How to Use Kindle Books in NotebookLM

This guide shows how to create personal reading-note text from a Kindle Cloud Reader book with BookHalo, then use that text in Google NotebookLM for summaries, questions, reading notes, and audio overviews.

What you need

• Desktop Google Chrome
• A Kindle book you can lawfully access in Kindle Cloud Reader / Kindle for Web
• BookHalo
• Google NotebookLM

BookHalo is a Chrome extension. It works in the browser-based Kindle reader, not in the Kindle desktop or mobile app.

1. Install BookHalo from Chrome Web Store

Install BookHalo from the Chrome Web Store. After installation, pin BookHalo to your Chrome toolbar so it is easy to start while your Kindle book is open.

2. Open your book in Kindle Cloud Reader

Open read.amazon.com or your regional Kindle Cloud Reader / Kindle for Web domain, then open the book you want to use in NotebookLM.

Important: use the browser reader. Kindle samples and preview-only pages are not supported.

3. Create TXT and PDF with BookHalo

With the book open, click the BookHalo icon and start OCR. BookHalo turns pages, captures visible pages, runs OCR, and downloads a ZIP file when processing is complete.

The ZIP usually contains:

• full_text.txt: OCR-created reading-note text
• book.pdf: reference PDF for processed pages

4. Use full_text.txt in NotebookLM

Create a new NotebookLM notebook, unzip the BookHalo result, and use full_text.txt as a personal reading-note source. Name the notebook with the book title and author so it is easy to find later.

5. Ask better first questions

Instead of asking for a generic summary, ask for a specific output shape.

Explain the three central arguments of this book.
For each one, summarize the supporting evidence from the text.

I want to apply this book at work.
Give me five practical actions I can try this week.

Why TXT is usually better than PDF for NotebookLM

NotebookLM can ingest PDFs, but for OCR output the plain text file is usually the better first source.

• It is easier to inspect and quote.
• It is easier for AI tools to parse.
• It can also be used in ChatGPT, Claude, and other tools for personal reading notes, if their terms allow it.
• The PDF remains useful for checking page layout and visual context.

Regional Kindle stores

BookHalo supports multiple Kindle Cloud Reader / Kindle for Web domains, but Kindle availability can differ by region and account. If your local Kindle for Web domain behaves differently, try the free tier first and contact us with the domain and book type.

Best-fit books

• Business books
• Technical books
• Language-learning books
• Novels you want to annotate or discuss
• Any book you want to revisit through Q&A

Frequently asked questions

Can NotebookLM read Kindle books?

Not directly. NotebookLM accepts sources like PDF, TXT, Google Docs, and web pages — it cannot open a Kindle book, because Kindle books exist only inside Amazon's apps in a protected format with no export option. The workaround is to convert the book you own into a format NotebookLM does accept: capture the pages in Kindle Cloud Reader with BookHalo and upload the resulting full_text.txt as a source. From then on NotebookLM treats the book like any other document.

Can NotebookLM read EPUB files?

No — EPUB is not on NotebookLM's supported source list either. If you have a DRM-free EPUB (from a publisher that sells without protection, or your own files), convert it to TXT or PDF with any ebook tool such as Calibre and upload that instead. For Kindle purchases the EPUB route is not available at all, which is why the screen-capture approach above exists.

Does this work with Audio Overviews?

Yes. Once the book's text is a source in your notebook, Audio Overviews work on it like on any other document — useful for re-listening to a book's argument during a commute.

Is this allowed?

BookHalo does not touch DRM. It captures what your own screen already displays, for personal reference — the same as photographing pages of a book you own, minus the labor. Keep the output to yourself; sharing or publishing it would infringe copyright.