Tip: Delete ebooks from ereader libraries
Authors who are new to the ebook production process often report their requested changes do not appear in updated Mobi and ePub files. It can be maddening to say the least. After all, you’ve paid an ebook formatting service to turn your manuscript into an ebook and you need it to be as close to perfect as it can be. There’s no need to hit the Freak Out Button. Instead, delete ebooks from ereader libraries and sideload the new versions.
Why does this happen? It’s actually a feature and not a bug. The apps aren’t smart enough to know that the new versions have changes to the content inside the ebooks or that the ebooks in question are there for business rather than pleasure. The apps also protect any annotations you’ve made or bookmarks you’ve added to the files. The default behavior, then, is for the apps to retain the previous version just in case.
How to delete ebooks from ereader libraries
Use the steps that follow to delete ebooks from ereader libraries. These should work for both PC and Mac versions of the desktop versions of Kindle and Adobe Digital Editions apps.
On Kindle for PC/Mac:
- Open Kindle for PC/Mac
- If the app opens to the Library page (the one that shows book cover thumbnails), then skip to step 4
- If the app opens to the interior of a book, click the Library button in the top left of the application window
- Find your book and right-click it
- Click Delete This Book
- Open the new version
On Adobe Digital Editions:
- Open Adobe Digital Editions
- If the app opens to the Library page (the one that shows book cover thumbnails), then skip to step 4
- If the app opens to the interior of a book, click the Library button in the top left of the application window
- Find your book and right-click it
- Click Remove from Library
- Open the new version
