Tag Archives: eBooks

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BookFunnel for Readers

The freebies you get here are downloaded through the BookFunnel App. BookFunnel allows you to select a preferred format: Epub, Mobi, or PDF by choosing your reading device. The app is made for Android, Apple, and Kindle.

 
Download the Bookfunnel App

If you are using a mobile device, you can go to the BookFunnel site and pick up the links to the app stores there. You can also search the Apple App Store or Google Play for the app, but Amazon does not offer it. However, you can install it to Kindle devices from the BookFunnel site.

My Freebie links take you directly to the BookFunnel site which gives you options to install the app, get a book code, download the file to your PC, or email the file to yourself.

Note: Before you install BookFunnel App to Kindle Fire, go into the settings of your Kindle Fire, click on Security & Privacy, and TURN ON Apps from Unknown Sources. This allows you to install apps that are not Amazon’s property. Amazon makes it sound scary with the word “Unknown” because they want you to use only their proprietary or approved apps.


On our menu, click on “FREEBIES FOR YOU” and choose your freebie. (You can come back and get the second one too.)

You’ll be taken to the book’s landing page on the BookFunnel site. You’ll have a choice to begin reading the book on your browser or to “Get My Book.”

Click on “Get My Book.” If you already have BookFunnel installed on a device, just grab the Book Code from the entry at the bottom of the box. This code is specific to each book and enables you to download it easily on your app.

If you need to install BookFunnel, then look at the options:

“What do you read on?” You get a list of choices. With each choice you also get the option to email the book to yourself. Each choice has its own process. Just follow the instructions for your device.

BookFunnel gives you a choice of Kindle readers as well as a Mobi file. If you choose the Mobi file, it will download to your computer or mobile device to be saved.



You have options to install for Android, Kobo, and Nook as well. Once your Bookfunnel App is installed, you never have to do it again. Most authors now use BookFunnel to gift and to distribute books from their own independent online stores. It’s an app you’ll use again and again.

If downloading the app is something you don’t want to do, then choose the Mobi, EPUB, or PDF File. You can still store it and sideload it into your device.




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Take Charge of Your eBooks- Nook

I buy books from Amazon, Kobo, and rarely from Apple. I stay away from Nook books. It is sad because the first reader I ever owned was a Nook. I loved it. Back then, the Nook desktop app was easy to download and no one was afraid of losing his or her library.

If you own a Nook device, there are two methods you may try to liberate your books.

First Method:

Connect your Nook reader directly to your computer via the USB cable which came with it. If your device is old and you no longer have the cable, you can find used original replacement cables on eBay for very little money. Make sure they are for your Nook model.

Use a USB cable capable of data transfer. Some are for charging only. Often, the failure of a device to connect to a PC is simply caused by a USB cable which is not designed for data transfer. The newer Nooks (GlowLight 4 series and newer tablets) use the USB type C connector which is becoming the norm for most electronic devices. 

Connect your Nook and power it on. In some Nook models, a screen pops up on the Nook asking you to approve the connection. Do so. Then, on your PC, navigate on Windows Explorer to “My Computer.” You should see the device listed as MyNook. For different models, you might see it listed as a separate drive or as a storage device. Navigate to the Nook directory, locate the book files, and drag your books to the Windows PC.

Second Method:

An alternative which may work for you is using Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) app. Adobe Digital Editions is a reading app which supports the Nook and also has a desktop version. The ADE must installed in both your Nook and your PC or MAC.

After installing ADE, you must register (authorize) it with Adobe. Both the PC installation and the Nook installation must be authorized. and make sure each is set to “Automatic Download.” This means that any book loaded to your ADE in your Nook is automatically downloaded to your ADE in your PC.

Your books will sync and appear in the PC’s directory. “My Digital Editions” folder should be located in your Documents directory. Now, Calibre can import them just like it does Kobo and Kindle books.

Without a Nook device, liberating your books may not be easy or even possible.

For those readers who do not have a functional Nook, the problem is not DRM removal or format conversion. There are several apps that can handle DRM, and Nook books are already in EPUB format. The problem is getting the books out of the Barnes & Noble ecosystem.

All articles claiming a true/tried way of transferring books out of Nooks using the Nook app for PCs are useless because Barnes & Noble discontinued the app a few years ago. The mobile app is easily available, but not the one for PC.

I found an Epubor post (Updated 2022) claiming that the Microsoft Store’s Nook app still worked. Imagine my joy! Of course, I quickly downloaded it and attempted to install. It would not allow installation on my Windows PC. A careful inspection of the downloaded file’s entry showed that this is now an APK file not executable on the PC.

The app now available at the Microsoft Store is an APK app, although it is not labeled as such. APKs are created for Android devices, primarily Android phones and tablets.

To run an APK app on a PC, you need to install an Android emulator. These are massive programs used mainly by gamers who wish to run Android games on their computers. Some of these emulators are able to run the Nook app available at the Microsoft Store.

I spent hours installing MEmu, which is a stable, file-sharing emulator with excellent reviews. It kept crashing. I finally gave up. In my opinion, this is just too much trouble.

If you have an extensive Nook library which you want to access without buying a new Nook, there is the option to install the mobile Nook app on your Androids, iPhones, iPads and log into B&N to download your books and enjoy them. There is no need to buy a new Nook to enjoy your books. The Nook app is alive and well for mobile devices. You can download it at your favorite app store or at the B&N store site.

You can also buy the latest Nook and enjoy your library. The death knoll for the Nook has been rung for years, with all kinds of articles claiming that Nook is dead. The truth is far different.

Barnes & Noble are still selling Nooks and will for years to come. They no longer manufacture the devices themselves but contract their manufacture out. At present, they are opening new stores where they had closed years ago. It is evident that neither B&N or Nooks are not going away!

Eventually, someone will come up with a way to easily liberate your Nook library. Here’s hoping!

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Take Charge of Your eBooks- Kobo

The process for freeing book files from vendors depends on the vendor. Calibre removes DRM from Kobo and Barnes & Noble books as well. The only books Calibre cannot free are iBooks from Apple.

To free a Kobo book, Calibre uses the Obok_Plugin which downloads together with the DeDRM tools.

Install the plugin exactly as you installed DeDRM. You open Calibre, go to Prefences, Plugins, Install Plugins from File. Select the Obok_Plugin (Calibre unzips it for you).

There is no Kobo library to use as there is with Kindle for PC. However, you will see that one is not needed.

Go into the Kobo store and click on “My Books.” As you look at your Kobo library at the store, you’ll see under each cover, three dots.  They turn red when you hover over them. Click on those and select the “Download” tab. The book will download to your computer’s Downloads directory.

The file on your Downloads directory will look like this.

Now, open Calibre. Click on “Add Books.”

Select “Add Books from a Single Folder.”

Navigate to your Downloads directory and select the book file. Calibre will pull it in immediately. It will have its DRM removed and already be in Epub format.

Kobo books are probably the easiest to liberate as all you need is to buy the book and download it to your computer. This means that even if you do not own a Kobo device, you can buy books from them.

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Take Charge of Your eBooks- Part 3

The removal of DRM from your books gives you control from seller-imposed restrictions. The Kindle App for PC allows you access to your Kindle library. The next app allows you to create a library you can finally own.

This app has been around for years. It’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux! It’s not written or controlled by any major company. It’s free for anyone to download and use. I have used it for years. Calibre is an app which every eBook owner should have.

At this writing, the latest version of Calibre is 6.9.0, but I use 6.1.0 because it works perfectly for our purpose.  

Step 1– Download Calibre and the Plugin

If you have not done it yet, download the app and the special plugin we will need. 

Calibre 6.1.0

DeDRM_tools_7.2.1.zip

For the plugin, do not download the source code. Download this exact file.

Step 2– Install Calibre

Navigate to your download directory and click on the Calibre 6.1.0 installer and install the app.

You will be asked to accept the license and also if you trust the program. Of course, you must say yes to both. Once the app is installed, you can open it.

The first time you open Calibre. It will ask you to choose your language and it will show you where the Calibre Library is normally installed and give you the option to change its location.

This YouTube video is an excellent step-by-step on how to install Calibre.

Step 3- Install Plugin

To install the plugins, open Calibre. On the right, top corner, click on “Preferences.”

Bottom left corner, Click on “Plugins.”

Bottom right, Click on “Load Plugin from file.”

Navigate to your Zipped DeDRM , and click on it.

A security risk warning will appear. Accept it and Calibre will unzip and install the tool. That’s it!

Next post: Creating your Library.

Note: If this post was confusing or you had trouble following any of the directions, please let me know. My posts are always a work in progress, and I aim to clarify the content.