Transfering books from Sony Library to Calibre

[onebookie]

I'm not very computer literate.....I can't figure out how to get the books from the Sony Library to my new Calibre....Help!

[Worldwalker]

Use the "Add Books" menu item in calibre. Point it at where the Sony Library keeps its books. The option you want is the first one on the "Add Books" list -- I can't remember the exact name, and I'm on the netbook which doesn't have calibre. Let it do its stuff, and you should be good.

[onebookie]

I got the Add Books part and I can add from my document files, but I cannot figure out where Sony keeps it Library, so when I click on Add To I'm lost.

[mikij]

Originally Posted by onebookie

I got the Add Books part and I can add from my document files, but I cannot figure out where Sony keeps it Library, so when I click on Add To I'm lost.

Look at the directory: "C:\Program Files\Sony\Reader\Data\bin\"

[theducks]

Originally Posted by mikij

Look at the directory: "C:\Program Files\Sony\Reader\Data\bin\"

Eeww!

That's so Windows 98 bad security

Storing User data in the programs folder.

[John F]

On my PC, they are either in "My Document\My Books\eBook Library" or "My Documents\My Books\Reader Library"

You may also want to try "My Documents\My Digital Editions". These are from Adobe Digital Editions.

Good luck.

[onebookie]

I appreciate all the help I can get. I have so much trouble with the Sony Reader program Not Responding that I would like to be able to use Calibre. I finally understand that books I purchased thru Sony or borrowed thru my local library will have to stay in the Sony Library. Now I need to know how to direct all new books to Calibre.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by onebookie

I appreciate all the help I can get. I have so much trouble with the Sony Reader program Not Responding that I would like to be able to use Calibre. I finally understand that books I purchased thru Sony or borrowed thru my local library will have to stay in the Sony Library. Now I need to know how to direct all new books to Calibre.

Welcome to the wonderful world of 'rights management'. For your convenience, publishers make doing perfectly reasonable and legal things difficult. What you want to do, legally buy and download a book to your reader, is one of those things.

You are talking about books with Adobe DRM (digital rights management). To the best of my knowledge, you must use either the Sony SW or Adobe Digital Editions to download such books to your computer, because while they are downloading them the programs also 'sign' them so your Sony device can open them. Calibre does not talk to any DRM-protected store or library, so it cannot replace Sony Reader or ADE. In fact, calibre doesn't download from anywhere, but it can happily import books that have been downloaded by some other program.

My understanding, based on nothing, is that ADE is more reliable than Sony Reader, and that it works with a lot of stores and libraries. Take this with a grain of salt, because I avoid Adobe DRMed books like the plague.

[mikij]

My bad, I don't know how or why I pasted the C:\Program Files\Sony\Reader\Data\bin\.

It is in fact in:
\My Documents\My Books\Reader Library (as John F mentioned).

I sincerely apologize!!!!

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by onebookie

I finally understand that books I purchased thru Sony or borrowed thru my local library will have to stay in the Sony Library. Now I need to know how to direct all new books to Calibre.

Like chaley and others here, I refuse to purchase DRM'd books. I just thought I'd point out that DRM'd books do not have to "stay in the Sony Library." You can put them into Calibre, and Calibre can send them to and from a Sony device. It can't convert them and do other reasonable things, but it can move them around and keep track of them.

[onebookie]

How can I tell if a books is DRM protected before I buy it? I don't see anything that states that.

[Worldwalker]

Generally, sellers of DRM-free books say so, because they know there are people like chaley, Starson17, and me who will not buy a DRM-restricted ebook under any circumstances, any more than we'd buy a pbook whose covers would lock shut if we tried to read it in a different room. Generally, stores that are affiliated with a specific device are DRM-locked -- Amazon, Sony, B&N, etc. -- while stores that offer formats for many different devices are not. If in doubt, email them and ask.

P.S. The correct term is "DRM restricted". The publishers want us to say "protected" because it's a positive term ... protection is good, right? But it's "protected" from the reader and there is nothing positive about DRM on your ebooks.

[onebookie]

Okay, you say that Calibre will import books that have been dowloaded by some other program. I did that - with books I purchased and they downloaded but were all DRM restricted.....so I don't know what the advantage is for me if my Sony Reader will only read them from the Reader Library.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by onebookie

Okay, you say that Calibre will import books that have been dowloaded by some other program. I did that - with books I purchased and they downloaded but were all DRM restricted.....so I don't know what the advantage is for me if my Sony Reader will only read them from the Reader Library.

Because they are DRM restricted, calibre cannot convert them to other formats. However, you can use calibre to organize the books, tagging them and organizing them into series and collections, searching and sorting. Calibre can move them to and from your device. As you have a sony, you can also update the metadata and have it appear on your reader. And don't forget that there are lots of places to get DRM-free books.

That said, if you prefer the Sony software and its organizational capabilities, then by all means use that.