When I first started reading digital books, or ebooks, I was unsure if I would ever prefer ebooks over traditional books. It did take a little while to get used to reading this way, but now that I’ve been reading books on my Kindle, iPhone, and computer for several years now, I can enthusiastically say that I love it!!
One of my favorite things about ebooks is that I can have so much information and so many options for reading, all at my fingertips! I like a little choice and variety in my life, and I’m an information junkie, so I LOVE that I can keep so much helpful, useful, and inspiring information without cluttering up my home or using tons of paper!
I’ve had a few readers ask me about how to read an ebook if you don’t have an eReader, like a Kindle or Nook. The great news is that it’s easy! And I wanted to answer this question in a post so that everyone can see how easy it is to read ebooks on a device you already have!
How to Read an ebook Even if You Don’t Have an eReader!
What is an ebook?
To begin with, let’s talk about what an ebook is.
According to Wikipedia:
An electronic book (variously: e-book, eBook, e-Book, ebook, digital book, or even e-edition) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on computers or other electronic devices.[1] Although sometimes defined as “an electronic version of a printed book”,[2] many e-books exist without any printed equivalent. Commercially produced and sold e-books are usually intended to be read on dedicated e-book readers, however, almost any sophisticated electronic device that features a controllable viewing screen, including computers, many mobile phones, and all smartphones can also be used to read e-books. (emphasis mine)
So right there you can see, you don’t have to have an eReader to read ebooks. In fact, if you’re reading this post on your computer or phone, then you probably already have what you need to read an ebook.
How to Read Ebooks
Ebooks can come in a few different forms:
- a PDF version that you download when you purchase an ebook from a site like a blog, or when you purchase a bundle of ebooks like the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle.
- Or an ePub version which is what you buy and download from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. A Kindle version is probably the most popular type of ePub eBook.
You can read either the PDF or ePub version on many of the devices that you probably already have, you don’t have to have a Kindle or Nook to read an ebook!
Here’s how:
Reading an Ebook on your computer
This is how I first began reading ebooks. I would purchase and download PDF ebooks from my favorite bloggers and just open and read the PDF book in Adobe Reader on my computer. (If you don’t have Adobe Reader you can get it for free here.)
You can also download the Kindle App to your computer and purchase Kindle books to read on your computer. I first began to do this before I had an iPhone and people would share about the great free Kindle books available. I didn’t want to miss out on free books, so I downloaded the Kindle program and “purchased” free Kindle ebooks to add the program. (You can download the Kindle App for free from Amazon.)
Reading ebooks on your computer is super easy, but it’s not always the most convenient way because a computer doesn’t really fit in your hand for on-the-go reading.
Reading Ebooks on a Smartphone or Tablet
Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Android or some other type of device, you can easily download eBooks to read on your phone or tablet.
I use the Kindle App on my phone, because that’s where are my Kindle books are, and I can also easily upload my PDF books to read in my Kindle App as well. There are two ways to upload PDFs to your Kindle App on your phone: (Note: this is how I do it on my iPhone 4, your device may require different steps)
1. You can email the PDF to yourself, open the PDF in your Mail App on your phone, click on the box with the arrow in the top and a box that says “Open In” will appear and you can choose to open in your Kindle App. Then, when you open your Kindle App, you should see your ebook there.
2. Or each device with a Kindle App has it’s own email address associated with it. You can find this email address in your Amazon account under “Manage Your Kindle” and then “Manage Your Devices”. You can send an email with the PDF book attached to the device that you want to read the eBook on. After you send the email you will be able to view and download the book in your Kindle App.
Here is another list of free apps to use to read ebooks on your iPhone if you don’t want to use the Kindle App.
Reading Ebooks on your Kindle device
When you purchase a Kindle ebook from Amazon, it is automatically uploaded on to your Kindle device. It’s also really easy to upload PDF ebooks to read on your Kindle too!
Again, every device with a Kindle has it’s own email address associated with it. So you would follow the same directions as #2 above to send the PDF eBooks to upload and read on your Kindle.
Go to your Amazon account under “Manage Your Kindle” and then “Manage Your Devices” to find the email address associated with your Kindle. You can then send an email with the PDF book attached to your Kindle and then you can easily upload the PDF and read it on your Kindle. (On my Kindle Fire, my PDF books are kept separately under “Documents” and not under “Books”.)
Once you get started with reading ebooks, on whatever device you choose, you will be hooked! When I first got my Kindle Fire (my husband won it at a work holiday party), I wasn’t sure I could get used to reading on it, and not having a real book with pages in my hand. I started reading short eBooks on it, just to get used to it, and now I do 95% of my reading on the Kindle.
I love that it’s so easy to keep lots of different books with you all the time, and eReaders are eco-friendly too! Ebooks don’t require paper and ink for printing, and energy for shipping the way that traditional books do!
Did you know that you could read eBooks without having a dedicated eReader? What’s your favorite way to read eBooks? Take a look at the eBooks that are included in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, which one(s) are you most excited to read?
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Love your post. I usually read books on my iPhone. But to be honest, I still think the e-reader is a more efficient way for reading, since I can focus on it.