Calibre Library - Cloud & Syncing

[DiscipleofNagash]

Hi,

I currently have my full ebook library managed in Calibre, which for backup purposes is saved on Dropbox - if anything happens to the computer I know it will be safe!

Currently I send my ebooks to a kindle address, and then download them onto my Android phone and iPad using the Kindle app, which also handles the syncing across devices.

But it is annoying in that any changes I make in Calibre do not reflect in the books already emailed to my kindle.

What I would like to do is:

• Connect an e-reader directly to my library, either straight to dropbox or alternative
• Be able to syncronise the last read point across devices
• When accessing my library remotely, for the library always to be upto date

Are there are any apps, readers etc that I use to do this? I would prefer not to use a server really, as I assume for that I would need to leave my PC on constantly, or purchase an online server?

Hope this all makes sense and someone can help.

Cheers

[cybmole]

your requirements contradict themselves.

you want to be part way through a book on Kindle, but i you also want to be able to change the version of that book that's in the calibre library, have the new version sent to Kindle, & somehow magically have the software know where you reading position is within the changed book ?
a bookmark or a lest page read relates to a specific instance of a specific book- you can't change the book without sacrificing the bookmarks

it is asking for trouble to send an altered version of a book to a device, without first removing the previous version from the device.

[theducks]

Cybe
I do copy edits all the time (with a resend)

Usually, it is close (a screen or two). Only with major surgery (removal of garbage blank nbsp lines) does it really get OFF.
I do try and stop at a 'Chapter' so I can use the TOC to get back.

You are absolutely correct that bookmarks only are valid for the current edition
Sending a different EDITION will have a different UUID/ASIN and will be treated as a NEW book

[cybmole]

depends how robust the device it I guess, with Sony readers , I've gotten invalid page errors when I've overwritten an existing book without removing it first. Probably because Sony tries to sync the old last page data to the revised book & can't do it

so now If I want to tweak before reading on, I always note the current chapter, delete book from device, send the revised book, jump to correct place via TOC navigation...

back to what OP asks for, I still don't think that it is all feasible, but we'll see
that only way I know of getting complete sync for notes, bookmarks etc even if you read he book piecemeal on several different devices is to stay entirely within the Amazon ecosystem. it can sync anything to anything, so long as it's their book, their software, their hardware and there's an online connection. I don't think its practical for Calibre to work out what page I've gotten to within a book on my Sony device,

[DiscipleofNagash]

That's for the replies, I do think perhaps I might have been a little unclear.

I full appreciate that if I do update a book then I will likely loose the last page read, bookmarks etc - that is fine.

What I mean by that is, for example:

Book in calibre library - no cover (for whatever reason)
Download book onto mobile for reading.
Now I manage to locate the correct cover and update, which as the library is in the cloud means that I can easily just delete and download the updated version to my device - this applies if I fixed mistakes, formatting etc.

Currently with Amazon I have to go into Amazon, find the file in my personal docs, delete, resent from calibre etc.

In regards to syncing, the only thing I am bothered about is last page read. Assuming I don't correct / replace the file, it would be good to have the last page synced across devices and in Calibre. I do recall a post on here about being able to set Calibre to recognise when a book had been read off a Kindle device, I was hoping something similar might have been possible using an e-reader.

[eschwartz]

In general, the best integration with calibre is probably going to be with the Calibre Companion app on Android, and Marvin ereader app on iOS. Calibre Companion works with calibre's database, while Marvin can sync across multiple iOS devices using Dropbox, and has fantastic integration via plugins and an app-maker who actually cares about the reading experience.

[cybmole]

the initial post suggests he's only interested in kindle books - that simplifies the issue - if true.

but h'e not using a real kindle he's using android & ipad kindle apps which I confess to knowing zilch about

& he doesn't say how he's sourcing his books, if they are bought from Amazon then surely the Amazon ecosystem already sync everything across all kindle apps ?
( except for known hassles with cover thumbnails, covered in other threads)
the only unsynched version will be the copy in calibre library ???

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by cybmole

the initial post suggests he's only interested in kindle books - that simplifies the issue - if true.

but h'e not using a real kindle he's using android & ipad kindle apps which I confess to knowing zilch about

& he doesn't say how he's sourcing his books, if they are bought from Amazon then surely the Amazon ecosystem already sync everything across all kindle apps ?
( except for known hassles with cover thumbnails, covered in other threads)
the only unsynched version will be the copy in calibre library ???

Correct. I am assuming the OP is just using Kindle as the reading app, as he is sending them to the send-to-kindle address. If so, well, bookstore apps of any denomination work very well within the store, and not very well at all for outside books.

As far as I know, the cover thumbnails issue is with sideloaded/emailed books??

[DiscipleofNagash]

In regards to books, I obtain them from various sources, not just amazon, so I use calibre as my library management - currently I have around a 1000 books/comics. I default book format I am using mobi, but again I can use any format.

Yes I am using the kindle app, not an actual kindle. Currently I use the app on a Galaxy Note 2 and an iPad.

However I don't really have a preference of what reader/app to use, as long as it does the basics (clear layout, can resize text etc). I don't do any annotations, highlighting etc.

So if there was an app that could access my kindle library database in a cloud (doesn't have to be dropbox, it is what I currently use), and can sync across devices, that would be ideal for me.

Calibre being able to tell if I have read a book (something like >95% progress would be determined as read), that would be even better, however I know it is unlikely.

[eschwartz]

Well, Marvin is integrated with Dropbox, and both can connect as a device to calibre -- or the calibre server, which is a cloud technically -- but they don't sync reading position with each other. Marvin can share that info to another instance of Marvin on another iOS device, but it's not available for Android. I wonder when kguil might release an Android version of Marvin -- that would certainly solve the problem, and I'm sure tons of people want it anyway... But I suppose he knows that already...

Marvin can tell calibre your reading progress, and that can then be stored in a custom column; it has been designed to be heavily compatible with calibre, in every way you can think of, to the point where I am almost convinced to buy an iDevice!

And Calibre Companion does an excellent job of acting like your calibre library on your Android, but doesn't actually handle the reading; it opens the books in whichever reading apps you have installed and chosen.

[paola]

Originally Posted by DiscipleofNagash

So if there was an app that could access my kindle library database in a cloud (doesn't have to be dropbox, it is what I currently use), and can sync across devices, that would be ideal for me.

I think Dropsync might just do the trick - and if you need to download your whole library in one go, you can use Folder downloader for dropbox (which does not sync anything) - then Dropsync should allow you to sync selected folder between your android tablet and any the cloud (thus any other device).