What about Nooks and iPads?

Today marks the release of Finding Time on the Kindle.

The first question I got was, "What about the Nook or iPad?" My first answer was, "sorry, you have to wait." But my second answer is a lot better.

Amazon has a program they call "KDP Select." The way it works is you promise that you'll only sell your work on Amazon for a period of time, and they'll make it worth your while.

We'll see about that last part, but I signed up for it. And that means the earliest I can put Finding Time in Smashwords, or the Apple store is 90 days from now.

But you want Finding Time NOW. (I hope.)

The good news is that I never put copy-protection on anything I sell. Never. It's a matter of scruples with me. This means the file that Kindle will sell you can be translated between MOBI (Kindle format) and ePUB (Sony, Nook & iPad format), if you have a translator.

Happily, this file conversion is just two clicks in a program called Calibre that you can get for free at http://calibre-ebook.com/. It's a great program to get even if you don't get Finding Time or want to convert any ebooks!

Now, if you don't have a Kindle, you can still buy Finding Time. Below the "Buy it now" button is a drop-down labelled "Deliver to:". Select "Transfer via Computer". Then make your purchase and do what Amazon tells you to get the file. Remember where you put it.

After you download and install Calibre, connect your Nook or iPad or Sony. Wait a bit and Calibre will recognize your device.

Then import Finding Time into Calibre. It will ask you where to find the file. That's why I asked you to remember where you put it. Great, you're almost done.

Right-click on Finding Time from the list in Calibre, and select Convert Books and Convert Individually. A dialog box will appear and in its upper left hand corner, make sure it says MOBI and in the upper right hand corner, make sure it says "EPUB". Then say OK. This will start the file conversion process. Wait a few minutes for it to finish.

Make sure you've still got your Nook or iPad connected. You'll be able to select Finding Time and "Send To Device".

That's it. So simple, a fifth-grader can do it.  

Quick, find me a fifth-grader.

 

Update: I feel rather stupid, because I happen to have the Kindle application running on my iPad right now. So, all those iPad references should be Sony Reader, Kobo or some other platform that lacks a Kindle app running on it. Did I say I feel rather stupid?