How to Download Google Books to Read on a Kindle
By Michael Butler
While Amazon has thousands of books available for the Kindle, readers with Kindles do not have to limit themselves to buying books from Amazon. Readers can also download free books from Google Books. As long as the book does not have digital rights management (DRM), readers can convert the Google book to a compatible format. However, before converting the book readers ,will need to download and install Calibre, free digital library management software.
Step 1
Open your web browser and go to the Calibre download page (See Resources). Click on the link for your operating system to download the software. Once the installation package finishes downloading, double-click on its icon to extract and install the program.
Step 2
Go to the Google Books page. Browse around to find the book you want, not all books listed are available for download. Click on the image for the book you want. On the next web page, click "Read on you device" on the left of the screen. Scroll down the next page, and click the "Download EPUB" button to download the book to your computer.
Step 3
Open Calibre. Click "Add books" in the top toolbar. In the pop-up menu, navigate to the location where you downloaded the Google book on your computer. Highlight the book, then click "Open." Calibre will process the book. Once it is complete, you will see the book listed in Calibre's main screen.
Step 4
Click on the book in Calibre's listings to highlight it. Click "Convert books" from the toolbar. A pop-up screen will appear. Change the book's metadata, like the author and title, if it is incorrect.
Step 5
Click the "Output Format" drop-down menu in the upper-right corner of the screen. Select "MOBI" from the list. Click "OK." Calibre will convert the book. When it is finished, close Calibre.
Step 6
Connect your Kindle to your computer with Kindle's USB cord. Select "Open folder to view files" from the auto-play menu. A list of folders on your Kindle will display in a new window.
Step 7
Open the folder that contains your Calibre library. By default, it is located in "C:/users/your user name/Calibre Library" in Windows. Select the ".mobi" file of the Google book you just converted. Be careful not to select the ".epub" version of the book.
Step 8
Drag the ".mobi" file into the Kindle folders window and drop it into the "Documents" folder. The book will transfer to the Kindle. When finished transferring, disconnect the Kindle from your computer. The Google book is now available for reading on your Kindle.
Tips
- You can also use Calibre to manage your Kindle library and automatically transfer books, but it is not necessary.
Warnings
- Books purchased from the Google eBookstore contain DRM and cannot legally be converted for reading on the Kindle. Calibre will not convert them.
Writer Bio
A professional writer, Michael Butler has been writing Web content since 2010. Butler brings expertise in legal and computer issues to his how-to articles. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Washburn University. Butler also has a Juris Doctor from Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington.