Transferring Non-Amazon E-Books Between Kindles: A Comprehensive Guide
Kindle owners often find themselves with a mix of Amazon and non-Amazon e-books, and transferring non-Amazon e-books between devices can be a bit tricky. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to successfully transferring your non-Amazon e-books from one Amazon Kindle to another, utilizing both Amazon’s email conversion service and the popular e-book management tool, Calibre.
1. Utilizing Amazon's Email Conversion Service
Amazon makes it relatively straightforward to transfer non-Amazon e-books to your Kindles, but there are some nuances you need to be aware of. Here's how you can do it:
Step 1: Prepare Your E-Books
To send non-Amazon e-books to your Kindle, you'll need to have them in a supported format such as EPUB, PDF, or MOBI. Amazon only accepts specific file types, and MOBI is being phased out, so it's best to use EPUB or PDF for the best results.
Step 2: Send the E-Book via Email
Convert your e-book to an EPUB or PDF format if necessary. Compose an email to the Kindle's email address (which can be found in the settings menu of the Kindle device). Attach the e-book to the email and send it.Once the email is sent, Amazon will convert the e-book to their AZW format and add it to your Kindle's library. However, these e-books will be considered documents rather than books and may lack certain features like page numbers.
Step 3: Manage Your E-Books on Amazon's Cloud
After the e-book is added to your Kindle's library, it will be stored on Amazon's cloud. You can transfer it to another Kindle by following these steps:
Sign in to your Amazon account through the Amazon website. Go to the "Manage Your Content and Devices" section. Select the device you want to transfer the e-book to and click the "Copy to" option. Choose the e-book you want to transfer and follow the prompts to complete the process.Note that e-books transferred in this manner will be considered personal content and may not sync automatically across your devices.
2. Using Calibre for Enhanced E-Book Conversion
For more control over the conversion process, the Calibre e-book management tool is a powerful alternative. Here’s how you can use it to transfer non-Amazon e-books between Kindles:
Step 1: Install and Configure Calibre
Download and install Calibre from the official website. Create a new library or add your existing e-books to the library.Calibre supports a wide range of e-book formats, including EPUB, PDF, and many others.
Step 2: Convert E-Books with Preserved Page Numbers
Open the Calibre library and select the e-book you want to convert. Click on the "Convert Books" button. Choose the AZW format for conversion to ensure preserved page numbers. Save the converted file to your computer.Step 3: Transferring E-Books Using USB
Connect the Kindle to your computer using a USB cable. Open Calibre and click on "We want to add new books to the Kindle library" and then click "Add". Browse to the location where you saved the converted e-book and select it. Click "Add" to transfer the e-book to the Kindle.Step 4: Syncing E-Books via Amazon Cloud
While transferring e-books directly to the Kindle through USB ensures they appear in your library, you can sync them to other devices as well:
Follow the steps mentioned under the Amazon email conversion service to add the e-book to your Amazon library. Manually sync your Kindle with other devices through the "Manage Your Content and Devices" section.Pro Tip: Using the USB method ensures the e-book appears in your cloud library and can be shared more easily with other devices or accounts.
3. Conclusion
Transferring non-Amazon e-books between Kindles can be achieved through both Amazon's email service and the Calibre e-book management tool. Each method has its advantages and downsides, so choose the one that best suits your needs.