EPUB - Kindle vs Calibre

johnelle · 11-26-2022, 09:35 AM

I have been keeping a close eye on the Amazon format conversion process (I hesitate to dignify it...but). I started sending .epubs through the mail to my tablet app a few weeks ago to avoid the warning emails from Amazon. Problem is that the results are so garbled that they're impossible to read if the input is American colloquial English as in the detective books that I read. Apostrophes end-up an illegible string of garbage. It doesn't appear they have done even basic QA on the email converter.

For now I am back to using Calibre to convert to .mobi so I can read the books.

This whole format conversion thing is being very poorly handled by Amazon. My preferred Amazon tool ("send to kindle") still doesn't accept .epubs months after their self-imposed deadline.

slm · 11-26-2022, 10:13 AM

The garbled characters problem is fixable. It needs a setting in the epub that is often absent. The easiest way I have found to fix it is with the "Modify epub" plug in--Select the "Encode HTML in UTF-8" option and run the plug-in. (You can set this to be the default configuration for the plugin, so you only have to invoke the plug in on the book and hit return to do it).

I now do this with each epub I add to Calibre and I haven't had any problems with Amazon's conversion process.

Good luck.

johnelle · 11-26-2022, 02:32 PM

Very helpful!

haertig · 11-26-2022, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnelle

I started sending .epubs through the mail to my tablet app a few weeks ago to avoid the warning emails from Amazon.

I've never sent anything to my Kindle via email. But I am intrigued about what warning emails you are getting. Just curious.

DNSB · 11-26-2022, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haertig

I've never sent anything to my Kindle via email. But I am intrigued about what warning emails you are getting. Just curious.

The emails that inform you that sending mobi format ebooks through either the Send to Kindle app or email to the device email address will no longer be supported RSN.

johnelle · 12-02-2022, 05:28 AM

Amazon Kindle Support <do-not-reply@amazon.com> 5:25 AM (0 minutes ago) to me

Dear Kindle Customer,

Thank you for using the Send to Kindle service to send personal documents to your Kindle library. We noticed that the following document(s), sent by you at 10:25 AM on Fri, Dec 02, 2022 GMT are in MOBI (.mobi, .azw) formats:
* The Cold Blue Blood - David Handler.mobi

We wanted to let you know that starting August 2022, you’ll no longer be able to send MOBI (.mobi, .azw) files to your Kindle library. Any MOBI files already in your library will not be affected by this change. MOBI is an older file format and won’t support the newest Kindle features for documents. Any existing MOBI files you want to read with our most up-to-date features for documents will need to be re-sent in a compatible format.

Compatible formats now include EPUB (.epub), which you can send to your library using your Send to Kindle email address. We’ll also be adding EPUB support to the free Kindle app for iOS and Android devices and the Send to Kindle desktop app for PC and Mac.

If you have any questions, please visit our help page or contact our Customer Service team.

Regards,
Amazon Kindle Support

DNSB · 12-02-2022, 05:31 PM

About the only spot where mobi is not going work is in the Send to Kindle Web. It makes you wonder what calendar Amazon is using that August, 2022 has not passed yet.

amrith10 · 12-09-2022, 04:29 AM

Hello! Not sure if this is the right thread but I wanted to ask how / why we were not able to send epub files directly through the "Send to Kindle" feature on Calibre (when connecting the kindle via a wire). Do we need to change any setting? it seems to automatically convert the book into mobi and send it.

Thank you.

johnelle · 12-09-2022, 05:11 AM

As I said this is an issue because there is a huge difference in the send limit. Send to Kindle will send a 50MB file to the device and email send is usually capped at 20-25MB. I believe this is weasel wording and what it is really saying is that they will send copy to the device, but won't keep a copy in the cloud (what Amazon calls your "library") because I am pretty sure the books do make to the device (or app in my case). Of course since Calibre is really my library, I don't care. In fact I' rather not have them keeping a copy of my stuff.

theducks · 12-09-2022, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amrith10

Hello! Not sure if this is the right thread but I wanted to ask how / why we were not able to send epub files directly through the "Send to Kindle" feature on Calibre (when connecting the kindle via a wire). Do we need to change any setting? it seems to automatically convert the book into mobi and send it.

Thank you.

The Kindle DOES NOT use EPUB. Amazon converts EPUB to the format best for the TARGET device (might be a K1)

Unless you have tampered with the default Kindle driver settings, the request to send should have asked if AZW3 was not already available to be delivered (USB)
Preferences Behavior is where you set the Preferred Output (when you click Convert)

johnelle · 12-16-2022, 05:21 AM

First I apologize I misread a previous post. I think the only reason that you can't send epub directly is that they still haven't updated the app. I am pretty sure I have the current version and it won't send either EPUB or AZW in spite of the earlier announcement. Amazon does not exactly rush to fix customer problems in spite of their motto.

As to USB connections. Its clear that a lot of folks here have Kindle hardware and treat it like a peripheral to their computer. My extended family consumes LOTS of ebooks and only my 90 year old mother has a Kindle hardware device. All of our ebooks are loaded over the air to iPods or Android devices and read in the Kindle app. (except for Mom). My tablet sits in the bedroom and hasn't been plugged into a computer in the 5 or more years it has been serving me up books, streaming video, voicemail, etc. So Kindle to me is an app that I communicate with via Amazon services. Calibre is an app where I spend way too many hours, but I don't have any interest in it managing anything but my library (which sits on a Synology NAS in spite of best practices recommendations)

theducks · 12-16-2022, 12:23 PM

A COPY of my library is on my Synology NAS. (I use freefilesync to make it. The scan takes longer than the actual update.)

lee.hauser · 12-27-2022, 08:26 PM

Just to add another data point...I downloaded a number of ePubs from Archive Of Our Own. I attached several to an email (seven or eight of them, I think) and sent them to my Kindle email. All were converted without issue, including apostrophes and other punctuation that often gets messed up.

11-26-2022, 09:35 AM	#1
johnelle Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	EPUB - Kindle vs Calibre I have been keeping a close eye on the Amazon format conversion process (I hesitate to dignify it...but). I started sending .epubs through the mail to my tablet app a few weeks ago to avoid the warning emails from Amazon. Problem is that the results are so garbled that they're impossible to read if the input is American colloquial English as in the detective books that I read. Apostrophes end-up an illegible string of garbage. It doesn't appear they have done even basic QA on the email converter. For now I am back to using Calibre to convert to .mobi so I can read the books. This whole format conversion thing is being very poorly handled by Amazon. My preferred Amazon tool ("send to kindle") still doesn't accept .epubs months after their self-imposed deadline.

11-26-2022, 02:32 PM	#3
johnelle Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	Thanks Very helpful!

12-02-2022, 05:28 AM	#6
johnelle Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	Email Reply from "Kindle Support" bot Amazon Kindle Support <do-not-reply@amazon.com> 5:25 AM (0 minutes ago) to me Dear Kindle Customer, Thank you for using the Send to Kindle service to send personal documents to your Kindle library. We noticed that the following document(s), sent by you at 10:25 AM on Fri, Dec 02, 2022 GMT are in MOBI (.mobi, .azw) formats: * The Cold Blue Blood - David Handler.mobi We wanted to let you know that starting August 2022, you’ll no longer be able to send MOBI (.mobi, .azw) files to your Kindle library. Any MOBI files already in your library will not be affected by this change. MOBI is an older file format and won’t support the newest Kindle features for documents. Any existing MOBI files you want to read with our most up-to-date features for documents will need to be re-sent in a compatible format. Compatible formats now include EPUB (.epub), which you can send to your library using your Send to Kindle email address. We’ll also be adding EPUB support to the free Kindle app for iOS and Android devices and the Send to Kindle desktop app for PC and Mac. If you have any questions, please visit our help page or contact our Customer Service team. Regards, Amazon Kindle Support

12-09-2022, 04:29 AM	#8
amrith10 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2022 Device: Kindle Oasis	EPUB - Send to Kindle via calibre Hello! Not sure if this is the right thread but I wanted to ask how / why we were not able to send epub files directly through the "Send to Kindle" feature on Calibre (when connecting the kindle via a wire). Do we need to change any setting? it seems to automatically convert the book into mobi and send it. Thank you.

12-16-2022, 05:21 AM	#11
johnelle Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	First I apologize I misread a previous post. I think the only reason that you can't send epub directly is that they still haven't updated the app. I am pretty sure I have the current version and it won't send either EPUB or AZW in spite of the earlier announcement. Amazon does not exactly rush to fix customer problems in spite of their motto. As to USB connections. Its clear that a lot of folks here have Kindle hardware and treat it like a peripheral to their computer. My extended family consumes LOTS of ebooks and only my 90 year old mother has a Kindle hardware device. All of our ebooks are loaded over the air to iPods or Android devices and read in the Kindle app. (except for Mom). My tablet sits in the bedroom and hasn't been plugged into a computer in the 5 or more years it has been serving me up books, streaming video, voicemail, etc. So Kindle to me is an app that I communicate with via Amazon services. Calibre is an app where I spend way too many hours, but I don't have any interest in it managing anything but my library (which sits on a Synology NAS in spite of best practices recommendations) Last edited by johnelle; 12-16-2022 at 05:23 AM.

11-26-2022, 10:13 AM	#2
slm Fool Posts: 377 Karma: 3557934 Join Date: Feb 2003 Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW1, Kobo Glo HD, Nook Glowlight Plus ...	The garbled characters problem is fixable. It needs a setting in the epub that is often absent. The easiest way I have found to fix it is with the "Modify epub" plug in--Select the "Encode HTML in UTF-8" option and run the plug-in. (You can set this to be the default configuration for the plugin, so you only have to invoke the plug in on the book and hit return to do it). I now do this with each epub I add to Calibre and I haven't had any problems with Amazon's conversion process. Good luck.

12-02-2022, 05:31 PM	#7
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 35,307 Karma: 145435140 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Forma, Clara HD, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	About the only spot where mobi is not going work is in the Send to Kindle Web. It makes you wonder what calendar Amazon is using that August, 2022 has not passed yet.

12-09-2022, 05:11 AM	#9
johnelle Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	As I said this is an issue because there is a huge difference in the send limit. Send to Kindle will send a 50MB file to the device and email send is usually capped at 20-25MB. I believe this is weasel wording and what it is really saying is that they will send copy to the device, but won't keep a copy in the cloud (what Amazon calls your "library") because I am pretty sure the books do make to the device (or app in my case). Of course since Calibre is really my library, I don't care. In fact I' rather not have them keeping a copy of my stuff.

12-16-2022, 12:23 PM	#12
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,779 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	A COPY of my library is on my Synology NAS. (I use freefilesync to make it. The scan takes longer than the actual update.)

12-27-2022, 08:26 PM	#13
lee.hauser Member Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Seattle area Device: Kobo Libra 2	Just to add another data point...I downloaded a number of ePubs from Archive Of Our Own. I attached several to an email (seven or eight of them, I think) and sent them to my Kindle email. All were converted without issue, including apostrophes and other punctuation that often gets messed up.

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