eBooks

Larry's wife wants to back up her Kindle eBooks onto an SD card to read on another device. Leo says that Kindle uses MOBI as its file version, and it can only be read by Kindle. She'll need to convert the files to ePub, which is a standard format. Leo likes Calibre for that. If she uses the Kindle app, then it's no problem, and she can just install the MOBI files to that other device. She'll need the folder structure first, so she should download a new book on the new device with the Kindle app.

Robert is vision impaired and he's missed the mobile revolution. He knows that there are a lot of books available on Amazon in eBooks. How can he have them read back to him? Leo says that the Kindle will read back to him, and it's a decent robotic voice. But some publishers disable the feature, which is a shame.

Steve has several eBooks with a PDB file extension and wants to know how he can transfer them. Leo says that Calibre can likely do it. It converts from one eBook format to another, and it's free. It may be an odd file, but it's certainly a good place to start.

Jim needs to get an audio book to another device from his iPod, which has broken. Leo says that the only way to do it is to download it to another Apple "iDevice." He should be able to go into iTunes, look for the little "cloud" next to the title, tap it, and it should download again. He can also download through the iTunes desktop client.

Jim is also interested in Ting. Leo says that TING is an MVNO that resells Sprint service on a month to month contract. Ting is also a sponsor of the Tech Guy podcast.

Tim agrees that eBooks are taking over, but he says that a lot of the new eBooks are filled with typos and are terrible PDF scans of real hard copy books. Leo says we saw the same thing in the early days of DVDs. That's why he suggests reading reviews of eBooks on Amazon before he buys. Leo also says that in today's wired and connected economy, customers talk to each other and it's really foolish to take the easy road when flirting with new technologies. If people see bad reviews that complain, people won't buy. That said, eBook sales were up 43% last year, with 457 million sold.

Chris has created a new website called Cruise Port Insider, which gives the inside track of what to do when you're "in port." Leo says that's a great idea and wonders if Chris crowd sources the data. He's also created eBooks for cruisers to download. On Amazon, it asks about digital rights management so he's wondering if DRM a good idea for eBooks. Leo says he doesn't like DRM. It doesn't protect the content creator from piracy, because the pirates can always defeat it. All DRM does is frustrate legitimate readers.

Christine has written a book and she went to CreateSpace, where she published in both paperback and Kindle eBook. She says that it's important to be precise in revisions and instructions to editors. But now that she's published her book, how does she get the word out and market it? She has a website, blog, Facebook fanpage, and store. Leo says it will help to link all of them so she can update easier. Does she need a publisher? Leo says not really. The online stuff that Christine has already done will work.