Hey gorgeous! I have a kind of public service announcement/how-to going on today. Want to read eBooks but don’t have a Kobo, Kindle, Nook device? No problem. You can download the reader apps each company provides for free and then manually add the books you want to read. It’s the easiest way to read eBooks on your computer (both PC & Mac). Let me show you how to do it.
The best part is you can get ALL of these apps. You’re not tied to just one. And each app has the ability to let you add books to it, so you can read ARCs (Advance Review Copies) from authors or books you buy elsewhere. Kindle requires a different file type than everyone else, but I’ll get into that here in a second.
Kobo
This one is my personal favorite. I really like using Kobo as a reader, and I buy my books from here.
Step 1: Download the app
Go to the Kobo site (here) and download the app for your device. Every device type (PC, Mac, Android phone/tablet, iPhone/iPad) has a different download.
- From the device you want to read on, go to this link.
- Click on whichever option describes your device.
- Download & install.
Once the app installs, you’re ready to read! Any device you download from the Kobo store will automatically appear for you on your device. Yay magic.
Step 2: Get the eBooks you love
Namely, mine! Just kidding. Sort of.
You can get loads of great books from Kobo. Lichgates is available here (free), and this is my author page (all my books show up in that search).
Step 3: Add them to your app.
You don’t have to buy all your eBooks from Kobo. If you’re ever given an ePub (the file type Kobo requires) you can follow the steps below to add the books to your Kobo app. It’s a few extra steps, but I personally like knowing I’m never tied to one vendor.
Add ePubs to a Kobo App on a phone/tablet
- Connect your device to your computer with a USB.
- Browse to the device’s folder. It usually appears under Computer or pops up automatically when you plug it in.
- Browse to the Kobo folder.
- Copy your ePub file into the Kobo> ePubs folder
- Unplug your device and go to the app to make sure the files added
Add ePubs to a Kobo App on your computer
As far as I can tell, this isn’t possible yet. If I’m wrong, please let me know!
Kindle (from Amazon)
This is probably the most popular content provider for eBooks. While most eReaders and their apps require an ePub file type for books, Kindle uses a completely different file type called MOBI.
Note: you cannot organize books in this app by using any sort of shelving feature. It’s an annoying part of the apps, but I think Amazon wants to limit the features in its free apps so you buy the eReader itself. Just a theory.
Step 1: Download the app
Go to the Kindle site (here) and download the app for your device. Every device type (PC, Mac, Android phone/tablet, iPhone/iPad) has a different download.
- From the device you want to read on, go to this link.
- Click on whichever option describes your device.
- Download & install.
Once the app installs, you’re ready to read! Any device you download from the Kobo store will automatically appear for you on your device. Yay magic.
Step 2: Get the eBooks you love
Namely, mine! Just kidding. Sort of.
You can get loads of great books from Amazon. Lichgates is available here (free), and this is my author page (all my books show up in that search).
Step 3: Add them to your app.
You don’t have to buy all your eBooks from Amazon. If you’re ever given a MOBI eBook (the file type Amazon requires) you can follow the steps below to add the books to your Amazon app. It’s a few extra steps, but I personally like knowing I’m never tied to one vendor.
Your best option for this is the Send to Kindle feature, which takes a little learning at first but is REALLY useful. I recommend you read up on it and use it if you want to send your books to your Kindle app.
Nook (from Barnes & Noble)
This is the forgotten child of eReaders, but there are plenty of Barnes & Noble enthusiasts out there. I added this in to give you a full spectrum of your options.
Note: you cannot organize books in this app by using any sort of shelving feature. It’s an annoying part of the apps, but I think Barnes & Noble wants to limit the features in its free apps so you buy the eReader itself. Just a theory.
Step 1: Download the app
Go to the Barnes & Noble Nook’s site (here) and download the app for your device. Every device type (PC, Mac, Android phone/tablet, iPhone/iPad) has a different download.
- From the device you want to read on, go to this link.
- Click on whichever option describes your device.
- Download & install.
Once the app installs, you’re ready to read! Any device you download from the Kobo store will automatically appear for you on your device. Yay magic.
Step 2: Get the eBooks you love
Namely, mine! Just kidding. Sort of.
You can get loads of great books from Amazon. Lichgates is available here (free), and this is my author page (all my books show up in that search).
Step 3: Add them to your app.
You don’t have to buy all your eBooks from Amazon. If you’re ever given a MOBI eBook (the file type Amazon requires) you can follow the steps below to add the books to your Amazon app. It’s a few extra steps, but I personally like knowing I’m never tied to one vendor.
Add ePubs to a Nook App on your phone/tablet
As far as I can tell, this isn’t possible yet. If I’m wrong, please let me know!
Add ePubs to a Nook App on your computer
You can add epub books that are not protected by DRM to the “My Stuff” section of the Nook for PC app. While in the Library, click on “My Stuff” then click on “Add an Item” at the top of the window. It will open a dialog box, navigate to the ebook you want to add and click on it then click open. (Source)