How do I change book covers with Calibre?

alessandrocar88 · 10-09-2013, 09:15 AM

Hi everybody!
I just got the new Paperwhite and I'm really happy about it.

Just a minor bummer: I wanna sync some books with Calibre. I change the metadatas, convert into MOBI, send to device.
This should be it...and in fact, after inplugging the device I can actually see the nice book covers I put on with skype; but after 10-15 seconds the screen refreshes and I get the standard Kindle cover again (I mean, the general cover, so not really nice).

Can anyone help me with this? it's kinda annoying, cause it's nice to have all the covers

thanks!

GoSharks · 10-09-2013, 09:50 AM

What do you mean by "covers I put on with skype"? You should be adding the covers through the edit metadata in Calibre and THEN converting to mobi and THEN sending.
Will need more info and you also might try posting in the Calibre forum. Good luck and welcome to MR!

HarryT · 10-09-2013, 10:19 AM

Calibre questions belong in the Calibre forum. Moved.

alessandrocar88 · 10-09-2013, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoSharks

What do you mean by "covers I put on with skype"? You should be adding the covers through the edit metadata in Calibre and THEN converting to mobi and THEN sending.
Will need more info and you also might try posting in the Calibre forum. Good luck and welcome to MR!

Oh gosh sorry, Freudian slip...I was skyping while posting this, and I wrote Skype instead of Calibre

Anyway, this is what I do:
1- import a book into Calibre
2- edit the metadata adding the cover I want, changing stuff, ecc
3- convert to MOBI and send to the device (the new paperwhite)

As I previously wrote I actually SEE the covers into the kindle menu, but that lasts for just some seconds, until they come back like the books with no cover.

p.s. thanks for the welcome and sorry if this was in the wrong section

jchiar · 10-09-2013, 02:12 PM

Everything else working with Calibre on the new PW?

alessandrocar88 · 10-09-2013, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchiar

Everything else working with Calibre on the new PW?

Yeah I can sync the books with success.
I guess it can be some compatibility issue, since it's just out now

Sabardeyn · 10-09-2013, 03:25 PM

Amazon recently added a new "feature"... If the ebook has an Amazon ID (asin #) within it's metadata, changes to the book's cover are automatically reverted whenever the device links back up with Amazon.

I believe the only way found to "correct" this issue is to remove the asin# from the book's internal metadata. This can be done by changing/deleting the asin in the book's metadata (ID field/column) and converting the book to apply that change; or, using the Polish Book function. Once Amazon can no longer find the asin within the ebook, it leaves it alone thereafter.

(Hopefully I got that explanation correct. It doesn't affect me so I might have worded something inaccurately. If I did, I'm sure someone else will set you straight.)

GoSharks · 10-09-2013, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabardeyn

Amazon recently added a new "feature"... If the ebook has an Amazon ID (asin #) within it's metadata, changes to the book's cover are automatically reverted whenever the device links back up with Amazon.

That sucks!

One more reason to stay in Airplane Mode...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabardeyn

I believe the only way found to "correct" this issue is to remove the asin# from the book's internal metadata. This can be done by changing/deleting the asin in the book's metadata (ID field/column) and converting the book to apply that change; or, using the Polish Book function. Once Amazon can no longer find the asin within the ebook, it leaves it alone thereafter.

Thanks for the work around!

alessandrocar88 · 10-09-2013, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabardeyn

Amazon recently added a new "feature"... If the ebook has an Amazon ID (asin #) within it's metadata, changes to the book's cover are automatically reverted whenever the device links back up with Amazon.

I believe the only way found to "correct" this issue is to remove the asin# from the book's internal metadata. This can be done by changing/deleting the asin in the book's metadata (ID field/column) and converting the book to apply that change; or, using the Polish Book function. Once Amazon can no longer find the asin within the ebook, it leaves it alone thereafter.

(Hopefully I got that explanation correct. It doesn't affect me so I might have worded something inaccurately. If I did, I'm sure someone else will set you straight.)

Thanks for the tip!
I just tried to delete the ID and now I can see the covers I put on Calibre.
BUT...I get an error message and I can't open the book into the Kindle! the message is something like "Can't open the book: can't open the selected item. If the item was purchased on Amazon, delete the item and download that again from Cloud in the main menu". (My Kindle it's in italian so maybe these aren't the exact same words since I just translated them, but that doesn't change the meaning)

Sabardeyn · 10-09-2013, 04:43 PM

Alessandrocar88,
In your case I think the ebook has Digital Rights Managament (DRM - fancy term for copy protection) and Kindle needs the asin in order to prove that you have a legally purchased copy of the book. DRM can be removed, but it's considered piracy and cannot be discussed on MobileRead. For most users, one of the first things they do is strip the DRM from there personal ebooks, so it never occurred to me to warn you. My apologies.

GoSharks · 10-09-2013, 10:57 PM

@Alessandrocar88-
You might try googling Apprentice Alf's Blog for 'helpers' for Calibre....

alessandrocar88 · 10-10-2013, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabardeyn

Alessandrocar88,
In your case I think the ebook has Digital Rights Managament (DRM - fancy term for copy protection) and Kindle needs the asin in order to prove that you have a legally purchased copy of the book. DRM can be removed, but it's considered piracy and cannot be discussed on MobileRead. For most users, one of the first things they do is strip the DRM from there personal ebooks, so it never occurred to me to warn you. My apologies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoSharks

@Alessandrocar88-
You might try googling Apprentice Alf's Blog for 'helpers' for Calibre....

Thanks for the tips, at the end of the day, I just deleted the books I imported into Calibre, and did all the process from scratch. That worked just fine; I guess the imported file were messed up.
Now I can see the book covers.

10-09-2013, 09:15 AM	#1
alessandrocar88 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2013 Device: New Kindle Paperwhite	How do I change book covers with Calibre? Hi everybody! I just got the new Paperwhite and I'm really happy about it. Just a minor bummer: I wanna sync some books with Calibre. I change the metadatas, convert into MOBI, send to device. This should be it...and in fact, after inplugging the device I can actually see the nice book covers I put on with skype; but after 10-15 seconds the screen refreshes and I get the standard Kindle cover again (I mean, the general cover, so not really nice). Can anyone help me with this? it's kinda annoying, cause it's nice to have all the covers thanks!

10-09-2013, 09:50 AM	#2
GoSharks SQUIRREL!! Posts: 1,636 Karma: 8400000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: California Device: K-Fire, PW2, PW3	What do you mean by "covers I put on with skype"? You should be adding the covers through the edit metadata in Calibre and THEN converting to mobi and THEN sending. Will need more info and you also might try posting in the Calibre forum. Good luck and welcome to MR! Last edited by GoSharks; 10-09-2013 at 10:34 AM.

10-09-2013, 03:25 PM	#7
Sabardeyn Guru Posts: 644 Karma: 1242364 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Right Coast Device: PC (Calibre), Nexus 7 2013 (Moon+ Pro), HTC HD2/Leo (Freda)	Amazon recently added a new "feature"... If the ebook has an Amazon ID (asin #) within it's metadata, changes to the book's cover are automatically reverted whenever the device links back up with Amazon. I believe the only way found to "correct" this issue is to remove the asin# from the book's internal metadata. This can be done by changing/deleting the asin in the book's metadata (ID field/column) and converting the book to apply that change; or, using the Polish Book function. Once Amazon can no longer find the asin within the ebook, it leaves it alone thereafter. (Hopefully I got that explanation correct. It doesn't affect me so I might have worded something inaccurately. If I did, I'm sure someone else will set you straight.) Last edited by Sabardeyn; 10-09-2013 at 03:27 PM.

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10-09-2013, 10:19 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Calibre questions belong in the Calibre forum. Moved.

10-09-2013, 02:12 PM	#5
jchiar Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2013 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2013	Everything else working with Calibre on the new PW?

10-09-2013, 04:43 PM	#10
Sabardeyn Guru Posts: 644 Karma: 1242364 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Right Coast Device: PC (Calibre), Nexus 7 2013 (Moon+ Pro), HTC HD2/Leo (Freda)	Alessandrocar88, In your case I think the ebook has Digital Rights Managament (DRM - fancy term for copy protection) and Kindle needs the asin in order to prove that you have a legally purchased copy of the book. DRM can be removed, but it's considered piracy and cannot be discussed on MobileRead. For most users, one of the first things they do is strip the DRM from there personal ebooks, so it never occurred to me to warn you. My apologies.

10-09-2013, 10:57 PM	#11
GoSharks SQUIRREL!! Posts: 1,636 Karma: 8400000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: California Device: K-Fire, PW2, PW3	@Alessandrocar88- You might try googling Apprentice Alf's Blog for 'helpers' for Calibre....