10-08-2013, 09:42 PM | #1 |
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Epub versus Mobi
Is Epub a much better format than mob ?. I have an ebook reader that reads only epub ? But amazon sells e-books much cheaper than elsewhere . Is there a loss of quality when converting mobi to epub ?
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10-08-2013, 10:09 PM | #2 |
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What kind of books? For pretty much all linear fiction type books it's not much of a difference and they convert fine.
Most books I get from Amazon now are AZW3/KF8 as opposed to old school Mobi and AZW3/KF8 is very similar to being an ePub in an Amazon wrapper and convert great. |
10-08-2013, 10:25 PM | #3 |
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10-09-2013, 04:30 PM | #4 |
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Right now; .azw3/.kf8 format is better than ePub2.
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10-09-2013, 06:11 PM | #5 |
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10-10-2013, 04:25 AM | #6 |
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10-10-2013, 08:13 AM | #7 | |
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Text books are a big problem because they tend to rely on fixed layout, which not the forte of any existing format except pdf. But pdf has no sizzle these days. |
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10-10-2013, 09:50 AM | #8 |
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@mrmikel: I know! I was being facetious in asking that question. The approach I normally see mentioned is to make an ePub and then convert it via one of the Amazon tools.
So i was basically implying how can the .azw3/.kf8 be superior to an epub when it is a machine conversion from an ePub! |
10-10-2013, 05:17 PM | #9 | |
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That's the theory, I think. The practice will undoubtedly be different... |
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10-10-2013, 05:27 PM | #10 | |
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10-10-2013, 05:32 PM | #11 |
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10-11-2013, 11:52 AM | #12 |
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Most AZW3/KF8 eBooks start off life as an ePub eBook. That is then run through Kindlegen to create the KF8/Mobi versions. So really overall, there is no difference at all between KF8 & Mobi given that most start life as ePub.
Now, the best way to convert KF8 to ePub is to use Calibre with the KindleUnpack plugin. It will allow you to shift the files from KF8 into an ePub container. Then you check the ePub with epubcheck 3.x and then use Sigil to fix the errors. Fonts can be sorted out with Sigil if there are any embedded fonts. |
10-18-2013, 12:41 PM | #13 | |
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If you format for KF8, then you really ought to use media calls to control how the older Kindles handle the instruction. "Mobi" is really an outdated format. Amazon has for all practical purposes switched over to epub, though its books must be backwards compatible. Therefore there is really no way to create a mobi any longer, short of using the (outdated) Mobipocket Creator. The "mobi" that comes out of KindleGen is actually a two- or three-layered book: Mobi 7, KF8, and sometimes though apparently not always your original submission. It is for this reason that the old mail-to Kindle.com conversion is no longer much used. It gives you a mobi file, sure, though under a different extension as I recall, but it doesn't give you any forecast of what your book will look like on a Fire or PaperWhite. |
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