How to Display Covers on Kindle Color for Books Not Bought on Amazon (Using Calibre)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tomsem

By default, calibre converts to EBOK content type (for both AZW3 and MOBI). Those will not get a cover thumbnail. You need to check the 'Enable Sharing' output option to make it PDOC, then Kindle will generate a cover thumbnail.

It's confusing because 'Enable Sharing' does the opposite of what you might think it does (allow sharing to Goodreads). You can only do that with EBOK.

I thought covers were only a problem if you use WiFi. So if you put eBooks from calibre onto your PW6 and don't have WiFi on, do you see the cover thumbnails?

[DNSB]

When sending your books from calibre to your Kindle, have you tried sending them as PDOC instead of EBOK/EBSP?

[booooks]

Originally Posted by tomsem

By default, calibre converts to EBOK content type (for both AZW3 and MOBI). Those will not get a cover thumbnail. You need to check the 'Enable Sharing' output option to make it PDOC, then Kindle will generate a cover thumbnail.

It's confusing because 'Enable Sharing' does the opposite of what you might think it does (allow sharing to Goodreads). You can only do that with EBOK.

I hope I'm not being extermely dense but is PDOC a file type? and where exactly are you clicking enable sharing?

[DNSB]

PDOC is an Amazon cdetype. It stands for Personal DOCument. The other possible cdetypes are EBOK (EBOoK) and EBSP (EBookSamPle).

Look in Preferences => Output Options => AZW3 Output for the Enable Sharing option. See the attached image.

[Dopedangel]

If it is possible to run linux script on kindle the I think you could guys get a workaround where calibre sends the cover files and the script later moves it to the correct folder. If the only problem now is that with the mtp connection calibre cant access the cover folder.

[Frogm4n]

It's possible on a jailbroken Kindle, but not likely on a stock one.

[calibreplugins]

For those who have been following this thread but are finding it a bit manual / complicated, I would encourage you to check out this plugin that can automatically convert files in your library to KFX / PDOC so that the covers can be displayed. You also need to install the KFX Output plugin (just click on Preferences -> Get plugins to enhance calibre) and the amazon kindle previewer 3 software (https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202131170)

Plugin is here:
https://github.com/scotjam/calibre_kindle_cover_fixer

(Install using Preferences -> Advanced -> Plugins -> Load plugin from file and choose the zipfile release from github above)

[Quoth]

On Windows.

[GlenRunciter]

Do you use the kindle previewer?

[hydin]

Originally Posted by calibreplugins

For those who have been following this thread but are finding it a bit manual / complicated, I would encourage you to check out this plugin that can automatically convert files in your library to KFX / PDOC so that the covers can be displayed. You also need to install the KFX Output plugin (just click on Preferences -> Get plugins to enhance calibre) and the amazon kindle previewer 3 software (https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202131170)

Plugin is here:
https://github.com/scotjam/calibre_kindle_cover_fixer

(Install using Preferences -> Advanced -> Plugins -> Load plugin from file and choose the zipfile release from github above)

Is there a way to use this plugin and not have the little command prompt windows constantly popping up? Makes it hard to keep using the pc while it's working.

[B00kReader]

Hello, sorry to come into this thread a couple months later. I'm a first time Kindle user (just got a Scribe Colorsoft), I've been a Kobo Reader person up until now. This seems a lot more complicated than getting books into my Kobo Readers' libraries.

Anyway, am I understanding right that if I send the AMZ3 format via Send to Kindle instead of Calibre that I'll get the benefits of it being a 'native' book AND keep covers showing? Or is it better to convert to KFX/PODOC and send via Calibre?

Also, what exactly do I lose by it being in KFX/PODOC format? I'm not really very familiar with Kindle features yet.

Thanks!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by B00kReader

Hello, sorry to come into this thread a couple months later. I'm a first time Kindle user (just got a Scribe Colorsoft), I've been a Kobo Reader person up until now. This seems a lot more complicated than getting books into my Kobo Readers' libraries.

Anyway, am I understanding right that if I send the AMZ3 format via Send to Kindle instead of Calibre that I'll get the benefits of it being a 'native' book AND keep covers showing? Or is it better to convert to KFX/PODOC and send via Calibre?

Also, what exactly do I lose by it being in KFX/PODOC format? I'm not really very familiar with Kindle features yet.

Thanks!

If you are on a firmware version that can be jailbroken, that would do (I think).

[Frogm4n]

Originally Posted by B00kReader

Anyway, am I understanding right that if I send the AMZ3 format via Send to Kindle instead of Calibre that I'll get the benefits of it being a 'native' book AND keep covers showing? Or is it better to convert to KFX/PODOC and send via Calibre?

You're mixing up formats. The Amazon formats are MOBI (old, limited, not much modern use), AZW3 (a bit newer and more akin to EPUB2 in features), and KFX (even newer and is what most content downloaded via Amazon uses).

Amazon's Send to Kindle service does not take any of these formats. It only takes non-DRM content in formats like EPUB and PDF. People often mix up the Calibre function of "Send to Device" with this Amazon service. They are unrelated except that StK via email is one of the methods that Calibre can use.

[B00kReader]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

You're mixing up formats. The Amazon formats are MOBI (old, limited, not much modern use), AZW3 (a bit newer and more akin to EPUB2 in features), and KFX (even newer and is what most content downloaded via Amazon uses).

Amazon's Send to Kindle service does not take any of these formats. It only takes non-DRM content in formats like EPUB and PDF. People often mix up the Calibre function of "Send to Device" with this Amazon service. They are unrelated except that StK via email is one of the methods that Calibre can use.

Oh! Okay, man I have a lot to learn - this has been a lot harder to follow versus my Kobo readers so far. So KFX/PDOC is what I need, and I will not loose any functionality vs a purchased Kindle book that way? Is using AZW3 also why it doesn't seem to recognize that the books I added to test are in a series? Thanks so much!

[B00kReader]

Originally Posted by calibreplugins

For those who have been following this thread but are finding it a bit manual / complicated, I would encourage you to check out this plugin that can automatically convert files in your library to KFX / PDOC so that the covers can be displayed. You also need to install the KFX Output plugin (just click on Preferences -> Get plugins to enhance calibre) and the amazon kindle previewer 3 software (https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202131170)

Plugin is here:
https://github.com/scotjam/calibre_kindle_cover_fixer

(Install using Preferences -> Advanced -> Plugins -> Load plugin from file and choose the zipfile release from github above)

Does it need to be Kindle Previewer 3 to work? It installed version 4 from that link when I downloaded it there, and every book I'm trying to convert I'm getting this error in Calibre (and direct in the Previewer) whether I try converting from KEPUB, EPUB, or AZW3 to KFX.