How to upload AWZ3/KFX to Amazon Cloud? (more details why inside)

[zivil666]

Hi everybody,

I am using a Kindle Oasis and the Kindle App on my iPhone and iPad – therefore, I upload my (own non-DRM) ebooks with "Send to Kindle" to the Amazon Cloud and from there to all three devices, so that the reading position is kept synched this way (treating my ebooks as items in the category "documents").

However, I'd also like to use the bold-controlling feature on my "real" Kindle as my favourite font "Bookerly" is a bit too "pale" in standard setting. And here comes the problem: This feature does not work with MOBI, only with AZW3/KFX files – which I am not able to upload with "Send to Kindle" or email. Of course, I could sideload a AZW3/KFX version to my Oasis with Calibre and USB and upload the MOBI versions to iPhone and iPad – but in this case, the devices won't kept synched.

I just want to be sure: Do I miss some other upload way Amazon offers which accepts the AZW3 format or do I really have to live with this? I fear the last after my already done researches, but I dimply don't really understand why the upload feature still is limited to MOBI ... If there's a solution for this, I would be grateful if somebody could give me a hint.

Thanks in advance, happy new year!

[JSWolf]

The solution is to forget syncing. Just put different eBooks on the three devices. O have different eBooks on my Kobo and my iPhone. I don't bother to read the same book on both devices. This way you can put KF8 on them and use the font enhancement to darken Bookerly.

[zivil666]

Well – that's not really a "solution" for me, but thanks for your reply anyway ... In this case, the "pale" version of Bookerly will do on my Kindle (or I have to chose a bolder one like "Helvetica") – that's definitely the lesser disadvantage for me. Still a bummer that – for whatever reason – "Send To Kindle" can upload MOBIs, but no AZW3s.

[jhowell]

There are different flavors of MOBI format. The older MOBI-7 format does not support font boldness. However a Master-MOBI (called MOBI-both in calibre) contains both the older MOBI-7 and the newer KF8 in a single file. That type of file can be emailed and synced and will allow font boldness.

I recommend creating Master-MOBI format using Amazon's Kindle Previewer software. MOBI-both files created using calibre sometimes fail to work properly when emailed.

[zivil666]

Thanks for your reply, jhowell – that sounds like a hope I honestly didn't even really expect. Does a Calibre plugin for the "MOBI-both" format exist (it doesn't show such a conversion setting for this – just "MOBI") or is it really too unreliable when trying to upload the results? Would solve my problems if this works ... I haven't tried the export with Amazon Previewer yet, but for my whole 500+ ebooks, I guess the Calibre way (or any other bulk conversion method) would be much faster and more convenient ...

By the way, just tried your KFX plugin half an hour before posting here ... Hoped that maybe this works, but no luck.

Thanks again for your help!

[ilovejedd]

One other trick seems to be to email the EPUB version to Amazon but change the extension to TXT.

[zivil666]

I'll try that, too – thanks! Already tried to rename AZW3 to MOBI and "Send To Kindle", but this didn't fooled Amazon and went somewhere to the nirvana ...

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by zivil666

Does a Calibre plugin for the "MOBI-both" format exist (it doesn't show such a conversion setting for this – just "MOBI")...

To convert to MOBI-both format in calibre select "MOBI" as the output format and in the "MOBI Output" tab change the "MOBI file type" setting to "both".

Originally Posted by zivil666

...or is it really too unreliable when trying to upload the results?

It usually works, but there have been reports of converted books that do not open properly on Kindles. I use Amazon's Kindle Previewer for conversion because it consistently produces good results.

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

One other trick seems to be to email the EPUB version to Amazon but change the extension to TXT.

I always forget that option. It is a good choice since Amazon's software will handle the conversion properly.

---

One other thing to mention is that books sent this way will not display a cover thumbnail image in the Kindle's library view.

[zivil666]

Thanks for the info, I'll try that out. I tried the epub-txt-rename method and although it works, it unfortunately (as you've mentioned) swallows the cover art on my Kindle Oasis. I'll try the Calibre method you've described next, hoping that it maybe is reliable for my files. Would be the most happiest to use Amazon Kindlegen, for sure, but I'd definitely need a batch conversion possibility for that. Tried to find an Apple Script (I am on a Mac), but with no luck. An instruction I found using "Sigil" together with KindlenGen sadly exceeds my competences – I simply don't understand how to use this together. Installing a Calibre plugin or using an already written Apple KindleGen script is my limit ...

If anybody out there has a hint for an Apple script or similar which I could run with a folder full of epubs/mobis for batch convert, I would be glad if he/she could let me know ...

Thanks a lot and best from Germany!

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by zivil666

Thanks for the info, I'll try that out. I tried the epub-txt-rename method and although it works, it unfortunately (as you've mentioned) swallows the cover art on my Kindle Oasis.

I may not have been clear. Any of the methods discussed here will result in the ability to control boldness and sync reading position, but will not show cover thumbnails.

I do not think that having all three features together is possible, except for books purchased from Amazon.

[zivil666]

The cover thumbnail (preview which I see on my reader in grid view) will also disappear in a MOBI dual/both file? I didn't expect this – thanks for the clarification. It works fine with my "normal" MOBIs uploaded via "Send with Kindle" and I didn't see a reason why it should be lost in the dual MOBI format. Good to know.

[Gibbo]

What about sending a .png file via "send to kindle" is it converted to azw?