FB2 to EPUB: turn FictionBook into a general ebook

Convert FB2 to EPUB for readers that do not open FictionBook. Why this XML ebook converts more cleanly than PDF, what happens to images, and the online steps.

FB2 to EPUB hands a FictionBook file to mainstream readers. FB2 shows up in Russian libraries and on some Chinese sites. Apple Books, Kobo, and many phone apps would rather open EPUB. FB2 already describes paragraphs and chapters in XML, so this conversion is usually cleaner than PDF to EPUB. Columns rarely get stitched into the same sentence, because there were no fixed columns to guess.

The format overview is EPUB vs MOBI vs AZW3.

What does a normal FB2 contain?

A normal file has a title, an author, chapters, and body text. Images are often stored inside the file as binary data, not in a folder beside it. Uploading the single .fb2 is enough. You do not also upload an image directory the way a saved web page sometimes needs.

It is a poor place to keep:

  • Complex tables and magazine columns. FB2 is good at fiction and clearly chaptered books.
  • Exact page numbers. The EPUB still has no fixed pages.

If the download is .fb2.zip, unzip it and upload the .fb2. The zip itself is not a supported extension.

How do you convert it here?

  1. Open EPUB converter. You can also start at FB2 converter and change the output to EPUB.
  2. Drop the unzipped FB2. The limit is 50MB.
  3. Start conversion and keep the page open.
  4. Download the EPUB. Send that file to a Kindle email address. For USB, continue with EPUB to AZW3.

When DRM is not the issue, a failure is usually a zip you did not unzip, or a file named FB2 whose contents are something else. Open it in a text editor. The start should be FictionBook XML, not a compressed-file header.

How does this differ from HTML to EPUB?

HTML often points at images and stylesheets that are not inside the file you upload, so the pictures vanish. FB2 keeps image data inside the file, so a single-file conversion is more complete. A saved web page belongs in HTML to EPUB. Do not rename it to FB2 first.

Common questions

What is FB2?

FictionBook, an XML ebook for chapters, paragraphs, and images. It is common in Russian libraries and on some Chinese sites. It reflows. It is not a fixed-page PDF.

Will illustrations survive FB2 to EPUB?

Images embedded in the FB2 usually come across. A reference that is only a file name, with no image data, is dropped. Open the chapter that had a figure and check.

How do I get the EPUB onto a Kindle?

Send the EPUB with Send to Kindle. For a USB copy, convert it onward to AZW3. FB2 is not a format Kindle expects.

Keep reading

Convert online

EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, AZW, PDF, FB2, TXT, DOCX, HTML, and RTF. Up to 50MB per file. Nothing to install.

Open the ebook converter