite selecting "annotations sync and backup" I'm not seeing these collections appear on my iPad and ...
- 964
27
votes
5
answers
36k
views
What commands can be given in the Kindle's search box?
In this forum thread, a user explains that the Kindle's reading speed algorithm can be reset by typing ";ReadingTimeReset" in the Kindle's search box. The user states he was told by a member of Amazon'...
- 371
27
votes
1
answer
3k
views
When shopping for ebooks on Amazon how do I tell if they have DRM?
Some books sold on Amazon have DRM and some do not. But "DRM" is not listed anyplace on the book descriptions that I have been able to find. How can I know before I buy an ebook from Amazon if it ...
- 6,212
25
votes
15
answers
6k
views
What are my options for reading an ebook in the bathtub?
About the only thing I miss about paperback books is reading in the tub. I don't think there are any waterproof ereaders so this is not a shopping question.
I have considered using the text to ...
- 6,212
25
votes
5
answers
40k
views
Are there good ebook management tools available for free?
I have a collection of e-books and I am looking for a way to manage it from my operating system. What are the programs to manage e-books available for free? I use both Linux and Windows OS, can you ...
- 353
25
votes
3
answers
9k
views
How to repack an epub file from command line
I unzipped an epub file to make some minor modifications. How can I repack it properly to be a valid epub file from command line on Linux?
- 1,575
25
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can EPUB 3.0 be viewed on EPUB 2 devices
This prior question is about the differences between EPUB 2 and EPUB 3.
What is more interesting to me, as an owner of three different EPUB 2 devices, is: can EPUB 3 files, and particularly the book ...
- 7,621
24
votes
7
answers
44k
views
How can I reduce the resolution of images in an epub or mobi file?
Some of the last O'Reilly ebooks I got have become really large (e.g. 60MB for the mobi version and 5.5MB for the epub version) - and these are computer science text books (not art books). The ...
- 351
24
votes
2
answers
7k
views
How do I shop for only DRM free books on Amazon?
I know how to tell if a book on Amazon is DRM free. There are lots of ways to sort, and filter books to just ones I am interested in on Amazon. I want to also be able to limit to books that I would ...
- 6,212
23
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is the minimum required content for a valid ePub?
I would like to create my own ePub documents from scratch without a tool so that I have full control over the final result.
What is the absolute minimum set of required files to have a valid ePub ...
- 1,667
23
votes
3
answers
9k
views
How is an epub structured internally?
I know from sources I do not remember anymore, that an epub file is a valid zip file containing (among other files) chapters as *.xhtml files, a manifest file content.opf and a table of contents file ...
- 2,238
22
votes
7
answers
33k
views
How do I convert a Word document into a page by page Kindle ebook?
I downloaded a very important document in .docx format (Microsoft Office Word format).
Is there a way to convert it to an ebook page by page to read on a Kindle?
user26
22
votes
2
answers
24k
views
How do I remove pages from an ePub file?
I have an eBook in .epub file format and I would like to remove the entire first and last pages of the book. How would I go about doing this?
- 355
22
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Extracting notes and highlighting from Kindle books
Is there a way to extract/export my notes and highlighted passages from books on a Kindle or in one of the Kindle reader apps? I primarily use the iOS apps and tend to mark up books heavily as I go, ...
- 2,204
22
votes
3
answers
40k
views
Managing Kindle Collections from a computer
I have plenty of e-books on my Kindle (some in the cloud and some in local only) and I created many Collections to classify my books.
One silly things I tried first time was to create a folder ...
- 515
21
votes
7
answers
8k
views
Anonymous publishing
I am writing a book of short stories. I am planning to self-publish the stories as an e-book but would like to keep my anonymity - I will use a pseudonym.
Obviously, I would like to sell the e-book ...
- 311
21
votes
5
answers
16k
views
How can I put footnotes in an ebook?
I am currently formatting a manuscript into ebook formats (epub and mobi). My manuscript contains many footnotes, and I don't know how to handle them.
It's important for me that these be footnotes ...
- 1,141
21
votes
1
answer
67k
views
Which Kindle Paperwhite model/generation do I have?
I need to determine which firmware update to download. The Amazon site is helpful if you know exactly which generation or model of Kindle you have. But they give no guidance as to how to determine ...
- 557
21
votes
1
answer
38k
views
Can the sleep timeout be adjusted on Kindle devices?
The seemingly fixed screen timeout on all my Kindle devices has never been an issue for normal reading. If it goes off on me it is usually because I fell asleep myself, so one cannot blame a device ...
- 1,182
21
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Are there studies that show whether reading ebooks on e-Ink, LCD, SLCD or AMOLED displays are better for eyes?
When people review different cell phones, they usually look at whether a specific display type (e-Ink, LCD, SLCD that HTC uses or AMOLED that Samsung uses) is better or worse for image quality.
But ...
- 2,854
20
votes
3
answers
112k
views
Where is my Ebook that I just bought from Amazon Kindle to my PC?
I am new to Amazon Kindle ebooks. I am using my computer to read Kindle ebooks. I am using Kindle-for-Pc software. I just downloaded an ebook, but I cannot find it anywhere. I need to find it so that ...
- 303
20
votes
3
answers
815
views
How does DRM impact the sales of eBooks?
DRM (Digital rights management) is a somewhat controversial anti-piracy measure. There are strong arguments on both sides of the debate, this question is not about the should/shouldn't debate. It ...
- 6,212
20
votes
1
answer
20k
views
How can I display 'word count' in Calibre while browsing my Library?
I use Calibre, to manage my library of eBooks. It is easy to include the size of the book, but with images and such that can be misleading. I notice on Smashwords they often include a word count in ...
- 6,212
20
votes
1
answer
41k
views
Tracking time spent reading on a kindle?
Is there a way to track and export time spent reading on a Kindle?
I'm setting a goal around reading books several hours a week, and I would love to automate the tracking.
Amazon seems to track ...
- 451
20
votes
6
answers
11k
views
Are there any free open-source custom firmwares for e-ink devices?
I'm curious if there are custom firmwares for e-ink devices similar to what Rockbox (website, wikipedia) is for digital audio players.
- 6,156
20
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What triggers the "adult" designation on Amazon Kindle books (romance genre)?
I do software development for an ebook publisher specializing in Romance novels. One thing we encounter from time to time is that a book gets classified by Amazon as "adult". That effectively removes ...
- 403
19
votes
11
answers
87k
views
How can I translate my ebook?
I downloaded an important PDF e-book but it is not in English. Is there a software or another way I can translate the entire e-book into English or another language?
user26
19
votes
3
answers
50k
views
Is there an easier way to edit a .mobi file?
I am used to creating and editing .epub files, usually with Sigil. Sometimes, however, I need to retouch a file in .mobi format for my wife.
My usual approach is to convert it in .epub with Calibre, ...
mau♦
- 2,344
19
votes
5
answers
10k
views
How to build an epub starting from a bunch of HTML files?
I have a number of short HTML files (actually they are XHTML) with small problems and answers, which I post on my blog every Sunday, and I'd like to merge some of them in an ebook.
I already did it ...
mau♦
- 2,344
19
votes
9
answers
31k
views
Is there a way to sync reading progress across multiple devices and platforms?
I know you can already do this for the Kindle and between Android devices with say Moon+ reader installed. What I meant is for EPUBs and between platforms. I would like to read on my Android phone for ...
- 377
19
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How can I validate an epub file?
How can I formally validate the structure of an .epub file and check it for errors?
- 6,156
19
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Using eReader to display maps
Is there a way to get map data (for example from OpenStreetMaps) on my eReader to access it in a user friendly way?
I've already thought about two ways to display maps on my reader:
Generate one big ...
- 293
19
votes
9
answers
87k
views
What is a good software for reading ebooks out loud?
I enjoy having the ebooks read out loud. My previous solution has always been to highlight the chapters I want to read and then turn on voiceover in Adobe Reader on my Mac. The advantage is that I can ...
user992