Brand new to Calibre and I don't have a clue what I am doing

[gloriamarie]

I am well known for saying about myself that to computer is an arcane gnosis the mysteries of which have yet to be vouchsafed unto me and that is once again proven true with Calibre and even this forum. I feel like I need a forum to learn how to use this forum effectively.

HELP!! Please.

OK.. I have a MacBook Air, OSX Yosemite aka 10.10.5; I have the newest version of Calibre. I also have a Kindle Keyboard.

First problem: Under the Amazon choices, Kindle Keyboard is not listed. So does that mean I choose "generic e-reader" even though I don't think my e-reader is generic?

Well, I did that. Opened Calibre and started to read the Quick Start Guide and I need someone to translate this into Luddite English, please.

I want to add books. I thought from the video that when I clicked on "add books" that it would bring up a dialogue box where I would type in author and title but instead it is taking me to a finder window.

What as I doing wrong?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Also, I have no idea what is meant by "tags," or how to "tag." See? Hopeless Luddite

[MickeyC]

Hi Gloria and welcome to MobileRead.

This is the Inroduction section where you should tell us a bit about yourself. Post your Calibre questions in that section and you'll get a quick answer.

[gloriamarie]

My name is most emphatically NOT Gloria.

I have no idea where to find the Calibre section. Would you please give me a clue? Thanks.

[gloriamarie]

If you could please tell me where the Calibre forum is, I would be grateful as I had been informed that this entire thing was a forum for Calibre users.


Also , since my name is Gloriamarie, I appreciate being addressed by my complete, correct, and full name always.

[AnemicOak]

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=166

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by gloriamarie

If you could please tell me where the Calibre forum is, I would be grateful as I had been informed that this entire thing was a forum for Calibre users.


Also , since my name is Gloriamarie, I appreciate being addressed by my complete, correct, and full name always.

We actually have subforums for several topics, including the workshop (where ebook makers discuss the craft), and separate subforums for the many different types of ereaders and ebook-related software. Plus the general news, recommendations, and deals/freebies forums.
Granted, calibre is one of our biggest subsections.

You can see all the different forums listed in the Forum Index, calibre is about a third of the way down the page.

[Dr. Drib]

Moderator Notice

Please post responsibly. Your thread was moved from the Introduce Yourself Forum (a place where members.....introduce themselves).

Your thread has now been moved to the calibre forum......a forum devoted to issues and questions on......calibre.

You may create another thread in the INTRODUCE YOURSELF forum - if you wish.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by gloriamarie

If you could please tell me where the Calibre forum is, I would be grateful as I had been informed that this entire thing was a forum for Calibre users.


Also , since my name is Gloriamarie, I appreciate being addressed by my complete, correct, and full name always.

Mobileread is assuredly NOT a site devoted exclusively to calibre users and their interests.

Mobileread is a site that incorporates a wide range of topics devoted to such things as ebooks, technology related to ebooks, and to reading and writing, to name just a few areas of exploration.

Don
(Moderator)

[darryl]

Don't worry about tags at the moment. Calibre does not download books for you. When you have an ebook file, for example a file with a .epub or .mobi extension, you import them by selecting them in that add books finder window.

You can import books you have purchased from Amazon, which will usually but not always have a .azw3 or .azw file extension. However, if the book is "protected" by digital rights management (drm), what you can do with it in Calibre is very restricted. You will not be able to read it in Calibre, convert it or edit it unless the drm is removed. We are not allowed to assist you with drm removal here at Mobileread, as it is against the law in some jurisdictions. We can, however, point you in the direction of Apprentice Alf's blog, which can help with drm removal. https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/

[MSWallack]

Gloriamarie:

Allow me to try to answer your questions:

1) [Caveat: I'm neither a Mac nor Kindle user, so this info may be slightly off...] When you tell Calibre that you want to add a book, Calibre opens a dialog box to let you find the file on your computer that you want to add to Calibre. I suspect that you were expecting Calibre to load the book from Amazon, but that isn't how the system works. You need to download the book from Amazon to your computer (usually via Amazon's desktop application) and then add that file to Calibre. Thus, you need to know where on your computer the Kindle app stores books. I'll let a Mac user give you guidance with that.

2) Tags are simply a way to help people organize their libraries. For example, in my library I use the tags "non-fiction" for non-fiction books (obviously), "kids" for books that are intended for my kids, "cookbooks" (obvious, again), and other similar tags. Some people might tag their books with "thriller", "mystery", "science fiction" or the like. Tags can be whatever you want them to be; they are intended to help you organize your books and find what you're looking for.

Hope that helps a bit.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by gloriamarie

First problem: Under the Amazon choices, Kindle Keyboard is not listed. So does that mean I choose "generic e-reader" even though I don't think my e-reader is generic?

That would be the "Kindle Touch/1-4" (to be exact, it is the Kindle 3).
But the device type only affects the default output profile, which determines the maximum resolution for images during an ebook conversion.

"Generic" is a pretty safe choice, though, as it tells calibre to not do anything device-specific.

Well, I did that. Opened Calibre and started to read the Quick Start Guide and I need someone to translate this into Luddite English, please.

The Quick Start Guide tries to be easy to understand, but if you have any specific questions or things you are confused about, just ask and we can explain it!

I want to add books. I thought from the video that when I clicked on "add books" that it would bring up a dialogue box where I would type in author and title but instead it is taking me to a finder window.

Add Books lets you add ebook files from your computer/attached ereader. calibre will automatically figure out the title and author from the ebook metadatda.

You will need to select the *.azw3 files from your Kindle Keyboard (if you are adding the books you purchased from Amazon and downloaded with your Kindle).

[Lizj1]

Gloriamarie, instead of Add books you could try the Get books plugin which lets you search and buy from a number of ebook retailers.

Liz

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Add Books lets you add ebook files from your computer/attached ereader. calibre will automatically figure out the title and author from the ebook metadatda.

You can also simply drag and drop books from a Windows Explorer window onto the Calibre window to achieve the same result.

[BetterRed]

@gloriamarie - can I suggest you watch the videos in here ==>> Video Tutorials

But don't watch them from end to end - watch a section, then do what you just saw, if it doesn't work, watch segment again and repeat. From memory the Grand Tour took me about an hour or so, it was time well spent.

BR

[rurocking]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You can also simply drag and drop books from a Windows Explorer window onto the Calibre window to achieve the same result.

I don't think she will find Windows Explorer on a MacBook Air. On the Mac you use Finder to accomplish the same.