Gregg's Nearly Interminable Adventures in Linux Land

[eschwartz]

Also, you can save as HTML in LibreOffice, but writer2Epub will give you an actual epub which will be cleaner than the HTML save. But, like with Toxaris' addon, I believe it then requires you to define what each style should look like. (or go with the defaults.) Both addons focus on cleanly exporting the actual words of the book, and the styles you applied to sections, while tossing the junk that invariably creeps in when using a pure WYSIWYG editor.

Experiment a little and find what works best for you!

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by avantman42

For writing, I'd suggest using LibreOffice, with either an extension to export to ePub, or use Calibre to convert the .odt file to ePub.

Once you've got the ePub, you can clean it up using Sigil or Calibre's ebook editor. I believe that Sigil won't be maintained in future, so Calibre's editor might be your best bet. You can also use Calibre to convert the finished ePub to Mobi for uploading to Amazon.

Thanks Russell. I didn't know Calibre could convert .odt to .epub. It adds a little css style sheet but that is easily overcome. And I'm liking the Calibre ebook editor more and more. And the Mobi looks good. Is it--do you know--as reliable as the Mobi produced in Kindle Previewer?

I'm thinking I could live with your method. Thanks very much for sharing it.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Thanks Russell. I didn't know Calibre could convert .odt to .epub. It adds a little css style sheet but that is easily overcome. And I'm liking the Calibre ebook editor more and more. And the Mobi looks good. Is it--do you know--as reliable as the Mobi produced in Kindle Previewer?

I'm thinking I could live with your method. Thanks very much for sharing it.

Once you get the finished EPUB, convert using kindlegen rather than calibre. Sometimes Amazon complains if it sees a book created by calibre. They look the same, basically, but are coded a little differently. Now that I come to think of it, though, you can also upload the EPUB itself to Amazon, and they will handle the conversion themselves.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by st_albert

My recommendation for epub --> mobi/kindle in linux would be to use the command-line kindlegen program (available for linux natively), especially if you intend to distribute the kindle version. Note that Kindle previewer uses this same kindlegen back-end for its conversions.

FWIW I have been making commercial epubs (and mobis) from word docs entirely in linux for years, using the tools discussed above and elsewhere on MR. I only need Windows when InDesign is involved. (OK, and also to preview the finished products in ADE and Kindle Previewer.)

Thanks Albert. Can't you preview in Sony Reader Library? That's what I used when I previewed/proofed when was using Windows. So using the command-line kindlegen is as reliable as converting the epub in Kindle Previewer? How about Russell's converting the epub to mobi in Calibre?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Billi

The problem is that Gregg doesn't have installed Sigil at the moment because there is no Sigil package for Ubuntu.

But I'm really starting to think I can live without Sigil. I'll just have to try to format a whole novel in Calibre's book editor and see how that goes.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by st_albert

(my emphasis. I suppose you meant Sigil "official" packages.)

Well, there's this: https://launchpad.net/~rgibert/+archive/ebook

and this: https://launchpad.net/~sunab/+archive/sigil-git

and DiapDealer's packages: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...fficial+debian

granted, installing any of the above is a littile more complicated than installing sigil windows (or Apple??) packages. But probably easier than building from source.

And for that matter, no more complicated than when Sigil did provide "official" packages.

HTH

Albert

Thanks for the links, Albert. Still debating using Sigil or not, but if I do, it's good to know I can come back to these links. Appreciate it.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Well, if you just need to convert the file, not test out how it looks, then there is good news. As st_albert said, Kindle Previewer is just kindlegen plus a mobi viewer. So just use kindlegen to convert it directly, as the additional usage of the Previewer to see how the files will look on the kindle, is unnecessary within your workflow.

Dual mobi is a .mobi created by kindlegen, which has both KF7 (.mobi) and KF8 (.azw3) formats. Amazon splits it into .mobi files to give old readers, and .azw3 files to give newer readers that support it.
.azw3 is Amazon's update to the MOBI format which gives it support for newer everything, including embedded fonts, since it is essentially an alternative wrapper to EPUB.

---

Download kindlegen from here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000765211

save it in a folder called "bin" inside your home folder, which is "/home/gregory/".

Any programs located in "/home/gregory/bin/" will be automatically found when you type them in the command line. (After first creating the "bin" folder, you need to log out then in for the folder to be sensed.)

Then to convert a book open the terminal, type in "kindlegen", space, the filename of the document to be converted, and there you go!

Thanks eschwartz. I was going to ask for a kindlegen procedural. (You're reading my mind. lol) Question: does Russell's using Calibre to convert the epub to mobi make a dual mobi too? Is it as good as the kindlegen produced one?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Also, you can save as HTML in LibreOffice, but writer2Epub will give you an actual epub which will be cleaner than the HTML save. But, like with Toxaris' addon, I believe it then requires you to define what each style should look like. (or go with the defaults.) Both addons focus on cleanly exporting the actual words of the book, and the styles you applied to sections, while tossing the junk that invariably creeps in when using a pure WYSIWYG editor.

Experiment a little and find what works best for you!

Did not know that about writer2epub making a cleaner save than the html. I'm not worried about the little bit of stuff writer2epub adds. Easily overcome. Appreciate it.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Thanks eschwartz. I was going to ask for a kindlegen procedural. (You're reading my mind. lol) Question: does Russell's using Calibre to convert the epub to mobi make a dual mobi too? Is it as good as the kindlegen produced one?

calibre can be configured to produce a dual mobi, but for selling in the Kindle Store, it's best to just stick with kindlegen, or just upload the EPUB itself, as EPUB is one of the supported upload formats. I am not sure whether Amazon will accept a dual MOBI if it's not from kindlegen, as they mainly seem to reject calibre's conversions if it has KF8.

As ever, I was happy to explain the process for setting up! Ask away if you need any help.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

But I'm really starting to think I can live without Sigil.

I believe Sigil isn't going to be maintained in future, so it's probably a good idea to move to something else now, while you can still use Sigil if you need to.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

calibre can be configured to produce a dual mobi, but for selling in the Kindle Store, it's best to just stick with kindlegen, or just upload the EPUB itself, as EPUB is one of the supported upload formats. I am not sure whether Amazon will accept a dual MOBI if it's not from kindlegen, as they mainly seem to reject calibre's conversions if it has KF8.

Mobi/AZW3 are Amazon's formats, and Kindlegen is Amazon's program, so Kindlegen should produce the best results. eschwartz is right that files generated by Kindlegen are less likely to be rejected, at least

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

calibre can be configured to produce a dual mobi, but for selling in the Kindle Store, it's best to just stick with kindlegen, or just upload the EPUB itself, as EPUB is one of the supported upload formats. I am not sure whether Amazon will accept a dual MOBI if it's not from kindlegen, as they mainly seem to reject calibre's conversions if it has KF8.

As ever, I was happy to explain the process for setting up! Ask away if you need any help.

I'll stick with kindlegen then. Appreciate all the help. I'm getting more comfortable with Linux every day.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by avantman42

I believe Sigil isn't going to be maintained in future, so it's probably a good idea to move to something else now, while you can still use Sigil if you need to.


Mobi/AZW3 are Amazon's formats, and Kindlegen is Amazon's program, so Kindlegen should produce the best results. eschwartz is right that files generated by Kindlegen are less likely to be rejected, at least

Ironically I just got Sigil in Linux. 0.7.2,which is what I like. I don't know, you know you just get used to using something and then it's hard to give it up. I'm going to make an ebook with Calibre's editor, though, and see how it goes, but it's good to have good old Sigil as a back-up.

Thanks for the weighing in on kindlegen. Appreciate it.

[eschwartz]

Sigil is still very useful for clips support and spellcheck. But calibre may be getting both of those soon...

[st_albert]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Sigil is still very useful for clips support and spellcheck. But calibre may be getting both of those soon...

For me, I would add the reports feature. Especially the list of styles not used.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by st_albert

For me, I would add the reports feature. Especially the list of styles not used.

You can delete unused styles now, and I think it will list which ones those are?

Never really used reports, so I can't really have an opinion on them I suppose.