Calibre renders Kindle books unreadable

Glider · 12-31-2010, 03:20 PM

I have Calibre 07.35 and I think it's excellent for managing my books. However, I do have a problem:

I can upload books from my Kindle (3) to the Calibre library for organising, editing metadata and whatnot, but if I send them back the Kindle from the Calibre library, they won't open on the Kindle. I get a 'Cannot open: This book is licensed to another user' error message when I try to read the book.

I think this must be due to the DRM that comes with Kindle books, but then, I'm not using Calibre to convert the files, only to store and organise them. It makes no sense if every time I add a book to the Calibre library, it means I can't open it when I send it back to the kindle. I'm sure I have missed something very basic.

What am I doing wrong?

hedwig · 01-01-2011, 05:48 AM

I have Calibre 0.7.33 and I just checked if I can open an Amazon purchased book sent from Calibre to the Kindle and yes, it does open.
Perhaps it is a version update issue and you might want to revert back to an earlier version and see if it is still not opening the Amazon book.

Glider · 01-01-2011, 06:18 AM

Thanks for the idea. I'll give it a go.

Glider · 01-01-2011, 10:49 AM

I reverted back to V 0.7.33 and it works fine. I can exchange books between Calibre and Kindle with no problems now. It seems strange that I am stuck at this version, but never mind. I can keep things organised now.

Thanks for your suggestion Hedwig!

Glider · 01-01-2011, 12:12 PM

Just an indication of how dumb some people can be: Calibre V 0.7.35 works really well with no flaws at all. However, if you try to load kindle books from Kindle for PC into your Calibre library, then from there into your Kindle (handheld), you will get the error message 'This book is licensed to another user'.

It never occurred to me that the books I downloaded to Kindle for PC would have a different DRM from the books I downloaded to my Kindle, even though they are the same books. It all fell together when I found out that the Amazon DRM is device specific and not generic to a user (buyer).

Ah, well. Silly me. I uninstalled Kindle for PC and I use only Calibre and my Kindle3 now and everything is fine and funky. A steep learning curve for one day, but ta for your help anyway Hedwig.

kovidgoyal · 01-01-2011, 12:32 PM

Yeah, DRM is a pain, glad you got it sorted.

hedwig · 01-01-2011, 12:34 PM

Glad it all worked out.
Enjoy!

12-31-2010, 03:20 PM	#1
Glider Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle3	Calibre renders Kindle books unreadable I have Calibre 07.35 and I think it's excellent for managing my books. However, I do have a problem: I can upload books from my Kindle (3) to the Calibre library for organising, editing metadata and whatnot, but if I send them back the Kindle from the Calibre library, they won't open on the Kindle. I get a 'Cannot open: This book is licensed to another user' error message when I try to read the book. I think this must be due to the DRM that comes with Kindle books, but then, I'm not using Calibre to convert the files, only to store and organise them. It makes no sense if every time I add a book to the Calibre library, it means I can't open it when I send it back to the kindle. I'm sure I have missed something very basic. What am I doing wrong?

01-01-2011, 12:12 PM	#5
Glider Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle3	Just an indication of how dumb some people can be: Calibre V 0.7.35 works really well with no flaws at all. However, if you try to load kindle books from Kindle for PC into your Calibre library, then from there into your Kindle (handheld), you will get the error message 'This book is licensed to another user'. It never occurred to me that the books I downloaded to Kindle for PC would have a different DRM from the books I downloaded to my Kindle, even though they are the same books. It all fell together when I found out that the Amazon DRM is device specific and not generic to a user (buyer). Ah, well. Silly me. I uninstalled Kindle for PC and I use only Calibre and my Kindle3 now and everything is fine and funky. A steep learning curve for one day, but ta for your help anyway Hedwig. Last edited by Glider; 01-01-2011 at 12:15 PM.

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01-01-2011, 05:48 AM	#2
hedwig Book Worm Posts: 116 Karma: 158766 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad Air, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 5	I have Calibre 0.7.33 and I just checked if I can open an Amazon purchased book sent from Calibre to the Kindle and yes, it does open. Perhaps it is a version update issue and you might want to revert back to an earlier version and see if it is still not opening the Amazon book.

01-01-2011, 06:18 AM	#3
Glider Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle3	Thanks for the idea. I'll give it a go.

01-01-2011, 10:49 AM	#4
Glider Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle3	I reverted back to V 0.7.33 and it works fine. I can exchange books between Calibre and Kindle with no problems now. It seems strange that I am stuck at this version, but never mind. I can keep things organised now. Thanks for your suggestion Hedwig!

01-01-2011, 12:32 PM	#6
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,866 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Yeah, DRM is a pain, glad you got it sorted.

01-01-2011, 12:34 PM	#7
hedwig Book Worm Posts: 116 Karma: 158766 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad Air, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 5	Glad it all worked out. Enjoy!

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