How to Read eBooks on a Kindle and Manage Your Library

by Ron Vitale

Are you a new tablet or smartphone owner and you’re not certain how to get an ebook onto your device? It’s okay, don’t fret. This article will keep things nice and simple. As a lover of technology, I took the leap into the world of ebooks rather late as I have hundreds of physical books. But now that I have started reading on my Kindle or using the Kindle app, I understand what all the hubbub is about.

In this article, I’ll go through the basics:

Before I get started, keep this in mind that I regularly use a Kindle 3, a Droid X and an iPhone. I’ll spend less time on the Nook as I don’t physically own the device, but that’s not because I don’t like it. The most important thing to realize is that learning how to download books onto a device is easy. What you might not have consider before is the many places you can read ebooks now. Here’s a simple example:

Imagine that you're late for work in the morning and forget your Kindle at home. You're sitting on the train and pull out your iPhone or Android phone and load up the Kindle app. Simply select archived items and you can download the book you left at home (to the exact position you were last at) to your phone and start reading in seconds. When you return home and use the Kindle, you are asked if you'd like to jump ahead to the new location in the book. Think about the power of this feature as your books remain in Amazon's servers in the cloud. If you need to download an old book on a new device, you can. I've tried this out on three devices at once (Kindle, iPhone and Droid X) and I cannot tell you how convenient it is to be able to read something wherever you are at. Stuck in line at the supermarket? Pull out your iPhone and read a few pages and then go home later and synch up the Kindle to your latest location in the book.

With that said, let’s jump right in!

SUMMING IT ALL UP

With millions of people now owning Kindles and millions more being able to use the Kindle app on their smartphones, there are a lot of great uses for these devices that are worth knowing. I hope you found this article useful. Below is a list of resources to help you learn more.

RESOURCES:

Here are some resources to help you with learning more about ebooks or obtaining free books. Enjoy!

Project Gutenberg. More than 36,000 free books (in various formats) can be downloaded here.
Smashwords. Great way to find ebooks from indie authors and publishers.
Kindle Indie Bookstore. Tens of thousands of low priced books are available here. Many priced at $.99 to $2.99. And don't let the low prices scare you off, there are some great books here.
Kindle support page. Find answers to your Kindle questions.
Kindle Boards. Meet and talk with thousands of Kindle users and talk about books and the Kindle.

Hopefully, this article has been helpful to teach you how to load books onto your device. I've loved to read since I was a child and now with access to more books than I can read in a lifetime in the palm of my hand, I fully understand why having ebooks is so great. The next time you're stuck somewhere and are bored you'll have a library at your fingertips. I hope you give reading ebooks a try and, most of all, I hope you enjoy it. Have fun!

Ron Vitale is the author of the Cinderella's Secret Witch Diaries series, the Witch's Coven novels, the Jovian Gate Chronicles, and the Werewhale Saga. Check out his books in the Amazon store.