How To Read Google Ebooks On Your Kindle Fire

Reading Google eBooks on a Kindle Fire entails "sideloading" the Indiebound Reader App (which also works for the Nook, Android, iPhone, and iPad -- you can find the app in your device's app store).

To install the IndieBound Reader app:

  1. First, configure your Kindle to allow sideloaded apps. Tap the Settings gear at the top right of the home screen, and then tap the “More” button.
  2. From the Settings menu, select “Device”
  3. Toward the bottom of this screen is a toggle that says “Allow Installation of Applications From Unknown Sources.” Switch this toggle from Off to On.
  4. A nasty security warning appears. Tap OK. You can now install sideloaded apps.
  5. Point your browser to http://www.indiebound.org/reader
  6. Tap the green button that reads “Download IndieBound Reader for Android”
  7. When the download is complete, a banner notification will appear at the top of the screen saying, “Download Complete” and a new notification will appear. Tap this notification at the top of the screen, and then tap on the successful download message to begin installation. (If you don’t see the initial “Download Complete” notification, tap the bar at the top of the screen, and click on the file you see there -- it should look something like “IBReader-1.1.apk”.)
  8. You now have the IndieBound Reader app on your Kindle Fire! It will appear with your other apps on the “Apps” screen.

(Optional) If you would like to disable sideloaded apps again, simply follow the first few steps and change the “Allow Installation of Applications From Unknown Sources” toggle back to Off again.

 

And now, to buy an eBook:

  1. Upon launching the app, the welcome screen will prompt you to choose your indie bookstore. You can search by our name ("Harvard Book Store"), city ("Cambridge"), or zipcode ("02138"). Once you've selected Harvard Book Store as your preferred bookstore, the Indiebound App will default to buying and reading eBooks from our website (to change this, you can always select the "Choose Another Bookstore" from the storefront page).
  2. You'll be prompted to log-in with your Google account. You will then be directed to shop.harvard.com. There you can search, browse, and buy eBooks as usual. Search by title or author, add books to your cart, and checkout. Your eBooks will automatically be saved to your IndieBound Library. 

Reading your eBook: 

  1. Click “Get Books” at the bottom of your screen to download your eBooks.
  2. Next to the book you’d like to download, click “Download ePub” (then click “Read Now” when prompted)
  3. Tap the Library button in the main toolbar of the Indiebound Reader. You can view your books by cover or as a list. The library can be sorted by author, title, or most recently read by tapping the "sort" buttons at the top of the screen. Tapping a title will open the book, and swipe left or right to turn the pages.