Audio Books and Kindle.

[chiangrai]

Hi,

My eyes have gone bad and I've just started exploring other options than

paper books.

I joined "audible,an Amazon company" where you pay a monthly subscription.

They let me download audio books in MP332 format but I like to edit my audiobooks and cut them down to size deleting everything except the parts I want to listen to again and you can't do that with 'audible'

Is there any way around this.

Also I want to try a "pdf" book but I know nothing about this.Do I have to install a program first so that I can open the "pdf" book first.If so what program is best for me.I would be trying to download free first and only buying a kindle version from amazon as a last resort.I will also need large print and the ability to delete huge sections.

All general advice for a newbie into this world of downloading books would be welcome.

Many Thanks.

[trd]

I"m trying to understand what you mean. A pdf is a document format. Do you want to be able to view a pdf file on a kindle.

[thaimite]

I don't have a Kindle but I like listening to Audio books on my Android device as I too have eye problems.

The best site for books depends very much on what you like to read,

One of my favourites is Librivox but a quick Google search will find many others with free Audio books such as http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/ and http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/screen_main.asp.

Librivox lets you download the entire book or just a chapter at a time if space is limited. Another good reason to support the Librox site is that the data from recordings is used t improve the quality and accuracy of free open source text to speech and voice recognition software.

One other suggestion you might like to explore the world of Podcasts. There is a fantastic world of audio entertainment out there if you know where to look.

[chiangrai]

Thanks for the advice guys,

trd my question is about eBooks that I see for free on torrent sites and kindle books that I see for sale on Amazon.

What program or programs do I need to open these books,where do I get them and are they free.

All other advice welcome also

[trd]

What platform are you on. PC, iPad, Android?

[astral]

Kindle does offer the option to change the font size

which may be beneficial to you?

For the basic Kindle the books must be in the right format

PDF is not an option

Having said that the Calibre programme allows for easy format conversion.

[thaimite]

The best reader(s) depend very much on your platform, The question of the best format of book to download I believe depends on the type of book.

I mainly use ePub format for general books and novels and PDF format for books that contain lots of graphics and colour such as magazines.

In addition I strongly suggest you look at downloading the free ebook management system calibre

This software performs many tasks such as

1. Managing all your books, including adding plots, covers and other information
2. Built in converters to convert books from one format to another
3. Built is specialised search engine which will search multiple sites of both free and paid ebooks for the titels you want
4. The ability to edit / write your own books

With add ons it can also manage DRM if you wish to read your books on a different platform.

Finally a search of this forum will list lots of topics on ebooks, readers and download sites

[trd]

Kindle does offer the option to change the font size

which may be beneficial to you?

For the basic Kindle the books must be in the right format

PDF is not an option

Having said that the Calibre programme allows for easy format conversion.

Not correct. Most of the stuff I read on my kindle starts off in pdf format. You simply email the pdf as an attachment to your Amazon email address for the specific device that it has been allocated to with "convert" in the subject line. This is part of Amazons personal documents service. It will be converted and then downloaded to the kindle via wifi in kindle format, which means it will be formatted and wordwrapped for the small screen and will enable you to change font sizes.

[trd]

This may be of interest.

http://fivefilters.org/kindle-it/

[RichCor]

Thanks for the advice guys,

trd my question is about eBooks that I see for free on torrent sites and kindle books that I see for sale on Amazon.

What program or programs do I need to open these books,where do I get them and are they free.

All other advice welcome also

e-books downloaded via device or in-app purchase from such as companies as Amazon or Apple can be said to be authorized copies. They abide to the Publishers contract and pay appropriate royalties to the authors or current holder of the copyright.

Torrent downloads on the other hand... an open can of worms.

As for what programs will open these books -- Take a look at Wikipedia: Comparison of e-book formats reports there are more that 31 e-book formats.

Amazon uses a proprietary format that enables DRM (Digital Rights Management). The content is locked to the users account but the user is still free to reformat the content for reading.

Also, take a look at this article on eBbook Reader for software that can convert or directly read multi-formats.

[chiangrai]

Sorry I didn't mention that I'm using windows 7 on a laptop.

Thanks for the advice,keep it coming.

It's all new to me.

Does any one know if I can convert the audible mp332 files so I can edit them with VLC

[phetphet]

A quick search on Google found this. It might help: http://titankeysoftware.com/tutorials/audible_aa_to_mp3.html

[chiangrai]

titankeysoftware looks exactly what I'm looking for but they want 40 USD.

I must try my first ebook first and compare it to an audio book.

Thanks for all the help.

[astral]

For the basic Kindle the books must be in the right format

PDF is not an option

Having said that the Calibre programme allows for easy format conversion.

Not correct. Most of the stuff I read on my kindle starts off in pdf format. You simply email the pdf as an attachment to your Amazon

So you agreed with me

Native pdf is not practical to read on Kindle, it must be converted!!

Whether you use the Amazon service or Calibre is up to you

[trd]

For the basic Kindle the books must be in the right format

PDF is not an option

Having said that the Calibre programme allows for easy format conversion.

Not correct. Most of the stuff I read on my kindle starts off in pdf format. You simply email the pdf as an attachment to your Amazon

So you agreed with me

Native pdf is not practical to read on Kindle, it must be converted!!

Whether you use the Amazon service or Calibre is up to you

Yes you are correct. I should have read your post more carefully.

It's probably also worth mentioning for those unfamiliar with Calibre that it's excellent for getting free newspapers and magazines using the built in templates.