Reddit-to-Kindle

Description:

Reddit-to-Kindle is a set of Node.js and shell scripts that converts Reddit RSS feeds to ePub format, making it easy to share Reddit posts on your Kindle or other eBook readers. The script fetches Reddit posts, including comments, and organizes them by subreddit. Additionally, it adds a customized cover image with the current date.

Features:

Fetch Reddit RSS Feeds: Retrieve the latest posts from any Reddit RSS feed.
Convert to ePub: Convert Reddit posts into ePub format, suitable for eBook readers.
Organize by Subreddit: Posts are categorized by their respective subreddits for easy navigation.
Include Comments: Fetch and include comments in the ePub to preserve the context of discussions.
Custom Cover Image: Automatically generate a cover image with the current date.
Easy Setup and Use: Simple setup with Node.js and npm, with clear instructions provided.

I work on this project in my spare time between my day job and raising my daughter. If you end up using and enjoying this please consider buying me a beer =)

Installation:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/jstriblet/reddit-to-kindle.git
cd reddit-to-kindle

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Install ImageMagick:

macOS:

brew install imagemagick

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Windows:

Download and install from the ImageMagick official website.

4. Install Python (if not already installed):

macOS:

brew install python

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install python3

Windows: Download and install from the Python official website.

Usage:

1. Generate ePub from Reddit RSS:

cd /path/to/folder/reddit-to-kindle
npm start

Setting Up

Create a GMX Account:

Configure Your Amazon Kindle Email Settings:

Go to the Amazon Kindle Settings and add your new GMX email address to the approved email list. This allows you to send documents to your Kindle.

Get a copy of your reddit RSS feed:

This can be done a couple of ways depending on what content you want:

You can find it by going to https://www.reddit.com/prefs/feeds/
or if you add .rss to any reddit feed page you that should work as well. eg: https://www.reddit.com/r/popular/.rss

Running the Scripts

Update the email address and password in send_epub_to_kindle.js to use your GMX email you set up above and your unique kindle email address this is also found in your Amazon Kindle Settings. This should end up looking something like [your_unique_id]@kindle.com
Update the paths in all the scripts to point to where you downloaded this repository. ie replace "/path/to/folder" to where you have the /reddit-to-epub/ directory. this should be updated in the following files:
1. index.js
2. run_scripts.sh
Update line 7 in index.js to use your reddit .rss feed
Running All Scripts: This script updates the base cover image with the current date, generates the ePub from the Reddit RSS feed, and sends it to your Kindle email address by calling the afformentioned files.

./run_scripts.sh

Automating with Cron

To automate the process, you can set up a cron job on your computer that runs the scripts at a specified interval (e.g., daily). Your computer needs to be on for this job to run. I have this setup on a home server that is always on.

Here’s how to set up a cron job on a Unix-like system:

Open the crontab file for editing:

crontab -e

Add the following line to schedule the job (e.g., daily at 7 AM):

0 7 * * * /home/jstriblet/Desktop/reddit-to-epub/run_scripts.sh

Save and exit the crontab editor.

Contributing:

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repository and submit a pull request to contribute to this project.

License:

This project is licensed under the MIT License.