NotebookLM, Google's so-called "smart notebook ," continues to add changes that directly affect how we study and read digitally. The latest feature, already available in Spain and other markets, may seem small on paper, but in practice it eliminates a common inconvenience: EPUB files can now be used as sources within the platform without having to first convert them to PDF.
For anyone with even a moderately sized digital library , this update means that many ebooks can finally be used in NotebookLM without any intermediate steps. University textbooks, novels, study guides, or essays you already have in EPUB format can become the foundation upon which AI helps you summarize, organize ideas, or prepare materials—something that until now required juggling different formats.
What does EPUB support bring to NotebookLM?
The key to the update is that NotebookLM now accepts EPUB as a source , on par with PDFs, Google Docs, and text files. This means you can directly upload your ebooks for the system to analyze, answer questions about them, or generate various types of derivative content.
In practice, this means that the digital bookshelf many readers have in EPUB format is no longer "locked" to the tool. There's no longer a need to run each title through a converter, risking a broken table of contents, misaligned formatting, or an unnecessarily large final file. Simply upload the EPUB, process it, and the work begins.
Google continues to guide NotebookLM towards transforming documents into a kind of searchable knowledge base . With this expansion of formats, notebooks can be populated with all kinds of materials: from a textbook of several hundred pages to a novel you want to discuss in a book club, as well as study guides or technical manuals.
From the notebook itself, it is possible to request overviews, thematic summaries, or explanations of specific chapters , as well as transform the content into other formats that the tool already offered, such as audio overviews or video overviews, and even automatically generated slide-type presentations.
EPUB vs. PDF: Why This Change Matters So Much
The EPUB (Electronic Publication) format has become established in Europe as one of the leading standards for ebooks, both in general stores and in public libraries and digital lending platforms. Unlike the traditional PDF, which typically behaves like a static "photocopy" of a single page, EPUB offers reflowable text that adapts to the screen size and font chosen by the reader.
This flexibility is especially noticeable on mobile phones, tablets, and e-readers, where PDFs with multiple columns or diagrams can become a nightmare of zooming and scrolling. EPUB, on the other hand, reorganizes paragraphs and lines to make the content readable without having to wrestle with the interface. For studying from the sofa, on the train, or at the library, that detail makes all the difference.
Another practical advantage is file size . With few exceptions, the same book takes up less space in EPUB format than in PDF, something to consider when handling a large amount of material on a mobile device or one with limited storage. Furthermore, EPUB files are usually better structured internally: chapters, sections, a navigable table of contents, and metadata designed to easily locate what you're looking for.
All of this fits perfectly with NotebookLM's workflow, which relies precisely on this internal structure to understand the document , jump between sections, and locate key concepts. Where a dense PDF might force the AI ​​to "read" practically line by line, a well-formatted EPUB makes it easier for the system to detect logical divisions and relationships between ideas.
Therefore, the arrival of EPUB support is not just "another format on the list," but an acknowledgment that real digital reading does not live solely in PDF , something especially true in the European context, where the EPUB ebook has been commonplace for years in both commercial catalogs and academic collections.
How to work with EPUB books inside a notebook
Once the file is uploaded, NotebookLM treats it like any other source. The user can open a new notebook or add the EPUB to an existing one and, from there, start asking the AI ​​questions as usual. You can request a general summary of the book , a chapter outline, explanations of a concept, or even comparisons between several texts if the notebook includes multiple sources.
For students in Spain or other European countries, this allows, for example, uploading a complete university textbook and using it as a resource for exam preparation: requesting definitions, having the tool generate possible multiple-choice questions from a chapter, or requesting a quick review of key points before a test.
Leisure readers can also benefit: you can upload a novel in EPUB format and ask the AI ​​to provide reminders about characters, subplots, or important plot twists if you've left the book unfinished for weeks. Another option is to generate a list of questions for a book club, or request that relevant quotes on a specific topic be extracted for a paper or article.
NotebookLM's own help documentation points out certain technical limitations: each source can contain up to 500.000 words (or up to 200 MB in the case of uploaded files), and each notebook supports up to 50 sources. These figures, in practice, cover most textbooks and standard reading materials used in stages such as high school, university, or vocational training.
It's still important to keep things realistic. Just because NotebookLM generates outlines or summaries doesn't mean it can replace in-depth study . Like a map that helps you find your way around but doesn't navigate the city for you, the tool can help you identify which parts of the syllabus deserve more attention, organize your ideas, and save time on repetitive tasks, but it doesn't eliminate the need to read and understand the material on your own.
Less friction: goodbye to converting EPUB to PDF
Until this update, the process for using an ebook in NotebookLM was almost always the same: find a converter, transform the EPUB into a PDF , and cross your fingers that the result wouldn't be full of strange line breaks, misplaced headings, or a broken table of contents. In many cases, the sheer hassle caused users to simply give up.
With the new support, that entire step disappears. Now the workflow is closer to a drag-and-drop approach: you upload the EPUB file, wait for NotebookLM to process it, and then you can start asking questions or generating materials. In terms of productivity, the big change isn't adding a spectacular feature , but rather eliminating a recurring obstacle.
These kinds of adjustments tend to have a greater real impact than a list of flashy new features. If every time you're about to study you have to make technical preparations (converting formats, checking for errors, reorganizing files), you're likely to end up postponing your session. Reducing this friction brings NotebookLM closer to what you'd expect from a modern tool: that it works for you instead of adding more steps.
Furthermore, avoiding conversion helps preserve the book's original quality: paragraph styles, footnotes, internal links, and, in many cases, cross-references are better maintained. For long documents, such as theses, reports, or professional manuals , which are already commonly circulated in EPUB format, the difference in navigation and search functionality can be considerable.
In an environment where digital reading and remote learning have gained importance —whether in Spanish universities, European online programs or hybrid courses—, NotebookLM's acceptance of EPUB represents a more direct bridge between digital libraries and AI-based study tools.
An improvement designed for students, teachers, and regular readers
Much of Google's recent communication about NotebookLM focuses on the educational sector. This is no coincidence: the typical use of the tool involves combining textbooks, scientific articles, notes, and supplementary materials in a single space, something very common in schools, universities, and training centers throughout Europe.
For students, being able to directly upload books from the university's digital library—which are often downloaded in EPUB format— saves time and better preserves the original structure of the content . Finding a specific definition, tracing how a theory is explained across several chapters, or comparing two authors' perspectives on the same topic requires fewer clicks when everything is already integrated into the notebook.
Teachers and researchers also benefit: many manage collections of monographs and essays in EPUB format that can now be used as supporting material within NotebookLM. Preparing classes, selecting relevant excerpts, or creating reading guides becomes much more efficient when you can ask the tool directly instead of manually navigating through indexes.
Outside of strictly academic circles, this innovation also aligns with the way many users in Spain read: library lending platforms, ebook stores, and subscription services typically use EPUB as their primary format. The fact that this ecosystem can seamlessly integrate with NotebookLM expands the possibilities for regular readers , from creating summaries to recall books read long ago to generating lists of recurring themes in the works of a single author.
In all these cases, the added value of AI lies not so much in writing for you as in organizing, summarizing, and making the information you already have more accessible. EPUB compatibility reinforces this idea: NotebookLM doesn't create the foundation; it receives it from your sources and puts it into a more manageable format for everyday use.
Infographics and other recent changes that complement EPUB support
The EPUB update isn't the only new feature. Google has also announced new custom infographic styles within NotebookLM, designed to transform dense text into easily understandable visual representations. This feature, which has been rolling out in recent weeks, significantly expands the options for those who need to present information clearly.
According to the available information, it's now possible to choose from 10 different infographic styles : sketch, kawaii, professional, scientific, anime, clay, editorial, instructional, bento grid, and brick. The variety ranges from sober and academic designs to more creative ones, perhaps intended for school projects, informational materials, or social media.
In addition to the visual style, NotebookLM allows you to choose the infographic's orientation (horizontal, vertical, or square), making it easy to adapt it to its final destination: a presentation, a document, a social media post, or a resource for virtual campuses. You can also adjust the level of detail in the content , with options such as Concise, Standard, or Detailed, depending on your needs.
For those who want to go a step further, the tool includes a free text field where you can describe the desired design type, colors, approach, or visual elements . This combination of predefined styles and customization through instructions allows you to generate materials that, in many cases, avoid having to resort to more complex design tools when the goal is simply to better communicate an idea.
These visual improvements complement other features added in recent months, such as cinematic video summaries and integration with the latest Gemini models through the Projects feature. Taken together, they suggest that Google wants NotebookLM to become a central hub for managing personal and academic knowledge , rather than simply a tool for asking AI questions.
As a general overview, NotebookLM's compatibility with EPUB files comes at a time when digital reading, online education, and artificial intelligence tools are becoming increasingly intertwined, including in Spain and the rest of Europe. The ability to transfer ebooks, notes, and study guides directly to a notebook where AI helps organize, summarize, and reuse them reduces many small, everyday obstacles; it doesn't eliminate the effort of learning, but it does significantly smooth the path for those who rely on their digital library to study, work, or simply read with more context.
