Content What's the best format to get the most features

CleanUnderwear · 03-17-2023, 10:25 PM

I have a bunch of Non-DRM ebooks in a variety of formats. What's the best format to convert them to when I push them to my Kindle Paperwhite via USB / Calibre?

I want to support as many of the advanced features as I can on the Kindle, and I understand many of them are tied to the format of the book.

I want to:

View on Goodreads

Add to Goodreads Shelf

Use X-Ray

Vocabulary Builder

Page flip (when reading a book, swipe up to navigate page/page or see thumbnails of 9 pages at once)

Is there a preferred format to get the most features?

Thanks

jmurphy · 03-18-2023, 02:58 PM

Hopefully somebody else has better info, but I always assumed some (most?) of those features only worked with books that come directly from Amazon, not converted and side-loaded books.

DNSB · 03-18-2023, 03:37 PM

You can use calibre plugins to allow some of the functions such as WordDumb for WordWise/X-ray functionality but most are not available for sideloaded books.

jonathan2022 · 03-19-2023, 12:15 PM

Kfx is the best format for most of those features. No x Ray though. To convert to kfx search for plug-in in forum for caliber. Make sure books have asin or isbn.

Quoth · 03-19-2023, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathan2022

Kfx is the best format for most of those features. No x Ray though. To convert to kfx search for plug-in in forum for caliber. Make sure books have asin or isbn.

KFX conversion needs Amazon software on Windows. Maybe a mac version works. Not on Linux or related.
IMO it's inferior to azw3/KF8 because it's more opaque. AZW3/KF8 can be edited.

Also not all ebooks have an ASIN or ISBN, especially pd or ones you make yourself from a mix of web pages.

jonathan2022 · 03-20-2023, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

KFX conversion needs Amazon software on Windows. Maybe a mac version works. Not on Linux or related.
IMO it's inferior to azw3/KF8 because it's more opaque. AZW3/KF8 can be edited.

Also not all ebooks have an ASIN or ISBN, especially pd or ones you make yourself from a mix of web pages.

yes but azw3 doesnt have page flip. at least not on android. i have tried. only kfx seemed to work for me with page flip. goodreads works with azw3 though. i also dont use xray.

JSWolf · 03-20-2023, 07:41 AM

KFX (from Amazon) has DRM that you cannot remove.

jonathan2022 · 03-20-2023, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

KFX (from Amazon) has DRM that you cannot remove.

I'm talking about the non drmed kfx files you get from converting to kfx. These are ebooks that have been dedrmed from other stores. If you want to use the above features you can use Howells kfx drm pluggin to convert any format to kfx (that has no drm) These are then copied via USB to kindle.

Quoth · 03-20-2023, 04:52 PM

But only Amazon SW can produce a kfx. The Calibre plug-in isn't converting to KFX, it's just a shortcut method.

escaner · 03-20-2023, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

KFX conversion needs Amazon software on Windows. Maybe a mac version works. Not on Linux or related.

Actually you can convert to kfx in Linux by installing the amazon kfx soft in wine. This is how I do it.

The result is far superior to awz3, with better text format, automatic word splitting and also allows the 9 page view that helps in visual awareness.

Quoth · 03-21-2023, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by escaner

Actually you can convert to kfx in Linux by installing the amazon kfx soft in wine. This is how I do it.

I got some Amazon SW to work for a while on WINE on Linux Mint 18. I'm on Mint 21.1 now. I've better things to do. Certainly the required Amazon SW doesn't work now on WINE and in any case Windows SW on WINE doesn't integrate with Calibre plugins on Linux. I have Word 2003 on WINE it doesn't integrate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by escaner

The result is far superior to awz3, with better text format, automatic word splitting and also allows the 9 page view that helps in visual awareness.

I never thought so in the years I had only a PW3, before I got a Kobo. KFX slightly different and s stretch to claim "far superior".
Then we stopped connecting to Amazon to get ebooks direct and downloaded AZW3 version. Missed nothing.

I do have legitimate XP (Image of a retired 2002 Laptop), Win7 and Win10 on VMs on Linux, but I don't use them now.

Now it's moot as all my ereading is on a Sage, or if travelling light a P47L (4.7″ eink).

Still check Mobi, AZW3 and KFX downloads from Amazon for any new format of epub2 uploaded to Amazon KDP. I gave away the 32G 3G gen2 Oasis as the DXG, KK3 and PW3 are sufficient to text what Amazon does to uploaded epub for publishing. None of the Amazon conversions/previews on Windows reliably do the same thing.

Quote:

and also allows the 9 page view that helps in visual awareness.

I think of limited value, as is the Kobo equivalent, especially reading fiction, which is what ebooks are best for.

03-17-2023, 10:25 PM	#1
CleanUnderwear Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2019 Device: Paperwhite	What's the best format to get the most features I have a bunch of Non-DRM ebooks in a variety of formats. What's the best format to convert them to when I push them to my Kindle Paperwhite via USB / Calibre? I want to support as many of the advanced features as I can on the Kindle, and I understand many of them are tied to the format of the book. I want to: View on Goodreads Add to Goodreads Shelf Use X-Ray Vocabulary Builder Page flip (when reading a book, swipe up to navigate page/page or see thumbnails of 9 pages at once) Is there a preferred format to get the most features? Thanks

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03-18-2023, 02:58 PM	#2
jmurphy Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 1133066 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: ipaq	Hopefully somebody else has better info, but I always assumed some (most?) of those features only worked with books that come directly from Amazon, not converted and side-loaded books.

03-18-2023, 03:37 PM	#3
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 35,433 Karma: 145525534 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Forma, Clara HD, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	You can use calibre plugins to allow some of the functions such as WordDumb for WordWise/X-ray functionality but most are not available for sideloaded books.

03-19-2023, 12:15 PM	#4
jonathan2022 Connoisseur Posts: 82 Karma: 213232 Join Date: Mar 2022 Device: android	Kfx is the best format for most of those features. No x Ray though. To convert to kfx search for plug-in in forum for caliber. Make sure books have asin or isbn.

03-20-2023, 07:41 AM	#7
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,987 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	KFX (from Amazon) has DRM that you cannot remove.

03-20-2023, 04:52 PM	#9
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 11,161 Karma: 85874891 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	But only Amazon SW can produce a kfx. The Calibre plug-in isn't converting to KFX, it's just a shortcut method.