Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A recent bug is preventing Kindle owners from opening new sideloaded books.
- Amazon has confirmed the issue on its official forums and says a fix is in the works.
- For now, a useful workaround is to navigate to your book via the three dot menu.
If you’ve recently tried to open a sideloaded book on your Kindle and hit a wall, you’re not alone. Starting this week, users across Reddit’s r/kindle community began reporting a sudden “Invalid ASIN” error message. The alert claims the selected title is not valid for Digital purchase on the Kindle, even when the book was loaded via USB or email rather than bought through Amazon’s storefront. Notably, the error only seems to affect unread sideloaded titles. Books that had been opened previously still launch as expected.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
Oddly enough, if you navigate by tapping the three dots, then Go to, then select a chapter, you can crack open affected books. Toggling Airplane Mode can also help you escape a redirect loop to the Kindle Store, though it hasn’t worked for everyone.
It seems that Kindle’s most recent update is the reason fresh sideloads are facing issues. For many readers, sideloading is an essential feature. Blocking those files, even inadvertently, cuts into the Kindle’s appeal as a versatile e-reader.
In response to user complaints, Amazon has weighed in on the problem via a post on its official Kindle forum. A company representative wrote:
Our technical team is aware of the issue and they’re working on a resolution. Any updates to this issue will be provided here as they’re made available.
So while there’s no ETA for a fix yet, at least Kindle owners can rest assured the issue is on Amazon’s radar.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
