Here’s the last installment of the Kindle 101 getting started guide, and if you’ve made it this far then you already know how the Kindle works and how to get started. Today’s final part addresses some of the most frequently asked questions new Kindle customers have. I also offer a few tips and tricks for people who own Kindle ebook devices.
Part 4 of 4: Tips and tricks
* If you own a Kindle device, add Feedbooks to your device for easy, DRM-free access to thousands of classics and modern works.
* If you own a Kindle 1 device (it was the original wedge-shaped one), here are some keyboard shortcuts for you.
* If you own a Kindle 2 or Kindle DX, here are some shortcuts for you as well.
* For all Kindle owners, did you know you can replace the screensaver images with custom images?
* There are lots of places to help you find free ebooks.
FAQ
Q: Do I have to make backups?
A: Nope. You can let Amazon take care of all of that. However, if you want access to your full library even when you’re not able to connect to Amazon’s servers, you’ll need to either keep everything on your device all the time, or you’ll need to keep your own backup library on your computer.
Q: Do I have to re-purchase Kindle books for other devices?
A: No. Buy it once, and you can read it on any Kindle-ready device. However, there’s a limit to how many devices you can have connected to your account. Usually that limit is six, but sometimes a publisher sets it lower.
If you’ve exhausted your limit because you’ve changed devices, you can contact Amazon and ask them to reset the limit for you.
Q: If I delete a book, do I have to buy it again?
A: No. You deleted it from your device, but it’s still stored on Amazon’s servers, and you can re-download it again at any point in the future.
Q: If I sell my Kindle to someone else, will they have access to my purchases?
A: Only if you want them to. Before selling the Kindle, go into your account management page at kindle.amazon.com (click “account management” at the top of the page after you log in) and deregister the device from your account. Then make sure you deregister device is able to connect to Amazon’s servers so that it can receive the news that it’s no longer connected, and it will remove all of your information and return to its blank initial state.
If you don’t deregister the Kindle before selling it, the person who buys it could access your Kindle library and buy more books under your account, costing you money.
Fortunately, you can deregister a Kindle even after you no longer have it in your possession — all the magic happens on the Amazon website.
Q: Does the Kindle device display PDF files?
A: Sort of. Not very well. Well, sometimes. It depends? On the smaller model, the screen is okay if the text in the PDF file isn’t too tiny. You can change the screen orientation so the file is displayed sideways, which gives you a little more screen width. In general I haven’t had much success reading PDFs on the Kindle.
If you have the large-format Kindle DX, this isn’t a problem, and most PDF files will display just fine.
You can also email PDF files to Amazon and they’ll convert the file to a different format and either send it back to you via email, which is free, or send it directly to your Kindle, which costs 15-99 cents depending on whether you’re a U.S. customer in the United States at the time. In my tests, conversion results vary in quality.
More information:
If you’re reading Kindle books on any other device, the question is moot because the Kindle software won’t display PDFs. Just use whatever you’ve always used to read PDFs on that platform.
Q: What file formats can I read on the Kindle?
A: The answer depends on what device you’re using. If you bought a Kindle, here are the accepted formats. If you have something in a different format than what’s on that list, you can try sending the document to Amazon to see if they can convert it for you, or you can try one of the solutions mentioned on our Converting Stuff page.
Q: Can I share Kindle purchases with other Kindle owners?
A: You can’t lend, sell, or give away Kindle ebooks, but you can register up to six devices on a single account, and every one of those devices will be able to access your full library.
Useful Amazon links
Hey! Be sure to check out the complete Kindle 101 page for the most current version of this guide.