Which format for kindle Voyage and how to get it there

[kaufman]

Currently all of my books are in ePub format. I have a Voyage on order, so I need to convert them.

1) Am I better off converting them to Mobi, AZW, or AZW3? Is there any advantage to one over the other?

2) Is there some way to keep them in ePub on my computer, but then to just convert them as I side-load them? If so, is there some way to clean up afterwords so I only have the ePubs?

Thanks.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by kaufman

Currently all of my books are in ePub format. I have a Voyage on order, so I need to convert them.

1) Am I better off converting them to Mobi, AZW, or AZW3? Is there any advantage to one over the other?

2) Is there some way to keep them in ePub on my computer, but then to just convert them as I side-load them? If so, is there some way to clean up afterwords so I only have the ePubs?

Thanks.

1) AZW3 is the modern Kindle format, which can do pretty much anything an EPUB can do. MOBI is older and has limitations, so convert to AZW3 for the Voyage.

2) Just keep the EPUBs in Calibre; it will offer to convert them when you do a 'Send to Device'. Delete the AZW3s afterwards (search for 'formats:azw3', Ctrl-A, 'Delete Specific Format') if they bother you.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

1) AZW3 is the modern Kindle format, which can do pretty much anything an EPUB can do. MOBI is older and has limitations, so convert to AZW3 for the Voyage.

2) Just keep the EPUBs in Calibre; it will offer to convert them when you do a 'Send to Device'. Delete the AZW3s afterwards (search for 'formats:azw3', Ctrl-A, 'Delete Specific Format') if they bother you.

1) Thanks.

2) Its not that they bother me (well, maybe a little). Its more that if I make a change to the epub, how do I know for sure that the AZW3 will be updated as well.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by kaufman

2) Its not that they bother me (well, maybe a little). Its more that if I make a change to the epub, how do I know for sure that the AZW3 will be updated as well.

I see. Well, remove the AZW3s after sending them and next time Calibre will reconvert, picking up the changes, if any.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by kaufman

1) Thanks.

AZW3, seconded.

2) Its not that they bother me (well, maybe a little). Its more that if I make a change to the epub, how do I know for sure that the AZW3 will be updated as well.

If you edit the EPUB, do an EPUB-to-AZW3 conversion afterward. Do you often edit your EPUBs?
And you can edit AZW3 too, although I'd just stick with your base format and reconvert after an editing session.

If you just changed metadata, calibre will update the AZW3 too.

[Agama]

Originally Posted by kaufman

1) Thanks.

2) Its not that they bother me (well, maybe a little). Its more that if I make a change to the epub, how do I know for sure that the AZW3 will be updated as well.

I'm in the process of converting my ePub library to azw3 and I also make occasional edits, (e.g. typo corrections), so I use the rating column in calibre to indicate those ePubs which have been edited and will therefore need re-conversion. (Of course I'm not using this column for any actual ratings!)

Definitely go for azw3 rather than mobi. It supports all your ePub features and is directly editable in calibre.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

If you just changed metadata, calibre will update the AZW3 too.

That's all I ever edit. I just want to make sure that the latest metadata will be in the files.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by kaufman

That's all I ever edit. I just want to make sure that the latest metadata will be in the files.

Then don't worry about a thing. The metadata is not in the EPUB either. Not until calibre does an on-the-fly update as part of the send-to-device protocol. For any format.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Then don't worry about a thing. The metadata is not in the EPUB either. Not until calibre does an on-the-fly update as part of the send-to-device protocol. For any format.

Ok, here's when you are going to start thinking I am a bit off.

Whenever I edit medadata, I run a plugin to regenerate the ePub. This insures that the ePub is always current. I then re-copy the ePub to Calibre Companion on my phone. This has the effect of turning my phone into a backup of my library.

As I type this, I it occurs to me that I don't need to insure that the AZW3 files are up to date, since I already have the backups created in ePub.

OK, I will have Calibre create the AZW3s when it copies the files, and I won't worry about recreating them if I update the metadata.

Thanks for the help.

[eschwartz]

Regenerating the EPUB, I assume with Modify EPUB, is useful:

If you want to embed/update a jacket.

Or if you will be accessing the files through the filesystem/dropbox/calibre2opds. Since you will not have calibre handing you an on-the-fly updated copy, you need to ensure the master copy is up to date. And you won't get the use of plugboards.

If you are only updating the metadata, you may want to use the Embed metadata tool, which updates the library copy of all formats with the same procedure that send-to-device uses. Polish/Modify create backups since they can also subset fonts, force-insert a (missing) cover -- not just updating the cover.jpg inside -- and create or update a metadata jacket "chapter".

But even this doesn't activate plugboards.

[kaufman]

Well, aren't you the helpful little devil.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

If you are only updating the metadata, you may want to use the Embed metadata tool, which updates the library copy of all formats with the same procedure that send-to-device uses.

I was not aware of this function. This is going to save me a ton of time in the future. Thanks.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

But even this doesn't activate plugboards.

So, I didn't know about plugboards either, but as I just purchased a kindle, they are going to come in very handy for me. So thanks for this as well.

[eschwartz]

plugboards are very helpful for putting series in the title when your ereader doesn't support series metadata, which is most of them.

Lucky you has been using CC which has excellent support, but most ereaders are very much behind the eight ball.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

plugboards are very helpful for putting series in the title when your ereader doesn't support series metadata, which is most of them.

I agree. I plan to use them for Series information and perhaps some tag information as well. Very nice indeed.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Lucky you has been using CC which has excellent support, ...

That is the understatement of the decade. Chaley has added a ton of my requested features to CC.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by kaufman

That is the understatement of the decade. Chaley has added a ton of my requested features to CC.

Do you think he'd be willing to rewrite the whole thing to work natively on say a Kindle ereader?

He has no self control...

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Do you think he'd be willing to rewrite the whole thing to work natively on say a Kindle ereader?

He has no self control...

Probably not, but I wouldn't say definitely not.

He would most likely say its not possible and then release a beta 2 hours later.