Can I get non-iBooks Store ePub files into my iCloud iBooks library?

I buy quite a few ePub e-books from sources other than the iBooks Store.

I used to use iTunes to sync these to my iPad and iPhone. However, I’m trying to set up my iPad and iPhone to purely sync through iCloud, as syncing with both iCloud and iTunes gets a bit confusing.

Can I get non-iBooks Store ePub files into my iCloud iBooks library, so that they live there? (i.e. so that if I do a restore on my iPad or iPhone, I’ll be able to download them from iCloud again.) If so, how?

Solution 1:

This functionality will be support beginning with iOS 9.3. It will support syncing the entire library, including PDFs on any device.

Here is the Apple Support page with documentation: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205751

Federico Viticci mentioned this on Twitter first.

Solution 2:

You can email yourself the files, then from Mail, open the files in iBooks.

Solution 3:

No, that doesn't work: there is no iCloud sync of the entire ebook file. The only thing that is possible with non-iBooks store ebooks is to sync the reading location and notes.

So, if you load an ePub file into iTunes/iBooks on a Mac and then sync it via iTunes to your iOS device(s), and if you have the sync option activated in all of them, the reading position and notes/highlights/bookmarks will be synchronized across them.

Note that in fact that's what happens with the purchased iBooks: it's not that Apple is saving your books on iCloud, just the record of your purchase.