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How to Read eBooks on Kindle

Amazon makes it cumbersome to read .epub-file ebooks it hasn't sold you, but you can do it (legally) through Amazon's Send-to-Kindle process.

Every Kindle device (and/or Kindle app) has its own unique Send-to-Kindle email address. Find this address, put it in the To: field of an email message, attach the .epub file, Send the message, and the next time you sync your Kindle (or Kindle app), the file/ebook will pop up on your device, ready to read. Here's the step-by-step:

  1. Download the ebook (.epub file). It'll go where your downloads normally go (on MacOS, to the "Downloads" folder, etc.).
  2. Find the Send-to-Kindle email address for the device on which you want to read the book. (Every device/app's address is unique to that device.) For example, from the Home screen on a Kindle Paperwhite, touch the three-dot line in the upper-right corner of the screen and select Settings. Touch Your Account, and find Send-to-Kindle Email at the bottom of the screen. The very last line is the Send-to-Kindle address for this Paperwhite. It may look something like this: JOHN_DFR50G@KINDLE.COM .
  3. If you're using the Kindle app on a smartphone, tablet or computer, go to https://www.amazon.com/myk#manageDevices, click on the Kindle logo, and you should see a list of your devices that use the Kindle app, each with its email address beneath the device name.
  4. Copy the Send-to-Kindle email address and Paste it into the To: field of a new email message in your normal email program (which must be the one you use for Amazon communications).
  5. Attach the .epub file to this email message and Send it. (The message needs no Subject or other text.)
  6. Sync your Kindle, and the ebook (.epub file) you've purchased outside of Amazon should be there, ready to read.
  7. Remember: you can easily read .epub-file books directly on almost any device...except Kindle. All computers, tablets (iPad, etc.), and smartphones have ebook-reading programs that will accept and display ebooks in the standard .epub format. (On Apple devices, it's Books.)

book cover: Serene - a novel of the Belle Epoque

Sure, you can read it on your Kindle!