How to Upload a Book to Kindle

by Spanner Spencer
The Kindle comes supplied with a USB cable.

The Kindle comes supplied with a USB cable.

Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

As of March 2011, Amazon.com offers five models of its Kindle ebook reader. Ebooks are displayed on an e-ink screen, and stored in the Kindle's internal flash memory. You can purchase and download ebooks directly to the device from Amazon.com's online bookstore. Your existing library of ebooks can also be uploaded to the Kindle by emailing them as attachments to the device's unique email address, or by uploading them from a computer via USB.

USB

Step 1

Connect the Kindle to the computer using its USB cable. The Kindle automatically enters its USB transfer mode, and is detected by the computer as a mass storage device.

Step 2

Open the Kindle's allocated drive on the computer. There are three folders in the Kindle's window: Audible, Music and Documents.

Step 3

Open the Documents folder. All the current ebooks loaded onto the Kindle are visible inside this folder.

Step 4

Drag and drop your new ebook(s) into the Kindle's Documents folder to upload them to the device. Once uploading is complete, disconnect the USB cable.

Email

Step 1

Press the "Menu" button on the Kindle and choose the "Settings" option using the five-way controller.

Step 2

Note the Kindle's unique email address detailed on the Settings page.

Step 3

Attach the ebook to an email, and send it to the Kindle's email address. You do not need to include a subject line or any text in the body of the email.

Step 4

Turn the Kindle on and press the "Home" button to go to the library. The ebook is added to the Kindle's library as soon as the email arrives.

Tip

  • You can upload audio books in the same way by dropping the audio files into the Audible folder; or upload music files into the Music folder.
  • You do not need to check for new emails on the Kindle, as they're sent to the device automatically by Amazon.com.

About the Author

Spanner Spencer has been writing since 2005 for a variety of print and online publications. Focusing on entertainment, gaming and technology, his work has been published by Eurogamer.net, "The Escapist," "GamesTM," "Retro Gamer," "Empire," "Total PC Gaming" "The Guardian," among others. Spencer is a qualified medical electronics engineer with a Business and Technology Education Council certificate in technical writing from Huddersfield Technical College.

Photo Credits

  • Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images