How to convert Google Play Books to Kindle

I made the mistake of responding to a Google ad offering me a big discount on books.  So I took it only to find out there was no obvious way to get it on my Kindle Fire HDX.  Not much in the way of money wasted but it still bothered me.  So I spent most of a Saturday morning figuring out how to convert it and put it on my Kindle.  To save you time and summarize my research here is the procedure.

  1. Download and install on your computer Adobe Digital Editions.  Use your Adobe credentials during setup.
  2. Go to My Books on Google Play on your computer, using Chrome.
  3. Find the book you want to download and click Menu vertical menu
  4. Click Download EPUB.  If it is an .acsm file that’s fine.  An ACSM file is just a link.  It stands for Adobe Content Server Manager and can only be opened by Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)
  5. Double click the .ACSM file, then it will be opened with Adobe Digital Editions as default. And a window will be opened to show the downloading eBook (Network connection is needed). If your .ACSM file is not opened by ADE as default, right click the file and select “Open with” -> “Adobe Digital Editions “.  An .EPUB file will be created in User/documents/MyDigitalEditions.
  6. ACSM doesn’t allow you to reproduce and transfer, and it can only be used on the computer where you have downloaded the books.  So now you need to remove the DRM and convert to one of Kindle’s file formats.  Kindle only supports its own formats such as AZW3, AZW, MOBI, PRC, TPZ but not the common ePub.  I found MOBI to work with mine.
  7. Next you need to download the a DRM remover and file converter.  The one I used was the Epubor Ultimate Converter download here.  It comes with a 30 day free trial and is something like $25(sale)-$60, to buy thereafter.
  8. When you open this program you should see your ADE epub files.  Simply drag the file to the right and it will be decrypted.  
  9. Then at the bottom select your Kindle output device and click convert to MOBI.  
  10. Next upload your new MOBI file from  your computer to your Kindle via usb.  In looking at my Fire files with ES or my Windows File Explorer when hooked up to my computer, I could not find where Amazon had put all my books, but there was an empty directory titled /Books so I put this new file there.  The Fire found it and listed it with all my others.  Worked just fine.

A word of warning about doing this: In the USA there is a law known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This law makes it illegal to circumvent a copy protection system (DRM is such a copy protection system). It also makes it illegal to produce or distribute tools that aid in circumvention. Not everyone lives in the USA, but many countries have similar laws. Check your local laws and realize that even though you may only want to read an EPUB that you’ve legally purchased on your Kindle, it may not be legal to do so. If you don’t like this silliness—and I don’t—then speak up to whoever in your country makes the relevant laws.

Here is another library management software, that is free but will not convert DRM protected books.  On the other hand, it appears to be a sweet program for converting unprotected books.  Calibre e-book Management