Is Calibre right for me?

Petey · 03-22-2010, 01:14 PM

I have had so much trouble with Sony's software that I am looking for something else. Up until I read about Calibre in one of these forums, I had never heard of it. After reading about it on the website, I think it may be for me! (at least the parts I could understand!) If I understood things correctly, Calibre is more of a "management" software rather than a "store", correct? Do I need to have my Sony software installed for Calibre to work? Where are the best places to order my ebooks? Do I need to have any other software installed for Calibre to do it's job? Is there anything else I may need to know before I decide to download Calibre's software? I would appreciate any help I can get...I'm just so fed up with Sony, but I hate to see my PRS600 be a waste of money because I can't get the software to open or be able to get to the Sony store...thanks!

theducks · 03-22-2010, 01:27 PM

No store involved.
You have to have the e-books and hand them over to Calibre to manage them (Drag and drop works).

Not being a Sony user, I understand that the Sony software actually clashes with Calibre and should be disabled.

Leep · 03-22-2010, 01:29 PM

Calibre is not a store. It is primarily a very sophisticated cataloging system for ebooks. Some neat features also allow you to: convert from almost any ebook format to the format that works best on your device (provided you first remove the drm); automatically retrieve periodicals/news subscriptions; add your own tags and metadata and Calibre mates with most ebook devices to add/remove ebooks from your device.

Try it, you'll like it.

cheers

chaley · 03-22-2010, 02:17 PM

I have a Sony PRS-300, use Calibre, and have never installed the Sony software.

Calibre works well as a tool to manage ebooks both on the computer and on the reader. You keep your full library in the calibre library. When you plug in your sony (and are not running the sony software), calibre recognizes the reader and lets you copy books between the calibre library and the reader. Calibre handles books that are DRM protected, although in that case some calibre features such as format conversion will not be available.

Purchasing books isn't hard. Assuming that you aren't going to remove DRM, it suffices to install Adobe Digital Editions and buy books from any store that supports ADE (there are many of them). Although you have probably already done it, you must authorize your reader, which ADE can do. When you purchase books, they will be downloaded by ADE, at which point you can import them into calibre. Be sure to get the books in a format that the reader supports, such as epub. Caveat: don't have both ADE and calibre running at the time you plug in your reader. They will both try to manage the reader and will get confused.

If you are going to remove DRM (don't ask me how to do this -- google is your friend), then you can avoid authorizing your device with ADE. Instead, buy the books wherever you want, strip the DRM, then import the books into calibre. You are not required to buy from ADE-enabled stores. As long as you have a way to strip a given store's DRM, you can buy from there.

Petey · 03-22-2010, 04:25 PM

What is DRM?? Is "stripping" it hard to do? Besides being a newbie to forums, I'm a newbie to the computer and the ebook! Thanks for the answers, it's been helpful!

polly · 03-22-2010, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

What is DRM?? Is "stripping" it hard to do? Besides being a newbie to forums, I'm a newbie to the computer and the ebook! Thanks for the answers, it's been helpful!

DRM is Digital Rights Management. It's a copy protection scheme designed to make it almost, but not quite, impossible to read ebooks that you purchase. Stripping DRM is when you run the ebook file through a program that will remove the DRM. This "liberates" the file so that you can convert it to other formats, change the style, and do all sorts of other things prevented by DRM. Among other things, DRM will prevent you from opening a file from within Calibre. MobileRead forbids providing specific assistance with DRM removal on their forums, so I can't say too much here. Stripping DRM isn't hard to do, but it does take a bit of computer skill. As always, Google is your friend, especially if you search for i♥cabbages.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that Calibre will help you organize your books into Collections on your Sony. If, for instance, you tag a book with unread, Calibre will create a Collection called Unread when you send the first book with that tag to your reader. It can make it very handy to find books. Series also get turned into Collections on the Reader.

There are those in this forum who speak fluent code.

Fortunately, that's not a requirement for using Calibre. Every question you have has puzzled someone learning this program. Please don't be afraid to ask. The crowd here is very friendly and willing to help. If you don't understand an answer, please ask again for a better explanation.

I would recommend that you check out the free books (both DRM free and money free) that are posted on this website. Simply go to this link (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebo...&sort=dateline) and click on html. That will give you a list of all 15,000 books that have been posted here. You won't find the latest John Grisham, but you will find all the classics. To search for a specific book, press the Ctrl key and the F key at the same time and type an author or title in the search bar that comes up. Your Sony will like ePub and LRF books the most, but don't worry about format too much. Calibre will quickly convert them to one that works on your reader.

For purchasing books, I recommend http://inkmesh.com and http://ebooks.addall.com/. They search across lots of ebook stores to help you find books and compare prices. Just remember that books from Barnes&Noble and Amazon won't work on your reader. All of the other stores that sell ePubs and PDFs will work.

chaley · 03-22-2010, 05:39 PM

@polly: excellent reply. To add a bit: DRM is today's attempt to do the same thing lotus and others tried to do in the 80's: prevent people from making fair use of something purchased (and yes, impede piracy). Back then, each time a vendor tried some new copy protection, someone else would figure out how to circumvent it. The same thing is true today: the publishers try to lock down ebooks, and someone, somewhere, gets annoyed and breaks the protection. Unfortunately, the DCMA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) makes it a crime to provide details for how the DRM is stripped, so one must look for sites overseas to get information about how to do it. I wonder if it will take publishers as long as it took companies like Amazon and Apple iTunes to give up on such silliness.

@petey: there are a few publishers that sell DRM-free books. My favorite is the scifi publisher Baen (http://www.webscription.net/). Baen provides the books DRM-free, and they politely ask people to be reasonable and honest with them, a philosophy that very much appeals to me. In addition, for $15 each month one gets a 'webscription' consisting of 7 books from a mix of known and new authors. I buy from Baen frequently.

Petey · 03-23-2010, 11:14 AM

Thanks for your help! I will still probably have questions but the ones I've gotten will at least get me started! I do have one other question (and maybe it has to do with the DRM thing and can't be answered!). Do I need to have Adobe Digital Editions installed? And has anyone used fictionwise.com? And would it be best if I uninstalled Sony's software before getting started with Calibre and/or ordering titles? OK that was 2 other questions, so thanks ahead of time!!!

animedude01 · 03-23-2010, 11:30 AM

You will need Adobe Digitial Editions installed in order to download DRMed (i.e. copy protected) epub books. If the books are DRm free such as the ones sold by Baen and Smashwords, then you don't need the Adobe software.

I use fictionwise occasionally and I haven't had any problems.

I don't use a Sony reader or software, but have read that the Sony software can clash with Calibre so it may not be a bad idea to remove it. You may want to make sure your ebooks are backed up just in case of a problem.

As to removing DRM, there's a thread here on MR about removing the Adobe DRM from epub books. There's also one about removing the DRM from mobi/prc books, which Calibre can then convert to epub.

Hope this helps.

chaley · 03-23-2010, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

I do have one other question (and maybe it has to do with the DRM thing and can't be answered!). Do I need to have Adobe Digital Editions installed?

If you want to buy current books, then unless the seller offers them without DRM (and most do not), you will need ADE. Without it, you won't be able to download/read the book.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

And has anyone used fictionwise.com?

I have not. That said, I don't see why there would be problems. Be sure you pick EPUB or LRF format.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

And would it be best if I uninstalled Sony's software before getting started with Calibre and/or ordering titles?

Assuming you are giving up on the Sony store, and assuming you will install ADE, then the only reason to keep the Sony software is that you might need it to keep access to books you have purchased. The issue is that your reader has (probably) been authorized via the Sony software. If you do not use the same Adobe ID when you install ADE, you will need to have Sony Reader software around to read previously-purchased books. If you do use the same Adobe ID, then you will be able to import the older books into ADE. According to Sony, you can get your Adobe ID as follows:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sony Ebookstore Help

In Reader Library, please go to the Help menu and click "About". Here you will see information about your Adobe activation status and your Adobe ID.

Your Adobe password will be the same as your Sony store password, with the following Sony caveat:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sony Ebookstore Help

Adobe passwords are limited to 12 characters - if you have an existing account with the Reader Store and your password is longer than 12 characters only the first 12 will be used for your Adobe password.

BooksForABuck · 03-23-2010, 12:05 PM

Just a couple of notes. First, Fictionwise offers a large number of books in its 'multiformat' option. These come without DRM. Second, not all publishers impose DRM (BooksForABuck.com, for example, does not). Third, there are significant non-technical (e.g., moral/legal) issues with removing DRM, even for those of us who find DRM a cost and inconvenience.

Rob Preece
Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com

Petey · 03-23-2010, 12:23 PM

Once more, thanks! Since I can't even get my Sony Reader Library to open, there's no way to import my Sony books to Calibre...correct? And no way to get my Adobe ID...I have all my purchased books on my PRS600 right now (doesn't amount to too much since I just got it in late January), and I'm not one to generally re-read books but is there a way though to get them from the reader to Calibre?

chaley · 03-23-2010, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

Once more, thanks! Since I can't even get my Sony Reader Library to open, there's no way to import my Sony books to Calibre...correct?

Nope, not correct. The book files will be somewhere on your hard disk in a folder with a name like Sony Reader. Import them into Calibre. However, see your question about the ereader below -- it might be easier to get them that way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

And no way to get my Adobe ID...

If you registered through the Sony Ebookstore, then your Adobe ID is the email address you used with Sony, and your password is also the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petey

I have all my purchased books on my PRS600 right now (doesn't amount to too much since I just got it in late January), and I'm not one to generally re-read books but is there a way though to get them from the reader to Calibre?

Yes. When you install calibre and plug in the reader, Calibre will show you the books currently on the reader. You can copy these to Calibre. You will need to correct the metadata (author, etc), but that won't be too big a chore.

ShellShock · 03-24-2010, 08:30 AM

There is one good reason for using the Sony library--it will display ebooks exactly as they will appear on the reader device. This is very useful if you like to reformat an ebook for your own personal preferences (change margins, font size etc). You can quickly preview the changes in the Sony library, rather than have to copy the ebook to the reader and wait for it to open up.

Petey · 03-24-2010, 08:49 AM

I would love to be able to do some of those types of things mentioned by ShellShock, but I can't even get the Sony library to open. I've spent 3 hours on the phone with Sony, uninstalled (through add/remove in the control panel as well as all related folders) and reinstalled (even in safe mode, with virus protection turned off and the firewall off). Sony tried to do things remotely and couldn't. All I got from Sony was "we've never seen anything like this, sorry we can't help you!" And that was from the top tech people, not the outsourced people! So right now, I'm just at the point where I just want to be able to download and read books on my reader!

03-22-2010, 01:14 PM	#1
Petey Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Device: PRS600	Is Calibre right for me? I have had so much trouble with Sony's software that I am looking for something else. Up until I read about Calibre in one of these forums, I had never heard of it. After reading about it on the website, I think it may be for me! (at least the parts I could understand!) If I understood things correctly, Calibre is more of a "management" software rather than a "store", correct? Do I need to have my Sony software installed for Calibre to work? Where are the best places to order my ebooks? Do I need to have any other software installed for Calibre to do it's job? Is there anything else I may need to know before I decide to download Calibre's software? I would appreciate any help I can get...I'm just so fed up with Sony, but I hate to see my PRS600 be a waste of money because I can't get the software to open or be able to get to the Sony store...thanks!

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03-22-2010, 01:27 PM	#2
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,891 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	No store involved. You have to have the e-books and hand them over to Calibre to manage them (Drag and drop works). Not being a Sony user, I understand that the Sony software actually clashes with Calibre and should be disabled.

03-22-2010, 01:29 PM	#3
Leep Guru Posts: 739 Karma: 1018859 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Near Seattle Device: kindle1, K3, K3G (thanks MR), iTouch, Kindle Touch	Calibre is not a store. It is primarily a very sophisticated cataloging system for ebooks. Some neat features also allow you to: convert from almost any ebook format to the format that works best on your device (provided you first remove the drm); automatically retrieve periodicals/news subscriptions; add your own tags and metadata and Calibre mates with most ebook devices to add/remove ebooks from your device. Try it, you'll like it. cheers

03-22-2010, 02:17 PM	#4
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,327 Karma: 8012652 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	I have a Sony PRS-300, use Calibre, and have never installed the Sony software. Calibre works well as a tool to manage ebooks both on the computer and on the reader. You keep your full library in the calibre library. When you plug in your sony (and are not running the sony software), calibre recognizes the reader and lets you copy books between the calibre library and the reader. Calibre handles books that are DRM protected, although in that case some calibre features such as format conversion will not be available. Purchasing books isn't hard. Assuming that you aren't going to remove DRM, it suffices to install Adobe Digital Editions and buy books from any store that supports ADE (there are many of them). Although you have probably already done it, you must authorize your reader, which ADE can do. When you purchase books, they will be downloaded by ADE, at which point you can import them into calibre. Be sure to get the books in a format that the reader supports, such as epub. Caveat: don't have both ADE and calibre running at the time you plug in your reader. They will both try to manage the reader and will get confused. If you are going to remove DRM (don't ask me how to do this -- google is your friend), then you can avoid authorizing your device with ADE. Instead, buy the books wherever you want, strip the DRM, then import the books into calibre. You are not required to buy from ADE-enabled stores. As long as you have a way to strip a given store's DRM, you can buy from there.

03-22-2010, 04:25 PM	#5
Petey Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Device: PRS600	What is DRM?? Is "stripping" it hard to do? Besides being a newbie to forums, I'm a newbie to the computer and the ebook! Thanks for the answers, it's been helpful!

03-22-2010, 05:39 PM	#7
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,327 Karma: 8012652 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	@polly: excellent reply. To add a bit: DRM is today's attempt to do the same thing lotus and others tried to do in the 80's: prevent people from making fair use of something purchased (and yes, impede piracy). Back then, each time a vendor tried some new copy protection, someone else would figure out how to circumvent it. The same thing is true today: the publishers try to lock down ebooks, and someone, somewhere, gets annoyed and breaks the protection. Unfortunately, the DCMA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) makes it a crime to provide details for how the DRM is stripped, so one must look for sites overseas to get information about how to do it. I wonder if it will take publishers as long as it took companies like Amazon and Apple iTunes to give up on such silliness. @petey: there are a few publishers that sell DRM-free books. My favorite is the scifi publisher Baen (http://www.webscription.net/). Baen provides the books DRM-free, and they politely ask people to be reasonable and honest with them, a philosophy that very much appeals to me. In addition, for $15 each month one gets a 'webscription' consisting of 7 books from a mix of known and new authors. I buy from Baen frequently.

03-23-2010, 11:14 AM	#8
Petey Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Device: PRS600	Thanks for your help! I will still probably have questions but the ones I've gotten will at least get me started! I do have one other question (and maybe it has to do with the DRM thing and can't be answered!). Do I need to have Adobe Digital Editions installed? And has anyone used fictionwise.com? And would it be best if I uninstalled Sony's software before getting started with Calibre and/or ordering titles? OK that was 2 other questions, so thanks ahead of time!!!

03-23-2010, 11:30 AM	#9
animedude01 Addict Posts: 254 Karma: 1200 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Los Angeles Device: DR1000S, ILIAD2, Nokia n900, Kindle for PC, Astak EZReader Pro	You will need Adobe Digitial Editions installed in order to download DRMed (i.e. copy protected) epub books. If the books are DRm free such as the ones sold by Baen and Smashwords, then you don't need the Adobe software. I use fictionwise occasionally and I haven't had any problems. I don't use a Sony reader or software, but have read that the Sony software can clash with Calibre so it may not be a bad idea to remove it. You may want to make sure your ebooks are backed up just in case of a problem. As to removing DRM, there's a thread here on MR about removing the Adobe DRM from epub books. There's also one about removing the DRM from mobi/prc books, which Calibre can then convert to epub. Hope this helps.

03-23-2010, 12:05 PM	#11
BooksForABuck Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 150001 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Long Beach, CA Device: Color Nook, Kindle 2, Palm III, eBookWise, HP Jornada	Just a couple of notes. First, Fictionwise offers a large number of books in its 'multiformat' option. These come without DRM. Second, not all publishers impose DRM (BooksForABuck.com, for example, does not). Third, there are significant non-technical (e.g., moral/legal) issues with removing DRM, even for those of us who find DRM a cost and inconvenience. Rob Preece Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com

03-23-2010, 12:23 PM	#12
Petey Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Device: PRS600	Once more, thanks! Since I can't even get my Sony Reader Library to open, there's no way to import my Sony books to Calibre...correct? And no way to get my Adobe ID...I have all my purchased books on my PRS600 right now (doesn't amount to too much since I just got it in late January), and I'm not one to generally re-read books but is there a way though to get them from the reader to Calibre?

03-24-2010, 08:30 AM	#14
ShellShock Wizard Posts: 1,178 Karma: 2431850 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: IPad Mini 2 Retina	There is one good reason for using the Sony library--it will display ebooks exactly as they will appear on the reader device. This is very useful if you like to reformat an ebook for your own personal preferences (change margins, font size etc). You can quickly preview the changes in the Sony library, rather than have to copy the ebook to the reader and wait for it to open up.

Advert

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03-24-2010, 08:49 AM	#15
Petey Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Kansas Device: PRS600	I would love to be able to do some of those types of things mentioned by ShellShock, but I can't even get the Sony library to open. I've spent 3 hours on the phone with Sony, uninstalled (through add/remove in the control panel as well as all related folders) and reinstalled (even in safe mode, with virus protection turned off and the firewall off). Sony tried to do things remotely and couldn't. All I got from Sony was "we've never seen anything like this, sorry we can't help you!" And that was from the top tech people, not the outsourced people! So right now, I'm just at the point where I just want to be able to download and read books on my reader!