MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Sideload EBOK through "Send to Kindle via Email"?

lairdb · 05-12-2016, 06:55 PM

(Some introductory material to make a short question slightly longer to help any future searchers.)

My long term goal is to be able to switch back and forth between the iPad and a Kindle device (likely a Paperwhite) seamlessly, using non-Amazon books. It is highly desirable that I be able to load books to my Kindle Library through Send To Kindle via Email. (Otherwise I would have to sideload the devices independently, right?)

Almost all of my books are (legitimate, unDRMed) EPUBs stored and catalogued in Calibre.

Searching and reading lots of sideloading articles let me to these tentative conclusions:

- Personal Documents do not sync highlights, furthest read, etc. This turned out to be false: I finally got around to loading a few test MOBIs and the furthest-read, highlights, etc., properly sync between Kindle-on-iPad and Kindle-on-iPhone. I assume, though I don't yet have a device to verify, that if the sync works iPad/iPhone that it will also work to/from Kindle Devices.

- MOBI 501 (cdetype) set to EBOK instead of PDOC is generally thought to govern whether a sideloaded book appears in Books or Personal Documents, and whether certain sharing features are enabled. (MOBI 113 being present, or having some content accurate or not, or having accurate ASIN content, is occasionally discussed, but there's less clarity whether it's necessary.) Some have reported success sideloading Kindle Devices and having the results show up as Books, given some combination of the correct metadata.

(If you're reading this and can clarify or add detail, that would be great.)

I have experimented with various procedures to convert selected EPUBs to MOBIs and set 501 and 113 and then send them to Send to Kindle email address. So far, all of my attempts have ended up with them showing in Personal Documents rather than Books despite (as best I can tell) setting 501 and/or 113.

Q: Does the Send to Kindle by email service force the Personal Documents category, regardless of MOBI metadata? If not, what are the critical elements? (113, 501, etc.?)

(I can probably live with my books being in the Personal Documents area, now that I see that progress does sync, and assuming it does sync to the Paperwhite as well. Having them recognized as books so they are available through Cloud Reader would be a bonus, but is not crucial.)

Q: Given that I want to use cloud delivery (not USB, etc.) is there a workable alternative approach that I should be using to get my EPUBs on and syncing?

Thanks.

05-12-2016, 06:55 PM	#1
lairdb dog ear Posts: 53 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: lots	Sideload EBOK through "Send to Kindle via Email"? (Some introductory material to make a short question slightly longer to help any future searchers.) My long term goal is to be able to switch back and forth between the iPad and a Kindle device (likely a Paperwhite) seamlessly, using non-Amazon books. It is highly desirable that I be able to load books to my Kindle Library through Send To Kindle via Email. (Otherwise I would have to sideload the devices independently, right?) Almost all of my books are (legitimate, unDRMed) EPUBs stored and catalogued in Calibre. Searching and reading lots of sideloading articles let me to these tentative conclusions: - Personal Documents do not sync highlights, furthest read, etc. This turned out to be false: I finally got around to loading a few test MOBIs and the furthest-read, highlights, etc., properly sync between Kindle-on-iPad and Kindle-on-iPhone. I assume, though I don't yet have a device to verify, that if the sync works iPad/iPhone that it will also work to/from Kindle Devices. - MOBI 501 (cdetype) set to EBOK instead of PDOC is generally thought to govern whether a sideloaded book appears in Books or Personal Documents, and whether certain sharing features are enabled. (MOBI 113 being present, or having some content accurate or not, or having accurate ASIN content, is occasionally discussed, but there's less clarity whether it's necessary.) Some have reported success sideloading Kindle Devices and having the results show up as Books, given some combination of the correct metadata. (If you're reading this and can clarify or add detail, that would be great.) I have experimented with various procedures to convert selected EPUBs to MOBIs and set 501 and 113 and then send them to Send to Kindle email address. So far, all of my attempts have ended up with them showing in Personal Documents rather than Books despite (as best I can tell) setting 501 and/or 113. Q: Does the Send to Kindle by email service force the Personal Documents category, regardless of MOBI metadata? If not, what are the critical elements? (113, 501, etc.?) (I can probably live with my books being in the Personal Documents area, now that I see that progress does sync, and assuming it does sync to the Paperwhite as well. Having them recognized as books so they are available through Cloud Reader would be a bonus, but is not crucial.) Q: Given that I want to use cloud delivery (not USB, etc.) is there a workable alternative approach that I should be using to get my EPUBs on and syncing? Thanks.