An easy guide to find your way in those pesky Amazon pages
If you have a Kindle, sending a book that you buy on Amazon to your Kindle is done automatically.
The problem comes when you buy the book elsewhere and want to read it on the Kindle.
Amazon doesn't make it easy for you. It requires you to send the book file to an email address associated with your Kindle. But this can only be done from an email address that you have previously authorized.
Follow these steps.
Step 1: Find the email address of your Kindle
On your computer, go to Amazon.com and log into the account associated with your Kindle.
In the top bar, choose the third option from the right: “Accounts & Lists”.
Under “Your Account”, click on “Content and Devices”.
A third horizontal bar will appear, in white. In it, click on "Preferences".
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on "Personal Document Settings".
Click on that option and you will see a list of your Kindles appear, as well as phones and other devices that have the Kindle app.
Next to the name of each Kindle name, you'll see the email address associated with it.
This email address can be changed with the "Edit" option.
Step 2: Authorize your email address
Scroll a little further down and you will find the "Approved Personal Document E-mail List". It may be empty.
Click on "Add a new approved email address" and write in the box the email address from which you are going to send the eBooks.
Step 3: Send the file with the eBook to the email address of your Kindle
From the email address you authorized in step 2, write an email to your Kindle's email address (step 1). Do not include subject or text, just attach the EPUB or AZW file of the book you want to send.
The e-book file formats that you can send to your Kindle are AZW and EPUB. Amazon has discontinued the MOBI format, but it still works on older Kindles. I advise you to use EPUB.
You can use this same system to send personal documents to your Kindle. However, Amazon charges a fee of $0.15 per document submitted.
Kindle accepts the following files: PDF, DOC, DOCX, HTML, HTM, RTF, TXT, JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MOBI, AZW, and EPUB.
Step 4: Turn on your Kindle and wait for the eBook to download
If this does not happen, select "Content" in the same bar where "Preferences" is. There you will find a list of all the books and documents accessible on your Kindles.
If your book is there and not on your Kindle, then it hasn't been sent to the Kindle. Select “Deliver or Remove from Device” and then check the box for your Kindle.
If your book is not there, it has not been uploaded to Amazon. Repeat the steps above to see what is wrong.
Other ways to send books to your Kindle
These methods require apps.
Using the Kindle app on your phone
Using Calibre
Caliber is a free application that allows you to format and organize all your electronic books and documents. It is a must if you are an independent writer.
Use this system if you buy my books
My books are not for sale only on Amazon, I also publish them on Draft2Digital (D2D), Smashwords and Gumroad. From D2D and Smashwords, they are distributed to many other outlets including Apple, Nook, Kobo, Indigo, Angus & Robertson, and Mondadori. This helps expand the bookselling market, avoiding the growing monopoly of Amazon.
Also, Smashwords and Gumroad allow me to offer discount codes to my friends and readers.
If you have a Kindle, buy my books wherever it is convenient for you. Use this system to send them to your Kindle.