Tech rec: FanFictionDownloader

[rheasilvia]

Picture the following situation. You've found a rec for a story that sounds amazing. You follow the link and have a look at the first paragraphs. Wow, this looks great - you're hooked already. You can't wait to read the rest of this story! You go to download it so you can throw it on your trusty ebook reader... And discover that the story is posted in 3455 isty bitsy chapters, on a site that doesn't allow readers to view the entire story. (I will never understand this, btw. Why on earth would anyone think this is a good way to present a story?)

Argh.*

But never fear - there is a solution! I've come across the perfect fanfic downloading tool.

FanFictionDownloader will download your story in one convenient file. All 3455 chapters of it, just like that. It works with fanfiction.net, adultfanfiction, fictionpress, mediaminer and a bunch of other archives. And it saves the story in any of 14 formats, including html, rtf, pdf, epub and mobi. It's also completely free (though the creator does accept donations).

I am in love.


In other news, I spent the day assembling shelving units, some of them with drawers featuring complicated slides. I had neither instructions nor any hint of spatial awareness to aid me, and yet I never faltered! I rule. Then I baked the best chocolate cookies in existence. A day well spent.


* Is it just me or is this a problem for other fanfic readers, too? In extreme cases, I've given up on stories entirely because of this. I don't like reading fanfic on the computer screen, and I'm not enthused about spending ages saving individual chapters and combining them into a single file, either.

Comments

[amalthia]

I don't read stories if I can't get them in a single file. Reading on the computer is incredibly painful at this point in my life. :(

I use a plugin called Fanfiction Downloader in Calibre to download stories from A03 and ff.net (plus a wide range of other websites). The plugin for me is a lifesaver because now I download directly into my Calibre library and within less than a minute I can add it to my device. I also use epubmerge for series.

In short, fanfiction downloader is a lifesaver for readers. :)

[rheasilvia]

Ack, yes - I am fortunate enough that for me, it's only a matter of preference, but I know many people who can't read on the computer because of their eyes. Which makes it even more incomprehensible why some authors only publish their stories in so many bits and pieces.

Sometimes, I've even written to authors to ask them if their story is available in a single file in any format. Usually they've been nice enough to send the story to me by email. But this is a step I only take in the case of stories I really, really want to read - I will simply give up on stories I am only moderately interested in, if there's too much work involved.

So, yes!! Lifesaver indeed. :-)

[amalthia]

I also write to authors if their story looks interesting enough. Mostly, I skip. I'm just glad authors are okay with sending a single file via email.

[rheasilvia]

Most authors do seem to be okay when asked nicely, yes. Some haven't responded to the email, but I'd say that's not necessarily down to the request.

I have had one conversation with a reader who heatedly argued that it was rude, entitled and demanding to ask authors for the story in a single file or in any other format than what the author offers. But since authors are interested in having readers read their stories, too, and it's not just a case of readers importuning authors for their selfish reasons, I think that most authors will be glad to know how readers can best access their stories.

[amalthia]

I've seen people post similar comments at the anon memes. I ignore those people. As long as you're polite I don't see why it hurts to ask. And many of the authors I talk to, do want to know what readers want and what prevents readers from reading their fic. I think it's weird for an author to spend all that time and effort in writing their story, finding someone to beta read it, and then not care if the presentation/format of the story drives readers away.

[solo]

It's not just a problem for you! But I wish I'd known you didn't know about FanFictionDownloader. >_>

Not that I use it much because usually, the stories I'm interested in are on LJ, and even FFD can't do much with that. (AFAIK. I'd love to be wrong.)

So I don't read them at all. Bless AO3.

[rheasilvia]

I think I read about it at one point, several weeks ago, but I only went looking for it now. Don't ask me why...

For multi-chaptered stories on LJ, my solution (if there is an index) is to copy the URLs (via copy selected links, which is a Firefox extension IIRC), add ?mode=reply to the ends by search&replace to get rid of comments, save them in a txt document and load them into Free Download Manager. FDM downloads the pieces, I glue them together via Advanced File Joiner - et voilà.

Not exactly ideal, but better than manually downloading every bit. Of course, in some cases I write to the author instead to ask them if the story is available in one file...

And in some cases I don't read them at all, yeah. (This also goes if the story is only available in one file in PDF format, which is - gah.)

[amalthia]

For LJ, there is also squeebook. http://www.squeebook.net/ it takes the links and merges everything into a single file. It's not perfect but it does seem like fewer steps.

[rheasilvia]

Oooh, interesting! Thank you very much, I will check this out asap.