Best Free Tools to Convert eReader Book Formats

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If you own an eReader and absolutely like it, you definitely want to get more out of it. That means you not only want to read the book you bought from Amazon or Barnes & Nobel, but also want to read your own collections as well, or even PDFs and web pages. The good news is that it’s absolutely doable, but the bad news is that most of the time you will have to convert these content to the format supported by your eReader.

Here are a few scenarios I often ran into where I need to convert them before reading them on my Kindle.

Convert any webpage to ePub, Mobi, or PDF

Kindle it thumb - Best Free Tools to Convert eReader Book Formats

My favorite tool has to go with Kindle it, a web app that pushes the web content directly to your kindle. It’s a must have bookmarklet, also available as extensions in most popular web browsers, for all Kindle users. Once it’s installed, you can simply click it whenever you see a webpage that you want to read on your Kindle.

Not only that, it also dynamically converts the web content into 3 major eReader formats, mobi, ePub and PDF the same time. And you can download them right from the front interface, through No Kindle tab.

Convert PDF to ePub and Mobi

PageFlip PDF to ePub is a free PDF to ePub converter that allows you to easily convert any PDF files to ePub format that can be used on most of the eReaders on the market, well, except for Kindle, which you need a mobi.

To convert a PDF to mobi, I have to go with Calibre, a eBook management tool that is also offering a cool working converting feature that almost converts from anything to anything, including from PDF to mobi.

Convert Word to ePub and Mobi

If you need a mobi file, you are using a version of Kindle. If you are using a Kindle, you’ve already all set. All you need to do is email the Word file to your own Kindle email address @free.kindle.com. The converted mobi version of it will come to your Kindle moments later.

But if you need a ePub, the powerful Calibre is what you need.

Convert ePub to Mobi and vice versa

Well, to do this 2-way conversion back and forth, let’s cut all the crap and stay with the power horse, again, Calibre.

Final words

I personally own a version of Kindle and absolutely love it. Even though I only use to read books most of the times, I do often time putting my own stuff on it to read. Other than taking great advantage of all cool features Amazon offers, including the powerful and convenient converting delivering service, Calibre is definitely a must-have tool, not only managing your collections, but also acting as a middle man transferring books between 2 most popular formats. And most of all, it works.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Completely agree with recommendation for ebook do-all Calibre. Used it for last two years for conversions, cataloging, passing to devices, viewing, etc. It also will pull down news feeds and save them. I and I expect later commenters will dispute use of easy conversions from pdf to any ebook format. Text-based pdfs can be converted fairly well but image-based and heavily formatted pdfs will always disappoint you. Pdfs are controlled output files that are pretty much incompatible with the text-based ebook functions of variable page flow. Painless ereader pdf usage calls for a large-format ereader and viewing the pdf as created.

  2. But Kindle ebook reader is only in black and white.(kindle fire is not actual ebook reader) I just wish color ebook reader, so we can read magazine and website in color in convenient eyes. there is huge market for color ebook reader

  3. I read ebooks, and I write and self-publish ebooks. I occasionally convert them for other people. I carefully format Word documents with Styles — heading 1 for titles and next-page section breaks between chapters as a minimum. All page numbers, headers and footers must be deleted, and the Table of Contents should be generated with Word’s automated function.

    When all that is in order, I save the document as FILTERED HTML, then feed the HTML file into Calibre, add a cover and voila! Instant eBook. To publish on Kindle, I upload the files to the KDP website. They won’t take files created by any other means.

    Calibre does a brilliant job this way. Like any software though, Garbage In, Garbage Out.

    Calibre also does a fine job of tweaking existing epubs, though Sigil may be a better choice for that as it allows you easy access to each sub-file and a WYSIWYG editor of sorts.

    As an author, I’m especially averse to piracy, but I can in good conscience mention that plug-ins are available for Calibre to remove Digital Rights Management (DRM) limits from protected titles to allow you to convert between formats for reading in your preferred format. That’s legal. Passing the converted material on to friends and relatives is not. How ironic that ethical people who would not violate copyright are the only ones inconvenienced by DRM. Pirates will always find a way.

    Hope this overview helps a couple of people. For more info on shoe string self-publishing, use the search on my blog: http://heartandcraft.blogspot.com.

    Sharon Lippincott
    Author of Adventures of a Chilehead

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