Over the years, it has become standard practice for Indie Authors to give free downloads as a reward for signing up for announcements or mailing lists. Often, it's the same process—the person signing up confirms their email address and are then directed to a webpage to download their file.
But there's usually no supporting documentation on what they are supposed to do with the file once it's downloaded. I hadn't thought of that when I created my website and my mother tested the functionality. When she asked why she couldn't see the free story on her kindle, my response was, "uhhh . . . what?"
So, I had to look it up. Even though I found some awesome blogs written by other authors, I couldn't copy their brilliant words since we all know plagiarism is stealing. So, here I am, redesigning the wheel. Hopefully, it's not square.
The first technique requires you have a USB cable.
First, you move your downloaded Mobi file somewhere easily accessible.
Then connect your Kindle to your laptop or Mac.
Your Kindle should appear in My Computer or on your desktop depending on your device type.
Drag the downloaded .Mobi file to the documents folder under your Kindle.
Disconnect your Kindle.
Your file is now available for use. But remember, it will be in the Docs folder, not under books.
That's it!
The second technique requires you know your Kindle's email address. I found the one assigned to my Kindle White by reviewing my account information in its settings.
The next step is to verify the email you plan on using has been approved to send files to your Kindle.. To stop spam, Amazon doesn't allow just anyone to email your Kindle. You need to go to the Personal Document Settings in Amazon and click the link for 'Approved Personal Document E-mail List' to make sure your email address in on the list. I had to update my list to include my everyday account.
Now, if you have more than one Kindle device, you can check them individually for their email addresses. But if you are like me and your children are running around reading who-knows-what on them, it might be simpler to get the information online. To do that, scroll down the 'Personal Document Settings' until you see 'Send-to-Kindle E-Mail Settings' . When I checked mine, it showed every address for every device I've ever had, which is not accurate. If you find you have the same ambiguity issues, continue to Amazon's Devices and Apps page. I was able to determine which addresses I currently use based on dates and device types. In all, I only have 3, not the 8 listed on the first page. (This is also where you can clean up that mess if you need too.)
Now it's time to follow the steps below.
Send an email from your approved email to your Kindle email addresses with the .MOBI file attached.
Wait a few minutes (I read somewhere to wait five minutes. I don't believe that's necessary, but I did it.)
Then refresh your Kindle and your file should appear.
I hope this is helpful.
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