[Beau]

Originally Posted by alanbredbury

Ok some clarification. I am doing this

Getting Books from a URL ("Direct Downloads" - for epub or eReader)
If any of your books is in any format but eReader or epub, then convert that book to epub using Stanza Desktop.

Or you could put them into calibre and use that to convert them, which is what we are discussing here.

Originally Posted by alanbredbury

- Upload your epub and eReader files to your personal website.

That's up to you, but not necessary if you are using Calibre, or if you choose to just download them directly from the bookshelves at the stores where you purchased them. (Like Fictionwise or Books on Board)

Originally Posted by alanbredbury

- Launch Stanza on your iPhone, and go to the Online Catalog.
- Select Direct Downloads, at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen.
- Enter the URL for your book on your personal website, and then tap Download in the upper right corner. As earlier stated this works fine for .pdb files I had open format files on fictionwise I downloaded them as .pdb put them on my web and they work fine.
Ok the same file not protected downloaded from fictionwise in .epub format will not work. still looking for help.

The download function within the ereader program is different than the requirements for stanza.

So...

I'm suggesting that you are doing more then you need to, and here is a different work flow.

To download your open format (non-drm protected, also called multiformat) books: yes you can continue to do this if you are determined to read them as pdb. A second option, however, is to download them directly from fictionwise into stanza on the iphone/itouch. Fictionwise will automatically recognize that stanza needs epub and will give you that.

To be more specific about the Lit files:

DRM protected cannot be modified unless the drm is removed. If you have non-DRM'd lit files, those can be converted to epub using Calibre. Once you have them converted, you can "share" them through a common wifi connection -- again using Calibre. No external host is required. I gave an overview above in post #3. You are not accessing the "Online Catalog" function, rather using the "shared" function. If the computer with Calibre running and the iphone/itouch are on the same wifi network, no addressing should be needed.

If you really want to host your files on an external server (which you do not need to do for either of the above options), you will still need non-DRM'd Lit files, converted to epub and all organized in Calibre.

Option 1:

Assuming the computer is running Calibre and connected to the internet, your own home computer can act as the server without external hosting. One of the members provided an excellent overview of the proccess here: http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009...k-part-2-of-2/

Option 2:

Drop box or some other web space:

You must create an xml catalog along with the entire Calibre file set uploaded for hosting. Stanza will be looking for this xml catalog in order to download any books

Directions here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62332

Then:

Originally Posted by alanbredbury

- Launch Stanza on your iPhone, and go to the Online Catalog.
- Select Direct Downloads, at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen.
- Enter the URL for your book on your personal website, and then tap Download in the upper right corner.

Again, not absolutely necessary unless you are doing one of the 2 options above.


All of this has been a discussion about using Calibre as the underlying book management product. In this instance the only time you are opening/using Stanza is when you are downloading a book into you phone or you're reading. You don't need to open or use the desktop stanza program for any of the converting or downloading processes.

Hope that clears it up.


Beau