Filetype not supported for some books in azw, mobi and epub

[archz2]

Send to kindle on the Amazon website doesn't work for some books that I have. They open absolutely fine in Calibre on my laptop and Moonreader on my Android phone. What is happening?


https://i.imgur.com/fW3gHBm.png

https://i.imgur.com/WywAlYH.png

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by archz2

https://i.imgur.com/fW3gHBm.png

Something is wrong with your EPUB file. Amazon is less forgiving of errors than many other systems.

One suggestion is to open the file in the calibre ebook editor and use its functions for finding and fixing errors. That may require some knowledge of HTML and CSS.

Another more drastic solution is to convert the book to MOBI and then back from MOBI to EPUB. That can eliminate many problems at the cost of some lost formatting from the book.

Originally Posted by archz2

https://i.imgur.com/WywAlYH.png

As it says, those file types (AZW, AZW3, and MOBI) are not supported by send-to-kindle. They can instead be sideloaded to Kindle devices using USB.

[axu2]

Converting from EPUB to EPUB in Calibre has worked for me in the past to fix EPUB errors.

[archz2]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Something is wrong with your EPUB file. Amazon is less forgiving of errors than many other systems.

One suggestion is to open the file in the calibre ebook editor and use its functions for finding and fixing errors. That may require some knowledge of HTML and CSS.

Another more drastic solution is to convert the book to MOBI and then back from MOBI to EPUB. That can eliminate many problems at the cost of some lost formatting from the book.

I'll convert the epub again to epub to fix this issue.

Originally Posted by jhowell

As it says, those file types (AZW, AZW3, and MOBI) are not supported by send-to-kindle. They can instead be sideloaded to Kindle devices using USB.

Aaaargh!! The more I use Kindle, the more I feel confused about its functionality. Like, seriously, azw is a Kindle format and a service made by Kindle FOR Kindle doesn't support it! Why? Mobi is also an important format which the device supports but not the send-to-kindle service.

[Quoth]

azw and unrelated azw3 are regarded by Amazon as their delivery formats. As is KFX. The mobi format pre-dates Kindle.

The azw and mobi differ only in DRM (if used). The azw3 is an unrelated later format.

So Kindle Direct Publishing mostly doesn't allow mobi, azw, azw3, dual mobi (like mobi + azw3 in one file) or KFX uploads. Some of those for years and some never. Best is epub upload, then docx, then doc.

If you want to transfer old mobi, dual mobi, azw3 or kfx then use USB.

Amazon KFX always has DRM
The azw was simply mobi with Amazon DRM. Sometimes DRM free azw needs renamed to mobi. A mobi file with DRM might use pre-Amazon Mobipocket DRM or Amazon DRM (and then it might need renamed) but often has no DRM.
The azw3 is very like a version of epub with newer Amazon DRM. Sometimes azw3 has no DRM, if homemade or publisher says none.
KFX is designed so you can start reading before the file has finished downloading to Kindle and to have multiple levels and kinds of DRM and never be DRM free.

You can't upload files with DRM.
Any non-KFX files with DRM will be for one specific kindle. NoDRM is your friend.
The KFX files can have "any Kindle" DRM or one specific Kindle DRM and unlike the others the Kindles that support KFX can use changed DRM KFX without a firmware update. So DRM removal for KFX is often shortlived,

Use Calibre and USB. The Kindle can charge while connected. Only convert epub to azw3. Calibre works with less than perfect epub. Amazon wants epub with no errors, not too many fonts and TOC to their spec.

Only download from "My Content & Devices", which gives mobi, azw or azw3 depending book or Kindle model. Direct download gives KFX unless it's an ancient Kindle.

Also why give Amazon a copy of your ebooks obtained elsewhere?

I experimented with Send to Kindle and direct USB is faster and better and private.

Mobi (and azw not azw3) is a legacy format only needed by first and second Kindle models and the two 9.7″ Kindles, DX and DXG. It's very inferior to azw3.
The Kindle Keyboard Gen3 and later models (apart from DXG) got firmware updates for azw3. Later still models do KFX.
Never ever use mobi/azw (KF7), but always azw3 (KF8), or at worst KFX if you have any Kindle model after 2010 (i.e. not first and second Kindle models and the two 9.7″ Kindles, DX and DXG). The K3 is the only pre 2011 model with azw3 and only if FW updated.

If you have mobi and a later kindle, then convert to azw3.
Mobi / azw / KF7:
No embedded fonts
No separate CSS files
Very Limited range of fonts
Based on HTML3.
Obsolete before any Kindle was released.
Poor or non-existent non-Latin/Roman alphabet support. A few Greek and Scandinavian characters.
No Right to Left support

Azw3 /KF8 (and KFX is different but does all this)
Embedded embedded fonts and often user installed fonts.
Separate CSS files
Very wide range of fonts already included (varies by model & FW)
Based on HTML5.
Very similar to epub, hence Kindle Unpack utility and Kindle can be similar to epub ereader.
Alphabet support can be added by embedded fonts. Good anyway.
Right to Left support as well as Left to Right.

The file returned by Send to Kindle can be
(List may be in error as I don't use Send to Kindle now)
PDF (if still supported and upload was PDF), terrible for ereaders (but maybe not on Scribe).
KFX possibly for Scribe, even on PDF upload. Not sure about Apps.
AZW3 if K3 or any 2011 or later eink kindle (might not be on Scribe). Should have fonts embedded in docx or epub.
And for first and second Kindle models and the two 9.7″ Kindles, DX and DXG you get a prehistoric Mobi file with no fonts.

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by archz2

Send to kindle on the Amazon website doesn't work for some books that I have.

Although the Kindle Previewer app won't give you a 100% accurate display of what you will see on a Kindle when an ePub is converted, it does a fairly good job at catching errors that will block the conversion. It will also give much more feedback as to the problem.

I had one fail because the OPF file in the ePub did not have any "title" metadata. Kindle Previewer told me this, and it was a quick fix with the Calibre editor.

[archz2]

I fully agree that directly transfer through USB is faster. The only issue arrives when books need to be classified into collections. By design, Kindle device is not as snappy and responsive as a laptop or an Android phone that allows to quickly scroll through a long list, tickmark and add the files to different collections. This is why I find the send-to-kindle webservice to be better than USB transfer.

Each method has its pro and con. The website transfer method has format issues but gives better speed for organizing files.

The usb method gives privacy, speed of transfer but low speed for organizing later in the device.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by axu2

Converting from EPUB to EPUB in Calibre has worked for me in the past to fix EPUB errors.

Editing the eBook has worked to fix ePub errors. It's also helped me to learn about the workings of eBooks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

azw and unrelated azw3 are regarded by Amazon as their delivery formats. As is KFX. The mobi format pre-dates Kindle.

The azw and mobi differ only in DRM (if used). The azw3 is an unrelated later format.

So Kindle Direct Publishing mostly doesn't allow mobi, azw, azw3, dual mobi (like mobi + azw3 in one file) or KFX uploads. Some of those for years and some never. Best is epub upload, then docx, then doc.

If you want to transfer old mobi, dual mobi, azw3 or kfx then use USB.

Amazon KFX always has DRM
The azw was simply mobi with Amazon DRM. Sometimes DRM free azw needs renamed to mobi. A mobi file with DRM might use pre-Amazon Mobipocket DRM or Amazon DRM (and then it might need renamed) but often has no DRM.
The azw3 is very like a version of epub with newer Amazon DRM. Sometimes azw3 has no DRM, if homemade or publisher says none.
KFX is designed so you can start reading before the file has finished downloading to Kindle and to have multiple levels and kinds of DRM and never be DRM free.

You can't upload files with DRM.
Any non-KFX files with DRM will be for one specific kindle. NoDRM is your friend.
The KFX files can have "any Kindle" DRM or one specific Kindle DRM and unlike the others the Kindles that support KFX can use changed DRM KFX without a firmware update. So DRM removal for KFX is often shortlived,

Use Calibre and USB. The Kindle can charge while connected. Only convert epub to azw3. Calibre works with less than perfect epub. Amazon wants epub with no errors, not too many fonts and TOC to their spec.

Only download from "My Content & Devices", which gives mobi, azw or azw3 depending book or Kindle model. Direct download gives KFX unless it's an ancient Kindle.

Also why give Amazon a copy of your ebooks obtained elsewhere?

I experimented with Send to Kindle and direct USB is faster and better and private.

Mobi (and azw not azw3) is a legacy format only needed by first and second Kindle models and the two 9.7″ Kindles, DX and DXG. It's very inferior to azw3.
The Kindle Keyboard Gen3 and later models (apart from DXG) got firmware updates for azw3. Later still models do KFX.
Never ever use mobi/azw (KF7), but always azw3 (KF8), or at worst KFX if you have any Kindle model after 2010 (i.e. not first and second Kindle models and the two 9.7″ Kindles, DX and DXG). The K3 is the only pre 2011 model with azw3 and only if FW updated.

If you have mobi and a later kindle, then convert to azw3.
Mobi / azw / KF7:
No embedded fonts
No separate CSS files
Very Limited range of fonts
Based on HTML3.
Obsolete before any Kindle was released.
Poor or non-existent non-Latin/Roman alphabet support. A few Greek and Scandinavian characters.
No Right to Left support

Azw3 /KF8 (and KFX is different but does all this)
Embedded embedded fonts and often user installed fonts.
Separate CSS files
Very wide range of fonts already included (varies by model & FW)
Based on HTML5.
Very similar to epub, hence Kindle Unpack utility and Kindle can be similar to epub ereader.
Alphabet support can be added by embedded fonts. Good anyway.
Right to Left support as well as Left to Right.

The file returned by Send to Kindle can be
(List may be in error as I don't use Send to Kindle now)
PDF (if still supported and upload was PDF), terrible for ereaders (but maybe not on Scribe).
KFX possibly for Scribe, even on PDF upload. Not sure about Apps.
AZW3 if K3 or any 2011 or later eink kindle (might not be on Scribe). Should have fonts embedded in docx or epub.
And for first and second Kindle models and the two 9.7″ Kindles, DX and DXG you get a prehistoric Mobi file with no fonts.

KF7 is not the name of the format and thus, not actually valid. The shorthand for the format in question is Mobi. KF8 is the official name for what some call AZW3 (not official).

[jhlovestoread]

I've been experiencing this issue off and on with some EPUB files. STK seems to reject some older EPUB files, and reconverting from EPUB to EPUB in Calibre seems to work.

Other times, reconverting from EPUB to EPUB does not work, and then I have to convert from (original) EPUB to MOBI and then from MOBI to EPUB for STK to work.

Is this is the only workaround for when STK rejects an EPUB file? I read in a previous post that it's because there's something wrong with the original and potentially even the converted EPUB file. Is that the case?

[tomsem]

I've always been able to fix things by checking for errors (with Kindle Previewer, calibre-edit etc) and fixing them in source. I believe that even if you have good success with converting one or more times, eventually you'll run into a case where that does not work.

In any case it is my strong preference to edit source manually rather than rely on conversion scripts which cannot anticipate every possible error, much less fix them all.

[JSWolf]

What is STK?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What is STK?

Send to Kindle

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Send to Kindle

Ah! That nonsense. I would just use calibre via USB to send to a Kindle.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by archz2

The usb method gives privacy, speed of transfer but low speed for organizing later in the device.

That all depends on your device. Ease of metadata management is a very big reason for me choosing the ereaders I use.