Calibre/ Kindle Help?

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 10:03 PM

Is anyone online right now who might be able to help me with some stupid questions about getting started with Calibre? Thanks!

Piper_ · 05-14-2011, 10:10 PM

Shoot.

My knowledge isn't as deep as my teammates', but i'm online, and stupid/easy questions are my specialty.

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 10:20 PM

Thanks Piper! I just sent you a private message, tho I could repost it here in case the next new user has the same simple questions. Actually, I'll do that... I searched the forums before looking for help, so maybe this will help the next person!

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 10:21 PM

I need the really simple information so you probably can help!

I just downloaded Calibre and hooked my Kindle 3 up to the computer and downloaded all of the books into Calibre.

First, the reason I got Calibre was because a lot of the free books I got from the Baen website do not show the author on my Kindle. I tried editing the names in the folder on my computer, but it still doesn't show on the Kindle.

Now that I've got them in Calibre, most of those do show the author in Calibre - but a lot of books that do show the author in the Kindle now don't show the author in Calibre...

Any ideas?

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 10:27 PM

I'm also curious about collections... I have about 300 books on my Kindle and I've already got them in Collections, but it would be nice to have that data in Calibre and easy to edit as well. I saw several posts about plugins that could do it, but most of the posts I saw had several pages of posts - where do I find the latest version? I saw that people were commenting on bugs in the plugin, would the link on the first page go to the most current version?

Or, do you know of any better ways to manage a large library on the Kindle? Collections seem to be the easiest, but I also have a lot of series so it would be nice to have a way to keep those in order too. Right now I'm relying on a notepad in Kindle where I type in all of the series and the orders, but I only have a few of the series I have in that so far and it's a lot of work!

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 10:53 PM

And last question... I noticed when looking at the documents folder of my Kindle when it was hooked up to my computer that there were multiple files for a lot of the books - but not all of them. As I'm cleaning up the titles/ authors in Calibre, I'm finding more duplicates there too. From a few things I've seen, I think it might be different files associated with the books such as the TOC and other metadata - correct? Am I going to cause problems since I'm updating the files with to have the correct title and author? Is there any way to keep the metadata (if that's what these are) and not have to look at 5 copies of the book when I'm viewing it in Calibre?

Thanks again!

Piper_ · 05-14-2011, 10:56 PM

Re authors:

The first think I would do is open the edit metadata window in calibre for the problematic books, and check to be sure both the author and author sort fields are showing properly.

Piper_ · 05-14-2011, 10:56 PM

Re collections:

The developer of the plugin will keep the first post updated so you can download the latest version from that post.

And yes, collections are the best way we have right now. I wish we had a more robust method too.

As for series, you can have calibre add them to the title when it sends to your Kindle, so you can keep them together that way. You can find examples and details in this thread.

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 11:08 PM

Thanks Piper! Ok, one more question... Earlier today I was reading one of the novels I had gotten from Baen on my Kindle. I was popping in and out of it (going to the Kindle store to buy a new book, assign it to the collection, back into the book to read a few pages and then back to the Kindle store... Yes, I can be easily distracted...

) After maybe two times of this, my Kindle told me it could no longer open the book and I needed to re-download the book. ??! So, I deleted the book from my Kindle (it still showed up on the device, it just wouldn't open), and hooked the Kindle up to my computer. I still have the original Mobi file I got from Baen in a file on my computer so I dragged it into the documents folder of my Kindle again.

Now, when I'm looking in the documents folder of my Kindle on the computer I can see this book, but when I unhook the Kindle from the computer, I don't see it anywhere. What happened?! Do I need to start from scratch?

Thanks again!

Piper_ · 05-14-2011, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddvision

And last question... I noticed when looking at the documents folder of my Kindle when it was hooked up to my computer that there were multiple files for a lot of the books - but not all of them. As I'm cleaning up the titles/ authors in Calibre, I'm finding more duplicates there too. From a few things I've seen, I think it might be different files associated with the books such as the TOC and other metadata - correct? Am I going to cause problems since I'm updating the files with to have the correct title and author? Is there any way to keep the metadata (if that's what these are) and not have to look at 5 copies of the book when I'm viewing it in Calibre?

Thanks again!

Yes, your kindle will have multiple files for each title. As long as there is only one with an actual ebook extension (eg, .azw, .azw1, .mobi, pdf...) you're good. You'll see in the kindle's home screen if there are multiple books with the same title.

But now I think I know why you aren't seeing authors right in calibre - it sounds like you're importing all files from the Kindle's documents folder into calibre - not what you should do, because most aren't books.

The best way to get the books off your kindle into calibre is to follow the steps here:

1. Start calibre

2. Connect your Kindle to USB

3. calibre will add a [Device] button to calibre toolbar

4. Click the dropdown arrow on that button

5. Select [Show Books on Main Memory of the Device]

A list of your Kindle's books will appear

6. Select them all - or whichever ones you want to import

7. Right-click and select [Add books to Library]

Piper_ · 05-14-2011, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddvision

Thanks Piper! Ok, one more question... Earlier today I was reading one of the novels I had gotten from Baen on my Kindle. I was popping in and out of it (going to the Kindle store to buy a new book, assign it to the collection, back into the book to read a few pages and then back to the Kindle store... Yes, I can be easily distracted...

) After maybe two times of this, my Kindle told me it could no longer open the book and I needed to re-download the book. ??! So, I deleted the book from my Kindle (it still showed up on the device, it just wouldn't open), and hooked the Kindle up to my computer. I still have the original Mobi file I got from Baen in a file on my computer so I dragged it into the documents folder of my Kindle again.

Now, when I'm looking in the documents folder of my Kindle on the computer I can see this book, but when I unhook the Kindle from the computer, I don't see it anywhere. What happened?! Do I need to start from scratch?

Thanks again!

If you can't see it on your Kindle's screen, something went wrong.

If you can't see it on your computer while you're unhooked, that's normal. The computer can't see what's on the Kindle unless it's connected.

As a general warning... I'm a little worried that you might get into trouble using windows explorer to manage your books so much...

Instead, try hard to just let calibre do all the seeing/copying/sending/managing for you.

And whatever you do, do not touch the directory you have your calibre library in. It's a database, not like a regular folder and only calibre should touch it, or nasty things can happen.

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 11:22 PM

Eeek... I just tried to open another book and got the same issue - I can't use my Kindle!! Hope you can help. I even did a hard shut down (held the off key for 15 seconds until it flashed) and it's still not working... I can see the menus, and tried to open a different book. Any book I open, I can see the title of the book that gave me problems originally, the battery indicator, and the wireless indicator. This happened before I even hooked it up to Calibre. Any ideas? Thank you!

oddvision · 05-14-2011, 11:26 PM

Pretty much the only managing I've done in Windows Explorer is to add the books I got from the Baen free library (or that I purchased from their website)... I just noticed the multiple copies when looking through the folder to make sure the new book copied into the Kindle documents folder.

A few times I had a book tell me that it had problems and I had to redownload it form Amazon which I did with no issues. This is the first time I've had this issue with a book that I got from Baen, and it seems to have frozen the entire thing...

Piper_ · 05-14-2011, 11:52 PM

ok... at this point, I have to be sure of a few things:

Are you using an Amazon cover - lighted or unlighted. ? Any cover that attaches to the kindle with the little hooks in the side?

If so, that's it.

If not, then just to make sure...

- When you say you "held the off key for 15 seconds until it flashed" ...it did a full re-boot, right? took awhile, and the bar slowly loaded, etc...

- Tell me about the book...
Is it the untouched copy you downloaded from Baen?
How did you get it onto your Kindle? Calibre? Email? Drag/Drop from Explorer?

oddvision · 05-15-2011, 12:01 AM

Nope, I'm using a JavoEdge cover - no hooks, the kindle just slides into a leather case that has openings around the edges for the page tabs and on the bottom for the usb cable/ power switch, etc.

I *think* it did a full re-boot - but it didn't seem to take as long I would have expected for having 300 books, so maybe I should try that again and hold it longer.

Yep. I purchased this in mobipocket format from Baen. I've got about 40 books from them (both purchased and from their free library), and I haven't had any problems with these files up until now. When I downloaded the file from Baen, I put it into a folder I created on my computer to back-up the books I got from them (before I heard about Calibre), and then I copied the file from my ebooks folder to the documents folder on the Kindle using a right-click copy/ paste in Windows Explorer with both folders open. I've transferred all of my files from Baen that way up until now and hadn't had a problem. Oh, and I was about 90 pages into the book before I got distracted and went to the Amazon storefront on my Kindle to buy a couple of other books so the file worked originally.

Right now I can see all of the files both through Calibre and through Windows, but the Kindle itself doesn't seem to do anything - I can scroll through the collections and look at my books, but I can't open anything.

05-14-2011, 10:03 PM	#1
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	Calibre/ Kindle Help? Is anyone online right now who might be able to help me with some stupid questions about getting started with Calibre? Thanks!

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05-14-2011, 10:10 PM	#2
Piper_ ~~~~~ Posts: 761 Karma: 1278391 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350	Shoot. My knowledge isn't as deep as my teammates', but i'm online, and stupid/easy questions are my specialty.

05-14-2011, 10:20 PM	#3
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	Thanks Piper! I just sent you a private message, tho I could repost it here in case the next new user has the same simple questions. Actually, I'll do that... I searched the forums before looking for help, so maybe this will help the next person!

05-14-2011, 10:21 PM	#4
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	I need the really simple information so you probably can help! I just downloaded Calibre and hooked my Kindle 3 up to the computer and downloaded all of the books into Calibre. First, the reason I got Calibre was because a lot of the free books I got from the Baen website do not show the author on my Kindle. I tried editing the names in the folder on my computer, but it still doesn't show on the Kindle. Now that I've got them in Calibre, most of those do show the author in Calibre - but a lot of books that do show the author in the Kindle now don't show the author in Calibre... Any ideas?

05-14-2011, 10:27 PM	#5
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	I'm also curious about collections... I have about 300 books on my Kindle and I've already got them in Collections, but it would be nice to have that data in Calibre and easy to edit as well. I saw several posts about plugins that could do it, but most of the posts I saw had several pages of posts - where do I find the latest version? I saw that people were commenting on bugs in the plugin, would the link on the first page go to the most current version? Or, do you know of any better ways to manage a large library on the Kindle? Collections seem to be the easiest, but I also have a lot of series so it would be nice to have a way to keep those in order too. Right now I'm relying on a notepad in Kindle where I type in all of the series and the orders, but I only have a few of the series I have in that so far and it's a lot of work!

05-14-2011, 10:53 PM	#6
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	And last question... I noticed when looking at the documents folder of my Kindle when it was hooked up to my computer that there were multiple files for a lot of the books - but not all of them. As I'm cleaning up the titles/ authors in Calibre, I'm finding more duplicates there too. From a few things I've seen, I think it might be different files associated with the books such as the TOC and other metadata - correct? Am I going to cause problems since I'm updating the files with to have the correct title and author? Is there any way to keep the metadata (if that's what these are) and not have to look at 5 copies of the book when I'm viewing it in Calibre? Thanks again!

05-14-2011, 10:56 PM	#7
Piper_ ~~~~~ Posts: 761 Karma: 1278391 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350	Re authors: The first think I would do is open the edit metadata window in calibre for the problematic books, and check to be sure both the author and author sort fields are showing properly.

05-14-2011, 11:08 PM	#9
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	Thanks Piper! Ok, one more question... Earlier today I was reading one of the novels I had gotten from Baen on my Kindle. I was popping in and out of it (going to the Kindle store to buy a new book, assign it to the collection, back into the book to read a few pages and then back to the Kindle store... Yes, I can be easily distracted... ) After maybe two times of this, my Kindle told me it could no longer open the book and I needed to re-download the book. ??! So, I deleted the book from my Kindle (it still showed up on the device, it just wouldn't open), and hooked the Kindle up to my computer. I still have the original Mobi file I got from Baen in a file on my computer so I dragged it into the documents folder of my Kindle again. Now, when I'm looking in the documents folder of my Kindle on the computer I can see this book, but when I unhook the Kindle from the computer, I don't see it anywhere. What happened?! Do I need to start from scratch? Thanks again!

05-14-2011, 11:22 PM	#12
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	Eeek... I just tried to open another book and got the same issue - I can't use my Kindle!! Hope you can help. I even did a hard shut down (held the off key for 15 seconds until it flashed) and it's still not working... I can see the menus, and tried to open a different book. Any book I open, I can see the title of the book that gave me problems originally, the battery indicator, and the wireless indicator. This happened before I even hooked it up to Calibre. Any ideas? Thank you!

05-14-2011, 11:26 PM	#13
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	Pretty much the only managing I've done in Windows Explorer is to add the books I got from the Baen free library (or that I purchased from their website)... I just noticed the multiple copies when looking through the folder to make sure the new book copied into the Kindle documents folder. A few times I had a book tell me that it had problems and I had to redownload it form Amazon which I did with no issues. This is the first time I've had this issue with a book that I got from Baen, and it seems to have frozen the entire thing...

05-14-2011, 11:52 PM	#14
Piper_ ~~~~~ Posts: 761 Karma: 1278391 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350	ok... at this point, I have to be sure of a few things: Are you using an Amazon cover - lighted or unlighted. ? Any cover that attaches to the kindle with the little hooks in the side? If so, that's it. If not, then just to make sure... - When you say you "held the off key for 15 seconds until it flashed" ...it did a full re-boot, right? took awhile, and the bar slowly loaded, etc... - Tell me about the book... Is it the untouched copy you downloaded from Baen? How did you get it onto your Kindle? Calibre? Email? Drag/Drop from Explorer?

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05-15-2011, 12:01 AM	#15
oddvision Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle	Nope, I'm using a JavoEdge cover - no hooks, the kindle just slides into a leather case that has openings around the edges for the page tabs and on the bottom for the usb cable/ power switch, etc. I think it did a full re-boot - but it didn't seem to take as long I would have expected for having 300 books, so maybe I should try that again and hold it longer. Yep. I purchased this in mobipocket format from Baen. I've got about 40 books from them (both purchased and from their free library), and I haven't had any problems with these files up until now. When I downloaded the file from Baen, I put it into a folder I created on my computer to back-up the books I got from them (before I heard about Calibre), and then I copied the file from my ebooks folder to the documents folder on the Kindle using a right-click copy/ paste in Windows Explorer with both folders open. I've transferred all of my files from Baen that way up until now and hadn't had a problem. Oh, and I was about 90 pages into the book before I got distracted and went to the Amazon storefront on my Kindle to buy a couple of other books so the file worked originally. Right now I can see all of the files both through Calibre and through Windows, but the Kindle itself doesn't seem to do anything - I can scroll through the collections and look at my books, but I can't open anything.