Kindle DXG library management (with a mac)

max99 · 11-30-2010, 04:10 PM

hi all,

my collection of books and pdf's is growing daily as i use my kindle more and more. so i'm starting to look at serious ways of backing up and managing my library and wondered if anyone could chime in with some suggestions.

i've already tried a few things but found each one to have serious flaws...i'll list hem below:

1. Kindle for Mac-OS: nice application but is only allows me to see books purchased from Amazon which renders is useless as a library manager

2. Calibre: very complicated application without a proper synch and it seems to be full of bugs. one annoying bug is some kindle format books i add won't open in Calibre and it instead continually tries to add them to the library!

Is there any application i'm missing? Really i just want a simple editor that will synch with my Kindle and allow some basic editing of title, author ect

many thanks in advance

rcuadro · 11-30-2010, 06:43 PM

I have been using Calibre for quite some time and it is a solid library management.

It does not have sync (yet) but just about everything with in Calibre can be changed to suit your needs.
Remember that Calibre cannot read eBooks that have DRM...

I am also on a Mac and I have yet to find anything worth using besides Calibre

max99 · 12-01-2010, 03:52 AM

the books calibre wouldn't open (just kept adding more copies instead) were free ones from manybooks.net. no idea why it does this.

also with calibre sometimes it lists the contents of my kindle with items that have no title of information. very strange.

i guess i'll perceiver with Calibre for the meantime then. amazon really need to release a proper library manager in the future tho...something like itunes would be perfect.

trekchick · 12-02-2010, 11:27 AM

Kindle for Mac *can* display books purchased from 3rd party vendors. All you have to do is open the file with K4Mac to add the file to your bookshelf. It's still pretty useless as a library manager, since it doesn't have any organization features. Also, K4Mac files can't be read on your Kindle (the DRM is device/app specific), so it's impossible to sync files with Kindle.

I've not experienced the behavior you're seeing with Calibre, but my guess is that the file has different metadata than the library entry so, Calibre thinks it's new. Try opening it from within the application instead of via Finder or, if it's DRM-free, try converting the file (even to the same format) and see if that helps. Calibre can't always read the metadata on Topaz books (e.g. K4Mac Topaz files download with the .azw extension and Calibre can't find the metadata, but if you change the extension to .tpz, Calibre knows what to look for).

Amazon is unlikely to ever release a library manger (à la Sony Reader Library), Amazon's library management and backup is all online. Besides the prominent "Manage Your Kindle" link in the Kindle Store, there are:

http://kindle.amazon.com/home/welcome
and
https://www.amazon.com/gp/ays/index.html?app=home

11-30-2010, 04:10 PM	#1
max99 Addict Posts: 201 Karma: 1300000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle DXG, PW	Kindle DXG library management (with a mac) hi all, my collection of books and pdf's is growing daily as i use my kindle more and more. so i'm starting to look at serious ways of backing up and managing my library and wondered if anyone could chime in with some suggestions. i've already tried a few things but found each one to have serious flaws...i'll list hem below: 1. Kindle for Mac-OS: nice application but is only allows me to see books purchased from Amazon which renders is useless as a library manager 2. Calibre: very complicated application without a proper synch and it seems to be full of bugs. one annoying bug is some kindle format books i add won't open in Calibre and it instead continually tries to add them to the library! Is there any application i'm missing? Really i just want a simple editor that will synch with my Kindle and allow some basic editing of title, author ect many thanks in advance

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11-30-2010, 06:43 PM	#2
rcuadro Wizard Posts: 1,686 Karma: 874275 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Device: Kindle DX	I have been using Calibre for quite some time and it is a solid library management. It does not have sync (yet) but just about everything with in Calibre can be changed to suit your needs. Remember that Calibre cannot read eBooks that have DRM... I am also on a Mac and I have yet to find anything worth using besides Calibre

12-01-2010, 03:52 AM	#3
max99 Addict Posts: 201 Karma: 1300000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle DXG, PW	the books calibre wouldn't open (just kept adding more copies instead) were free ones from manybooks.net. no idea why it does this. also with calibre sometimes it lists the contents of my kindle with items that have no title of information. very strange. i guess i'll perceiver with Calibre for the meantime then. amazon really need to release a proper library manager in the future tho...something like itunes would be perfect.

12-02-2010, 11:27 AM	#4
trekchick Lurker Posts: 226 Karma: 9245 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Walton, KY Device: Sonys and Kindles and Nooks, oh my!	Kindle for Mac can display books purchased from 3rd party vendors. All you have to do is open the file with K4Mac to add the file to your bookshelf. It's still pretty useless as a library manager, since it doesn't have any organization features. Also, K4Mac files can't be read on your Kindle (the DRM is device/app specific), so it's impossible to sync files with Kindle. I've not experienced the behavior you're seeing with Calibre, but my guess is that the file has different metadata than the library entry so, Calibre thinks it's new. Try opening it from within the application instead of via Finder or, if it's DRM-free, try converting the file (even to the same format) and see if that helps. Calibre can't always read the metadata on Topaz books (e.g. K4Mac Topaz files download with the .azw extension and Calibre can't find the metadata, but if you change the extension to .tpz, Calibre knows what to look for). Amazon is unlikely to ever release a library manger (à la Sony Reader Library), Amazon's library management and backup is all online. Besides the prominent "Manage Your Kindle" link in the Kindle Store, there are: http://kindle.amazon.com/home/welcome and https://www.amazon.com/gp/ays/index.html?app=home

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