As simple as it is to load up a Kindle with content and start reading right away, it’s the parting with the device at the end of its life cycle that actually remains the murkiest for avid e-Reader owners. Whether you’re selling your Kindle to pay the bills, upgrading to a Kindle DX, or making the move to competitors’ products (we hear good things about the Nook!), you can find your questions answered here.

Kindle to Kindle

Of course, one of the simplest transitions can be made when you’re leaving one Kindle behind to get a new model. Amazon gives you the option of registering multiple Kindles to the same account, allowing you to seamlessly reacquire all your old content on your new device. Simply click ‘My Account,’ hit ‘Manage Your Kindle,’ and deliver your library of content to either device. This works exceptionally well for those of us who want to hand our old devices down to spouses and partners, as long as you’re operating under the same account.

Do be aware however, that Amazon restricts the number of times that books can be downloaded to different devices. This isn’t something that comes up terribly often, since most people haven’t even had their first Kindle experience yet, but you can be locked out of content that you’ve purchased. Downloads can be limited to 5, 4, and sometimes even 3, depending on the stinginess of the publisher. This number is completely hidden and varies from title to title, so use discretion.

Kindle to e-Reader

If your Kindle broke or you’re ready to move to greener pastures, you’re faced with a slightly more uphill battle. All the books that you bought from the Amazon store are saved as AZW, the proprietary Amazon file format. There is not, unfortunately, any other device on the market that can read AZW files. There are certain illicit methods of cracking the digital rights management (DRM) on the content, but considering that we all agree to the terms of use (which explicitly forbids transferring of Amazon e-books between different types of devices) when we hit the buy button, we’ll not mention those ways here.

The exception, of course, is anything you’ve downloaded from Project Gutenberg or any of the other sites out there that offer public domain or creative commons titles. As long as the files are in MOBI, PRC, or TXT file formats, they can be read across the board.

Abandoning Ship

No, it’s cool. We understand. Sometimes it’s just difficult being a member of an elite and prestigious group like Kindle owners. The stress of it all can really get to your head. If you’re selling your Kindle off, separating it from your account is as simple as going to the ‘Manage Your Kindle’ page and hitting the “Deregister” link next to the device that you’re leaving behind. You can still re-download your content if you choose to get another Kindle down the road, and it remains accessible to your PC and registered iPhone for as long as you’re associated with the same account.

With the Nook just now exploring the lending angle of DRM-restricted content, I expect that the move to more platform-accessible file formats is in our future. Once publishers realize that it’s in their best interest to allow the flow of content from one device to another (with a layer of DRM to protect their bottom line, mind you), I expect that this process will become far simpler and more open.

Until then, choose your poison!