When you buy an ebook from my store at SusanlHartBooks.com, generally you will receive 3 different file formats: EPUB, MOBI, and PDF. Each book listing says what files (and sizes) you will get. The exception is The Basics of Drawing, which is PDF only due to the intricate layout of the illustrations, and for ease of learning.
After you pay, you will receive an email with a link to download your files. Below is easy-to-follow help for reading your book(s) in the various file formats. Just click on the link to go to that section. As many people are regular Amazon customers, I’ve put Kindle first:
MOBI – Add it to your Kindle easily via email
EPUB – Various readers, including add it to Nook
MOBI – Add it to your Kindle easily via email
1. Amazon provides you with your own unique Kindle.com email address, where you can email books and documents to easily add them to your Kindle library.
2. To find your unique Kindle.com email address, look under the Kindle “Settings” on your device. Alternatively look under your Amazon account info. Go to “Content & Devices,” then to “Devices”. Click on the Kindle icon, it will open a list of your devices associated with your account. Your Kindle.com email address is distinctive; you can’t miss it. For example, susan_(plus letters and numbers) @kindle.com.
3. You will send the file to your library from the email address you use to login to your Amazon account. That email address is already been authorized as secure by Amazon.
4. Login to that email account (@ Gmail, @Yahoo, or whatever your email provider is). Compose an email and attach the MOBI file. No subject line is needed. The “To” is your unique Kindle.com email address. Send the email to it.
Note: As well as the MOBI file, you can send the PDF version of the book to your Kindle library. My books have lots of visuals, and some older versions of Kindle may not display them. The PDF version (being a fixed format) will.
5. Next, go to your Kindle reader and look under Library. You will quickly find the book in the “Docs” section of your library. As you did not purchase the book on Amazon, the MOBI version will display a generic book cover. When you open the book, you will see the proper cover. The book will then take a little longer to transfer itself from Docs to your main library area.
There is more useful info about sending various docs to your Kindle here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200767340#approvefrom
EPUB – Various readers, including add it to Nook
Apple iBook reader
The EPUB file displays extremely well in Apple’s already built-in iBooks reader. I use this one.
No installation required! Just right-click on the EPUB file to get the “Open with” menu. Choose the iBooks reader with the orange-circle-white-book icon, and it will add the book to your reader, then automatically open it at the cover page to start reading.
For Android tablets and Windows
I don’t personally use these, but if you read EPUB file format ebooks regularly, you likely have already identified a reader you like. If not, I did the research and there are many good suggestions with pros and cons in this article: https://mashtips.com/best-epub-reader-apps/
Adding the EPUB to a Nook reader
For you Barnes & Noble regulars, apparently it is possible to copy EPUB (and PDF) files to a Nook reader using the USB cable that comes with the Nook device. There are full (easy) instructions on the article below. *Note that the article warns not to use a USB cable other than the one that comes with the Nook: https://echoshare.co/transfer-ebooks-from-computer-to-nook/
In short, the files must be DRM-free (mine are) and you must use the USB cable that comes with the Nook device to hook up to the desktop where you’ve downloaded the files. You can then copy the files over.
PDF – Various viewers
PDF books are 100% dependable and stable. Their fixed text format means the book looks the same across all viewers (as is the case with print books). As EPUB and MOBI files are flowable text, your personal settings in your reader for text font, text size, etc. can change the look of the book somewhat. Again, my books have visuals, and great care has been taken with formatting the EPUBs and MOBIs to maintain proper page breaks and structure.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is the “free global standard” reader for PDFs for Apple and Windows. The download page for the free software is here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/
The “Adobe Acrobat Reader DC” at the top is the free one. The Pro reader has a 7-day free trial period, then you pay for it.
Apple users can also read PDFs on the built-in “Preview” program, which displays them very well. I regularly use this one, and I’ve also tried the Adobe free reader.
PDF files can be added to Kindle and Nook readers, as mentioned above.
There are also other free PDF readers out there, but many people consider Adobe to be the star in the PDF world.
Hart Inspirations 