how do you handle a multi-volume book?

[Colonel Cathcart]

I came across a few ebooks that were released in the same manner that their dead tree counterparts were released, in two or three volumes.
Do you organize them as three books in a series? 1, 2 and 3, for example? or maybe 0.1, 0.2, 0.3? does Kobo support fractions like that OK?

I haven't came across this yet, but what if that 2-volume book is, in fact, part of a series? what then?

Your suggestions are appreciated.

[Sirtel]

I have a text-based custom column in Calibre I use to write down the volumes included, e.g. [1-3]. In the default series column I just put 1, because it doesn't support multiple volumes, and I hate using fractions. The next volume would then be 4. On my Kobo I only see the default series data, of course, but this doesn't bother me - I look things up in Calibre if needed.

I know most folks use fractions in this case, but I don't want to.

[fogice]

Kobo supports decimals. I also use decimals for novellas and short stories that are interspersed between novels in a series.

[theducks]

Kobo supports a series index with decimals.
My notation 4.07 means 4-7
My notation 3.5 is something between 3 and 4
There are a couple of cases this plan falls apart. 8-10 (8.1), Gaps 2,4,6
BTW When I see 8.1 and no other 8.n, I infer it is a 10

What is more important: YOU just have a plan and you use it consistently.

BTW I avoid Series numbers in the {Title} when ever possible.
When a series is released as a group of omnibus books where the title words only differences IS the Series index numbers, I have to keep those in some form to break the Name tie. Series episodes might be Ep##, (the {series_index} I enter is 0.n). Vol # in a title is left, bit {series_index} is the actual value of the stories.


Of course, This is a Personal Use plan. There is no Official 'series' rule

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by theducks

BTW I avoid Series numbers in the {Title} when ever possible.

Yes, I do as well, unless...

When a series is released as a group of omnibus books where the title words only differences IS the Series index numbers, I have to keep those in some form to break the Name tie. Series episodes might be Ep##, (the {series_index} I enter is 0.n). Vol # in a title is left, bit {series_index} is the actual value of the stories.

In those cases I put the index in the title, e.g. In Death (1-5) and leave my series columns empty. YMMV.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes, I do as well, unless...

In those cases I put the index in the title, e.g. In Death (1-5) and leave my series columns empty. YMMV.

[/QUOTE]

As you wish
But if you leave {series} empty, a normal Series sort or find won't include the book.

[ownedbycats]

If I have an omnibus of books 3-5, for example, I put a series index of 3.05. (But I don't bother with the series column if it's a full-series omnibus.)

the EpubSplit plugin may also be an option.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by theducks

As you wish
But if you leave {series} empty, a normal Series sort or find won't include the book.

I mostly search or sort by authors or by collections on my Kobos, not by series, so that is not very important to me.

[Wiggo]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

If I have an omnibus of books 3-5, for example, I put a series index of 3.05. (But I don't bother with the series column if it's a full-series omnibus.)

In this case my index is 3 and in the title I add (SB 3-5) with SB=Sammelband=anthology. If it’s a full-series omnibus I add (GA) in the title with GA=Gesamtausgabe=complete series

[sourcecodemage]

What did you end up doing?

I have the same issue.
I own books 1-6 of the Corum series, and 2 "omnibus" volumes that also contain books 1-6.

The individual volumes are straight forward.

Series Column
Corum 1
Corum 2
Corum 3
Corum 4
Corum 5
Corum 6

But what should I put in the series column for the multi-book volumes?
Corum Series Vol 1: 1 - 3
Corum Series Vol 2: 4 - 6

[DNSB]

I would use Corum 1.03 and Corum 4.06 with a customized series number template so books that have the custom Omnibus column set to Yes will get a series index of 1-3 and 4-6 on my Kobo. This is done in the Kobo driver since a Kobo ereader will natively display the series/series index. Before the custom column, I just used 1.03 and 4.06 as the series index.

One friend of mine with a Kindle uses a similar setup, which using your examples, would add Corum 1-3 or Corum 4-6 as the first part of the title when sending to his PW5. He would see Corum [1-3] Corum Omnibus 1 for instance.