Convlit

Arguably one of the most popular posts on this blog, Converting Lit Files still gets comments up to this day, more than two years after I wrote it. Now, I haven't had much occasion to convert any more Microsoft format ebooks lately -- I'm reading more dead-tree versions, and because if I do use ebooks they tend to be either in plain-text or PDF format; however, several people have written in to put a word for convlit, so I thought I'd give it a mention all its own.

convlit basically simplifies everything I've posted about converting Lit files. Instead of the contortions I documented earlier, all you really need now is to just install one package. And...it works.

Converting a book with convlit follows the basic format:

clit ebook-propietary.lit ebookdirectory\

(Take note, the executable is clit, not convlit.)

Easy, huh?

From the convlit help page:

ConvertLIT comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details see the COPYING file or visit "http://www.gnu.org/license/gpl.html". This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions. See the GPL license for details.

This program has three modes of operation: First, is ** EXPLOSION **, or the expanding of a .LIT file into an OEBPS compliant package.

To explode, you type: clit \

For Example:

clit ebook-propietary.lit ebook-oebps\

If the directory does not exist, you MUST put a trailing \ or / after it!

To disable creating multiple subdirectories, use the "-d" flag.

Second, is the DOWNCONVERTING of a .LIT file down to "Sealed", or DRM1 format for reading on handheld devices.

To downconvert, you type: clit
For Example:

clit "drm5 ebook.lit" ebook-open.lit

Third, is the INSCRIBING of a .LIT file which allows you to label your ebooks. This is very similar to downconverting, you just add a third argument: clit

For example:

clit ebook.lit inscribed.lit "the Library of Basil Frankweiler"

DRM5 is supported if you have a "keys.txt" file that contains the private key(s) for your passport(s) in either the CLIT program directory or the current directory. Use the -k flag to force the location of your keys.txt

This is a tool for **YOUR OWN FAIR USE** and not for stealing other people's ebooks.

Please do not use this program to distrbute illegal copies of ebooks.... that would make Baby Jesus sad.