Author sort problem

[nbhms]

---------Edit
So, seems to be a bit buggy. Using steps 2 and 3 below, sometimes on sync I'll get authors displayed in correct order on Reader, sometimes not. Plugging/unplugging, forcing meta-data etc, it'll eventually display correctly. Not sure yet what the correct voodoo steps are to get it consistent.
---------end edit


Wasn't sure whether to post under here or the Calibre sub-forum, but I'll start here.

Using Calibre to manage my PRS-650, and I'm trying to get authors to sort by last name on my PRS-650. e.g. "Brian Herbert" should come before "Brent Weeks". However, nothing I do seems to work.

I've searched this forum, and found several "solutions", but none are working. Hope someone on here has some insight.

What I've tried so far:

1. Verified "Author Sort" for all authors is properly formatted as "last, first".
2. Set Preferences->Metadata management-> to "automatic".
3. Set Sony Device Interface plugin checkbox "Use author sort for author".
4. Created metadata plugboard of {author_sort} to destination field "authors". Tried both "any device" and "PRS505" as devices for device_db.

None of the above worked in any combination (tried 3 on it's own, 4 on it's own, 3+4, etc), even though I've found several forum posts stating one or both should work.

any ideas?

[Ripplinger]

Mine are always sorted correctly on my PRS-350s and it looks like you covered everything correctly, but I'll go over my settings.

Under Sending books to device, I have the following in the dropdown template box:
{author_sort}/{title} - {authors}

Under Plugins, scroll down to the "Sony Device Interface (1.0.0) by Kovid Goyal, Communicate with Sony eBook readers older than the PRST1", double click it to bring up the options and these are my settings:
Use subdirectories is checked (probably not important for your issue)
Use author sort for author is checked (this one probably is very important)
Save template is: {title} - {authors}
Collection box: series, tags
Below that only preserve cover aspect ratio is unchecked.

For the metadata for each book, authors are listed as FN LN, but when moved to the Author sort box, they come up as LN, FN without any additional input from me.

For my Metadata plugboard, I have the following under the Title option, but this doesn't do anything with the author names at all, it's just adding the series info onto the title. The format option is device_db, and the device is PRS505:
{title} {series_index:|[|]} {series}

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by nbhms

3. Set Sony Device Interface plugin checkbox "Use author sort for author".
4. Created metadata plugboard of {author_sort} to destination field "authors". Tried both "any device" and "PRS505" as devices for device_db.

None of the above worked in any combination (tried 3 on it's own, 4 on it's own, 3+4, etc), even though I've found several forum posts stating one or both should work.

any ideas?

From (rather old) memory I think 3. needed to be UNCHECKED if you're trying to use a metadata plugboard which is also trying to remap the author contents.

[nbhms]

Well, not sure what's going on, but sometimes it syncs right, sometimes not, without me changing anything. No plugboard (got rid of step 4), just doing "automatic", and the "author sort" checkbox. Everything was correct on the Sony, added a few new books, did a sync, and now they are all wrong again (including the ones that were showing correctly).

[Ripplinger]

Did you try powering off the reader and then turn it back on and see if then the author sort is correct? I remember a few instances where changes weren't immediate, but only after a power cycle.

[nbhms]

I seem to have figured out a way for this to work consistently. The trick is to add new book(s), let calibre finish that, then let calibre do the metadata upload. Eject the eReader, let the eReader to whatever it needs, then immediately plug it back in, and let calibre do an automatic 2nd meta-data upload.