Is it me, or is Mobipocket for Windows awful?

[ghostyjack]

Originally Posted by dwig

Kindle for PC is now at version 1.9.2 and has no difficulty opening non-Amazon MOBI files provided they are placed in the "My Kindle Content" folder. It does still have some issues with file located elsewhere on the system and with displaying the covers in the Library View.

Kindle Previewer 2, currently v2.4, is the best primary proofing tool for MOBI format books but is not the best general purpose eReader.

Mine is 1.9.3.

[XanderRichards]

Hi folks.

Well this is a very interesting subject. Mike, thanks for the suggestion of Calibre, I'll take a look at it.

I did have the Kindle reader—I don't know what version—for a while to read a friend's book, but I hated the way it messed with my (tweaked to snot) computer. I've still got it on one of the older computers at work, but haven't used that machine for a bit. I guess I could go try it there too.

Thanks for all the interesting information folks!

Cheers,
Xander.

[XanderRichards]

Hi again.

The ePub proof of my book came back looking a bit strange again, so I decided to take the bull by the horns and download a few e-readers for comparison. Hope you folks (who know way more about e-readers than I do) find this information useful.

Out of all of them, the only one which didn't screw with my carefully organized computer was the Calibre. This gets it a big 'hooray' for starters. Bear in mind, though, that I'm a total newbie with regard to any e-reader technology, and that's the perspective from which I make these comparisons.

• Mobipocket: As you know from the thread I've had problems with this, but at least it was easy to find, easy to install and will be easy to delete. Not impressed.
  
• Sony Reader PC: Chopped the bottom off the cover image. Apart from that, excellent. Probably the best looking display out of the five. Wants me to sign in to some account or something whenever it loads, which is unnecessary.
  
• Kindle PC: Not bad. Takes a long time to load (presumably interrogating Amazon or something). Operation not as intuitive as the others. Okay, but a little 'clunky'
  
• Calibre: Very good user interface, lots of options. Aspect ratio of the cover image changed a couple of times, which was odd. Dead easy to use.
  
• Adobe Digital Editions: Nice, tidy interface but a bit too 'corporate' for me personally. Nonetheless relatively easy to use and some good options.

If I was to use any permanently (remember I'm just reviewing proofs of my book) it would be a toss-up between Sony Reader PC and Calibre. I'm not some kinda software tech guru, so this choice is really just based on how I feel about them. However, the fact that I can assign my own directory location for content with Calibre is a massive plus.

There you go, hope I haven't egregiously insulted your favorite software.

Cheers,
Xander.

[Billi]

Why do you need to see your book in an epub-Reader? Just for your own interest and fun and reading in this reader or to see how it will actually look on an ereader device like on a Sony or Kobo or...? If the second case is true then the Adobe Reader Edition will give you the most benefit.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by XanderRichards

There you go, hope I haven't egregiously insulted your favorite software.

No insult at all.

If this is for personal reading, then by all means... choose what looks best to you. But if you're creating an ePub that you expect others to read... then do yourself a favor and make sure it looks good in Adobe Digital Editions. Because quite a large majority of ePub readers use the Adobe RMSDK to render the content.

[XanderRichards]

Originally Posted by Billi

Why do you need to see your book in an epub-Reader?

The very helpful folks at Bookbaby are trying their best to get the work right for e-readers and there have been a few small problems (not their fault).

I think I've essentially discovered that there is so much variance in the way different e-readers display the same file that it's going to be a question of having to make compromises somewhere along the line. They asked me to try the proof file on a couple of readers, so I went ahead and tried it on five.

Thanks for your input Billi!

Cheers,
Xander.

[XanderRichards]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

quite a large majority of ePub readers use the Adobe RMSDK to render the content.

Ahhhhh now THAT's interesting! Noted.

Thanks, DiapDealer, for your input.

Cheers,
Xander.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by XanderRichards

The very helpful folks at Bookbaby are trying their best to get the work right for e-readers and there have been a few small problems (not their fault).

I think I've essentially discovered that there is so much variance in the way different e-readers display the same file that it's going to be a question of having to make compromises somewhere along the line. They asked me to try the proof file on a couple of readers, so I went ahead and tried it on five.

Thanks for your input Billi!

Cheers,
Xander.

You say you've tried it on 5 different readers, but you don't seem to have tried it on even one "real" reading device. Don't you think that's rather a serious omission?

[XanderRichards]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don't you think that's rather a serious omission?

Why? Are you offering to buy one for me?

Cheers,
Xander.

[Rick G]

I think mobipocket is fine for creating mobi's but I never use it to preview. In fact I prefer it to calibre for creating mobi's (although I use calibre to turn mobi's into epubs).

Typically for testing I use:
Kindle previewer
Kindle for PC
B&N for PC
Sony reader for pc (although using it less and less)
An actual Kindle
kindle for iPad
kindle for iPhone
iBooks

And then when I'm finished, I upload and get all paranoid that maybe I didn't test it enough.

[XanderRichards]

Hi Rick.

Originally Posted by Rick G

B&N for PC

An excellent suggestion, thank you. I went and grabbed it, installed it and it definitely produced the most attractive result so far. However, it pays to plan for compatibility with the lowest common denominator rather than the highest.

Originally Posted by Rick G

I upload and get all paranoid that maybe I didn't test it enough.

Yeah, you know what? I'm starting to gain an understanding of what that feels like. Six e-reader apps tested, six differing results. But *thank God* I went for the premium conversion service to allow the required changes, otherwise I'd be in stuff street.

Cheers,
Xander.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by XanderRichards

Why? Are you offering to buy one for me?

Cheers,
Xander.

Why? Because, as you've seen, different ePub implementations render things differently, but virtually all reading devices which support ePub do so using "Adobe Reader Mobile", and you're not testing on that. Would it not be a sound investment to get for yourself one of the devices that you're creating books for?

[XanderRichards]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Would it not be a sound investment to get for yourself one of the devices that you're creating books for?

Yeah, you're absolutely right of course. Unfortunately only one person I know even has a physical e-reader, and he's just gone on a cruise for two weeks, so I can't borrow it (although we did test the first proof on it before he went).

Now, if only I hadn't squirted my entire savings at getting the darn book published! If it sells though...

By the way, love your Dalek. I've been a Who fan since the days of Pertwee.

Cheers,
Xander.

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by XanderRichards

Hi Rick.
Yeah, you know what? I'm starting to gain an understanding of what that feels like. Six e-reader apps tested, six differing results. But *thank God* I went for the premium conversion service to allow the required changes, otherwise I'd be in stuff street.
Cheers,
Xander.

I do most of my conversions / uploads / testing myself. As long as all of my testing methods pan out, I'm usually ok. One final test is to just buy it and download it from Amazon, BN, Smashwords and see how it worked out in the end.

To date it's been a fairly successful way of doing things, minus maybe with Smashwords. That can sometimes be a bit of a crapshoot.

[JSWolf]

The reason the cover is being cut off of the Sony Software is because the XML that is to display the cover is not made properly. No reason for the cover to be cut off.