7/16/2020 How to Convert an E-Book Using Calibre

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How to Convert an E-Book Using Calibre

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by Hannah Williams 26 Aug 2013

Di culty: Beginner Length: Short Languages: English

App Training



Whether you are the proud new owner of an e-book reader, or merely anticipate the
inclusion of iBooks in OS X Mavericks and wish to start converting your e-book
collection to an appropriate format, it can often be di cult to know where to begin. In
this tutorial, I will show you how to convert an e-book using Calibre, a powerful open-
source application dedicated to organising your digital library.

The Calibre Advantage

While companies such as Amazon employ DRM (Digital Rights Management) to
prevent you from sharing books between multiple devices, Calibre frees you from such
constraints and offers total control over your e-book collection.

With Calibre, you can transfer books between your computer and e-reader, and vice
versa, converting their format for whichever device you choose, and removing the DRM
so that they can be shared across all of your devices instead of just one. Additionally,
the app can store your library online so that it can be accessed by you from anywhere in
the world, making Calibre probably the most powerful e-book management software
available right now.
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Important: We do not condone the infringing of copyright. This tutorial is solely aimed at those who have

purchased ebooks and wish to move them between their own devices. Do not redistribute books if you do

not have the rights to do so.

Step 1: Download and Launch Calibre

First of all, you will need to download Calibre by visiting the Calibre website. Upon
installing the application, you are greeted by a software wizard to assist you in setting
up Calibre to your speci cation.

Tip: Please note, if you are using OS X Tiger or a PowerPC Mac then an earlier version of Calibre must be

downloaded.

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Select your e-book reader from the list and then press Next to continue.

Choose a language and le location, then click Next to proceed. Now, select your e-
book reader from the list and click Next once more.

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If you are a Kindle user, enter your Kindle e-mail address to automatically send les to your device via e-mail.

If you are a Kindle user, enter your Kindle e-mail address to automatically send les to
your device via e-mail. This step is entirely optional, and can be skipped if you prefer by
pressing Next and then Finish to exit the wizard.

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Step 2: Select an E-Book

OK, now that the app is up and running, it is time to select an e-book and add it to your
Calibre library. For the purpose of this tutorial, I am going to use Feisty Fido: Help for
the Leash Reactive Dog by Patricia McConnell, a highly regarded animal behaviorist and
dog trainer, but you can convert whichever book you desire, of course.

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Click the Add Books icon situated in the top left-hand corner of the screen.

Click the Add Books icon situated in the top left-hand corner of the screen to display
the relevant dialog box. Locate and highlight the e-book you wish to convert and then
click Open to add it to your library.

Highlight the e-book once again and press the Convert Books icon.

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Now, highlight the e-book in your library and press the Convert Books icon, which can
be found on the menu bar running along the top of the application.

Step 3: Edit
Let’s take this opportunity to edit the metadata for your e-book. For the uninitiated,
metadata is essential information pertaining to that particular book, such as its title,
author, and publisher, which will help categorise the book correctly once sent to your e-
book reader.

Click the eld you’d like to edit and then re-enter the relevant data.

Click the eld you’d like to edit and then re-enter the relevant data, making sure that
there are no spelling mistakes or any other errors that will affect categorization.

Step 4: Select an Output Format

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Choose your desired le format from the Output Format drop-down menu.

Choose your desired le format from the Output Format drop-down menu, and then
click OK. Calibre will then begin to convert your e-book, and a noti cation will appear in
the top right-hand corner when the conversion is complete.

Tip: Calibre can handle the following formats: MOBI, EPUB, AZW3, FB2, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, PDB, PDF, PMLZ,
RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ, and ZIP.

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Step 5: Send to Device

Once your chosen e-book has successfully converted format, it is ready to be sent to
your e-book reader.

Once your chosen e-book has successfully converted format, it is ready to be sent to your e-book reader.

Connect your e-book reader to the computer, right-click the e-book, hover over Send to
Device, and then press Send to Main Memory. This process can take anywhere
between half a second to a couple of minutes, depending on the size of the le and
how many need transferring.

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Eject your device by clicking the arrow to the right of the Device icon and then press Eject This Device.

Upon completion, eject your device by clicking the arrow to the right of the Device icon
and then press Eject This Device from the drop-down menu.

And Relax!
There you have it — one e-book converted to the format of your choice and safely
deposited on your Kindle, Kobo, or any other e-book reader that you own. Did you nd
this step-by-step guide helpful? If so, leave a comment below.

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Hannah Williams
Murcia, Spain

Hannah Williams is a writer based in Spain.

 hnnhwllms

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jaymac92 • 6 years ago

how about converting books in ibooks to read on kindle via calibre?
2△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

fcabanski • 4 years ago

This doesn't work. The book is fine in Kindle, but the calibre converted book is too wide and
sometimes has the pages showing half of the previous page and half of the current page
(vertically).
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Taleb Ali Mohamed Lemin • 2 years ago

thank you
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Chiara • 3 years ago

Hi, in step 2 you have not said what format the book is in that you are adding the library. This is
the piece that i am trying to learn about before I decide if Calibre is for me. What are all the file
formats that the book can be in? If I already have a formatted ebook that is in epub, and I want
to use Calibre to make edits to it, does that work?
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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