SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Quick Reference & How-To's
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HOW TO: Move eBooks Between eReader Apps, Computer, etc.
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NOTE: I never use Apple's iBook, so I can't really speak to that one, but I do use Stanza (most often) and use Kindle (occasionally). So, I'll do my best to explain my process. When I "buy" eFreebies from Amazon, they sit in Amazon's cloud until I download them to my device (Mac, iPad, whatever). Once they are loaded on my Mac, they are stored in a folder on my computer called "My Kindle Content".
To open my .mobi files (eBooks) that have been purchased elsewhere in my Kindle Mac app, I double click and they are set, as default, to open with my Kindle app. From that point on, they are a part of My Kindle Content folder in addition to where ever the file is stored.
For example:
- I bought a .mobi edition of Goodnight Moon. It is stored in my "downloads" folder.
- I double click on Goodnight Moon.mobi and the book opens in my Kindle Mac app.
- Goodnight Moon.mobi, the file, is duplicated. 1 copy remains in my downloads folder and a 2nd copy is in My Kindle Content folder. If I delete the book from my Kindle app (within the app itself) the file in My Kindle Content folder will be deleted, but the original file remains in my downloads folder.
Now, say I want to add Goodnight Moon to my iPad Kindle app. I put a copy of Goodnight Moon.mobi in my Dropbox folder OR email the file to myself.
If I use Dropbox:
Once the file has been loaded into a Dropbox folder, I can load it (using my Dropbox iPad app) and "open with" Kindle on my iPad.
If I use email:
I open my email on my iPad, click on the .mobi file and "open with" Kindle on my iPad.
When using Stanza, you can add books to the app in two different ways.
Option #1:
Use i(SuckAss)Tunes to add eBooks to/from your Stanza app on your iGadgets. When you sync the books will be added or removed as you've specified.
Option #2:
***For this option to work, you must also have Stanza loaded on your computer
Use Stanza's "Get Books" option. The tool bar at the bottom of the app has options: Library, Get Books, Now Reading, and Info. If you click "Get Books", you'll see three options on the tool bar at the top: Catalog, Shared, Downloads. Click on "Shared" and you'll see "Book Sources" and "Computers Sharing Books".
On your computer, open all of the books you wish to load onto your iGadget. Then, on your iGadget, open the Stanza app and follow the steps above. When you do, you should see "Books on YOUR COMPUTER NAME" under Computers Sharing Books. Click on that and you will see a list of books open on your computer available to be downloaded onto your iGadget. From there, you can choose to download/add them all to your Stanza app or only 1, etc. Once added, you will see them in your library and you can close your Stanza desktop app.
Deleting books from Stanza is as easy as clicking EDIT, then the red - sign.
Another app I occasionally use is BlueFire Reader. There are similarities between it and the Kindle app. If anyone is interested, I can add info on how to add to BFR without using iTunes.
Using Stanza, you can add books from Calibre also.As long as you have a network to link computer and phone/Pad app. (I always do it from my home network so I cannot tell if a WiFi connection would work or not. As long as you have the Content server (under preferences) set up. The Stanza app normally connect well with Calibre but you can specify the IP address of the computer if it does not. It always something like http://myhostname:8080.
Since you use Calibre to convert files, use tags....just an idea.
I never considered using Dropbox as a way to load books but it makes sense.
Cool - thanks! Honestly, I never tried syncing with Calibre. Maybe in the future, just to test it out. I added tags to one book I converted and never stuck with it. Plus, I don't need to convert them all, so many don't have tags. But, if I used Calibre exclusively, I could see the bene of using them.
I think if you use Calibre, you can download the metadata for the file and it will have tags.There is a plug in for Calibre that allows you to convert all files. Google Apprentice Alf and the instructions are there.
I keep my Calibre folder in Dropbox. That way it is synced on all of my computers and I can put books on my Kindle using my windows PC and on my iPad using my Mac.
Lauren wrote: "I keep my Calibre folder in Dropbox. That way it is synced on all of my computers and I can put books on my Kindle using my windows PC and on my iPad using my Mac."That's what I need to do. After having so many files in so many places, I'm starting to get confused.
That's exactly why I did it this way. Before, I would add a book on one computer and forget to add it on another and then I wouldn't be able to find it - very confusing.
Lauren, that's super smart. Great way to ensure you always have your books on-hand. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you find it useful Steph! I love Dropbox. It is such a neat way of keeping everything at your fingertips.
Actually, I just realized that I have Calibre Portable in my USB flash drive so my books go whenever I go. Of course, that means if I lose my flash drive, I'm f*cked but I rarely lose things.
D.G. ~Captain Hussy~ wrote: "Actually, I just realized that I have Calibre Portable in my USB flash drive so my books go whenever I go. Of course, that means if I lose my flash drive, I'm f*cked but I rarely lose things."You can always do regular back up...
Thanks, Lauren. I've actually started moving some to Dropbox when I need to quickly add to my iPad and it's been working out great. Definitely back up!! I suffered through the great digicrash of 2010 and I'm still rebuilding my digilife. So sad. Don't let it happen to you or your books, although those have been the easiest to replace b/c I can download as many times as needed. But, pics and things ... Poof. :(
Here's how I move my eBooks around between some of my favorite eReader apps and my computer.
Please feel free to add your thoughts and methods w/the group as well.