How to Get Great Content for Your Favorite Mobile Reading Device

The holidays are over and things have settled down to normal. Perhaps you’re an avid reader, or made it your New Year’s resolution to read more? Either way, you want some great reads to put on your new device. Electronic Book Readers have become so popular that local libraries are offering classes on how to use them and USA Today is weighing in on the “Ereader vs. Tablet” debate.

The ePub format is the open eBook format recommended by The International Digital Publishing Forum and supported by most Ereaders.  If you don’t own a device that supports the ePub format then you can use the add-ons for Firefox or Chrome Internet Browsers and read them on your computer. You can also download Aldiko for Android or Stanza for iPhone & iPad to read on your smartphone or tablet.

Where to Get Free Content

So, where do you get books in EPUB format?  There are many places to download free books in EPUB (and usually Kindle) format such as Google Books or Project Gutenburg website.  You can also buy books from Google books, Barnes and Noble, or borrow them from some local libraries, but where can you get LDS books in the EPUB format?

Here is a partial list of LDS Books you can download in EPUB format… just to get you started.

• The Scriptures (Gospel Library)
• Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage
• All current Church manuals
• Key to the Science of Theology by Parley Pratt
• Ben Crowder has a nice collection of books available for download (including Journal of Discourses and The Story of Mormonism)

Converting to ePub or Kindle

What about other stuff? Web pages, and other web content like that of the Maxwell Institute (formerly FARMS) at BYU? Luckily there’s a cool online tool called Dot ePub that makes it really easy. If you use Chrome browser, scroll down and look for the Chrome extension and install and use that. If you use another browser, here’s how to setup and use it:

1. Just visit dotepub.com.
2. In the big green bar on the right, leave it on EPUB setting, or if you have a Kindle, switch it to the MOBI setting.
3. Leave “immersive mode” checked if you don’t want links and other distracting things in your “book.”
4. Go to the top of the page and drag the site’s logo into your bookmark bar. It will create what’s called a bookmarklet.

It’s basically a bookmark with super powers. It doesn’t just take you to a site you bookmarked, it can do lots of other things. This one converts whatever page you are on to an ePub or Mobi book so you can put it on your ereader/phone/tablet. Here’s a video, if you need an example:

There’s also a cool Python script for converting content from The Maxwell Institute to ePub, if you’re into that sort of thing!

Do you own a Tablet or Ereader? Where do you get great content from?