Is there a reason emailed Mobi files show the cover but Epubs don't?

[GnRFan79]

I've noticed today that if you email a .mobi file to your Kindle email address the cover shows on the library screen of the Kindle fine, however if you email a .epub file the cover does not show on the library screen.

Is there a reason for this, and if so is there anything that you can do about it to make it so the cover does appear?

[Abish4i]

Do you know that your .epub file gets converted into another format, unless you're relying too much on Epub support by KINDLES.

[GnRFan79]

I thought it could be something to do with the conversion. I'll stick with .mobi for now.

I wonder if anything will change in August when Amazon officially support emailing epub files?

[shamanNS]

Originally Posted by GnRFan79

I'Is there a reason for this, and if so is there anything that you can do about it to make it so the cover does appear?

Amazon's Lab126 developers made it work that way (to be dependent on which of the 3 possible book formats & also what Kindle device or app is it read on). And on Kindle eInk devices for whatever reason they've really gone out of their way to stop Kindles from using existing (created sideloaded by Calibre) cover thumbnail files for books in azw3 format and PDOC instead of EBOK type.

There is nothing you can do, other than not using wireless delivery (email or Send to Kindle apps & browser extensions) and instead switch to transferring files via USB Cable (using Calibre).

But with USB transfers of PDOCs you loose "WhisperSync" functionality. So make your choice: cover thumbnails for azw3/KF8 PDOCs or syncing between multiple device and/or Kindle apps.

[GnRFan79]

Originally Posted by shamanNS

Amazon's Lab126 developers made it work that way (to be dependent on which of the 3 possible book formats & also what Kindle device or app is it read on). And on Kindle eInk devices for whatever reason they've really gone out of their way to stop Kindles from using existing (created sideloaded by Calibre) cover thumbnail files for books in azw3 format and PDOC instead of EBOK type.

There is nothing you can do, other than not using wireless delivery (email or Send to Kindle apps & browser extensions) and instead switch to transferring files via USB Cable (using Calibre).

But with USB transfers of PDOCs you loose "WhisperSync" functionality. So make your choice: cover thumbnails for azw3/KF8 PDOCs or syncing between multiple device and/or Kindle apps.

Sideloading azw3's via usb you still lose the covers on the library page from what i've found. Even with the trick of disconnecting and reconnecting the Kindle and letting calibre do its thing.

[j.p.s]

It might be possible on jailbroken kindles by manipulating cc.db
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=346743
but so far the people with the skills don't care about thumbnails and have more important things to do with their time.

[Quoth]

Deleted

[hleo12]

I played around with sideloading azw3 and I never seem to get the missing cover problem.

There was one instance tho where the cover of a book got changed to the one on Amazon's website. I read that the Kindle is basing the cover being displayed to the ASIN attached to the book. I make sure to have all my books in Calibre to have all their ISBNs and ASINs. Maybe that's why?

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by GnRFan79

Sideloading azw3's via usb you still lose the covers on the library page from what i've found. Even with the trick of disconnecting and reconnecting the Kindle and letting calibre do its thing.

Recent versions of Calibre will re-load the cover if the Kindle has wiped it after connecting to Amazon. It makes a subfolder in the thumbnails folder to back them up and restore them.

Normally (unless it's changed in recent updates) the Kindle will only check once after you sideload an AZW (or Calibre does it for you). Just connect it to Calibre again. DO NOT reload the book, that will mark it as "new" and the cover will be deleted again. Calibre will restore the cover.

I use the Kindlegen plugin in Sigil to convert from epub, copy the AZW and thumbnail by USB manually.
Since I leave my Kindle on Airplane mode permanently, it can't connect to Amazon so I don't have that problem.
Note: you can set the ASIN code to whatever you want in the OPF of the epub.
After converting that is embedded in the AZW, and the the thumbnail is displayed if its name matches: thumbnail_ASINHERE_EBOK_portrait.jpg.

[GnRFan79]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

Recent versions of Calibre will re-load the cover if the Kindle has wiped it after connecting to Amazon. It makes a subfolder in the thumbnails folder to back them up and restore them.

Normally (unless it's changed in recent updates) the Kindle will only check once after you sideload an AZW (or Calibre does it for you). Just connect it to Calibre again. DO NOT reload the book, that will mark it as "new" and the cover will be deleted again. Calibre will restore the cover.

I use the Kindlegen plugin in Sigil to convert from epub, copy the AZW and thumbnail by USB manually.
Since I leave my Kindle on Airplane mode permanently, it can't connect to Amazon so I don't have that problem.
Note: you can set the ASIN code to whatever you want in the OPF of the epub.
After converting that is embedded in the AZW, and the the thumbnail is displayed if its name matches: thumbnail_ASINHERE_EBOK_portrait.jpg.

This doesn’t seem to work for me. If I transfer the azw file via usb in calibre, then disconnect from USB and go to the library screen the cover shows for a few seconds but then it disappears. If I reconnect the USB and wait for calibre to detect it the cover never reappears. Calibre creates the folder on the Kindle with the jpg of the book cover but this doesn’t seem to make any difference.

Am I doing something wrong somewhere as others don’t seem to have this problem.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by GnRFan79

This doesn’t seem to work for me. If I transfer the azw file via usb in calibre, then disconnect from USB and go to the library screen the cover shows for a few seconds but then it disappears.

Yes. The Kindle is checking with Amazon, and replaces your Calibre made image with a "No image" file from Amazon.

Originally Posted by GnRFan79

If I reconnect the USB and wait for calibre to detect it the cover never reappears. Calibre creates the folder on the Kindle with the jpg of the book cover but this doesn’t seem to make any difference.

Am I doing something wrong somewhere as others don’t seem to have this problem.

I don't use Calibre for this much, but I did set it up for my daughter .
Calibre makes a subfolder on the Kindle with backups of the thumbnail covers. When you reconnect it should copy these back to the thumbnails folder.

If you explicitly copy the book again, the kindle treats it as a new book and checks and deletes the cover again.

If this isn't working, I don't know what is happening.

[GnRFan79]

Emailed .epub files sent via email show the covers on the library screen on the IOS apps - its just on the Kindle itself that they don’t show.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by GnRFan79

Emailed .epub files sent via email show the covers on the library screen on the IOS apps - its just on the Kindle itself that they don’t show.

You were expecting consistency from any company?