Troubleshooting Some mobi files won't sync furthest page

[geza]

Is there any "trick" to convert epub (or any other type) to mobi, so Kindle/Kindle app would sync reading progress?

I use Calibre to convert any files to mobi (mostly with basic/default settings). Then send them to my Amazon account, so I can read on my devices, Kindle Paperwhite, Android phone and a Chromebook. So far it's good... but some books don't want to sync at all.

My last book wasn't syncing at all. It was converted with Calibre. Then I used one of the online site to convert the original epub file to mobi. To my surprise, it worked, now this book syncs perfectly between devices.

The problem with these online sites, that there no (or very very basic) editing options. I always thought Calibre must be much better/advanced. Is there something I might miss with Calibre? Some tricky settings when converting books?

[shalym]

The easiest way to have your non-amazon books sync is to send them to the Kindle cloud. You can either email them, or use the Send to Kindle app.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...2728262&sr=1-1

Shari

[Shad Plante]

You could try KindleGen. It is a command line converter from Amazon that does a pretty good job converting files into mobi files with both the old style mobi format and newerish KF8 format in the same file. You could then email them or use the Send to Kindle app which works pretty well.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by shalym

The easiest way to have your non-amazon books sync is to send them to the Kindle cloud. You can either email them, or use the Send to Kindle app.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...2728262&sr=1-1

Shari

Shari, you are of course correct, but this is precisely what the OP states that they ARE doing!

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Shari, you are of course correct, but this is precisely what the OP states that they ARE doing!

Which is very odd, because I've never had a book from the Kindle cloud not sync to all of my devices that I wanted to read on.

Shari

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by shalym

Which is very odd, because I've never had a book from the Kindle cloud not sync to all of my devices that I wanted to read on.

Shari

People have been experiencing many different amazon e-book server related problems over the past year, maybe this is just another one.

[geza]

Originally Posted by shalym

The easiest way to have your non-amazon books sync is to send them to the Kindle cloud. You can either email them, or use the Send to Kindle app.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...2728262&sr=1-1

Shari

Thanks, I do know this. I use this service all the time. My problem is that not all of my side-loaded books are "compatible" with it.

I had some old books converted with Calibre into mobi format, then sent to my Kindle using the Personal Documents thing... Unfortunately while all of them works perfectly as a book, some doesn't want to sync using Amazon's Whispersync service.

Oddly, if I use a online service to convert my files to mobi, they are all work with Amazon's Whispersync.

So I'm almost 100% sure that Calibre has something to do with this. But the software has so many hidden tweaks, plug-ins, etc... that I have no idea if I just miss something?

[geza]

Originally Posted by Shad Plante

You could try KindleGen. It is a command line converter from Amazon that does a pretty good job converting files into mobi files with both the old style mobi format and newerish KF8 format in the same file. You could then email them or use the Send to Kindle app which works pretty well.

I've tried the new KF8 with Calibre. Amazon didn't even accepted the files, they emailed back that my mail didn't contain a valid document... So I stuck with the old mobi format, which I wouldn't mind.

This is for mostly for some older books, and I don't care if I don't have all that fancy X-ray and whatever functions. In fact I always turn off everything except Whispersync. I just want to read, no page curl, no magazines or whatever, no comics, no pdfs, no notes, no sharing or other social craziness. :-) I'm just an (almost) old guy, who likes to read. But I have three different devices I read depending on my daily routine, and I really need/like Whispersync.

Since I use Calibre for organising, filling out missing info, etc, I wanted to skip another step like converting books in a web browser... That is why I'm looking for help. If there is no help, I can still use the web service, it is just a bit of shame that a super app like Calibre can't do the (all the) job. Most of the files are ok even with Calibre, but is extremely annoying to find out when you are already reading a book that they don't Whispersync. Then I have to convert my original file on the web again, upload it, delete the old ones from all the devices and from the Amazon cloud... :-(

[HarryT]

That's correct - you can't send a KF8 file to your Cloud library, although you can send a "dual" Mobi file - one that contains both Mobi7 and KF8 components.

It's perhaps worth noting that virtually all the web-based file conversion services use Calibre behind the scenes.

[geza]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's correct - you can't send a KF8 file to your Cloud library, although you can send a "dual" Mobi file - one that contains both Mobi7 and KF8 components.

It's perhaps worth noting that virtually all the web-based file conversion services use Calibre behind the scenes.

I didn't know that they use Calibre. But then why can't my local Calibre to the same job? I have tested three files which didn't want to Whispersync. Everytime I used Calibre, they didn't sync but when I used

https://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-mobi

the converted files were all Whispersync.

[stumped]

You may have sent multiple copies of the same book to Amazon during your testing. And so your 3 devices are not always working on the same book or document.
It may be worth deleting all copies of the problem titles from clouds and devices then resending a new calibre conversion once you are sure that all previous ones have been removed.
AFAIK the cloud does not try to manage or overwrite duplicates. Each item you send is added to the cloud collection, as if it is a new book, even when it is not.

[geza]

Originally Posted by stumped

You may have sent multiple copies of the same book to Amazon during your testing. And so your 3 devices are not always working on the same book or document.
It may be worth deleting all copies of the problem titles from clouds and devices then resending a new calibre conversion once you are sure that all previous ones have been removed.
AFAIK the cloud does not try to manage or overwrite duplicates. Each item you send is added to the cloud collection, as if it is a new book, even when it is not.

I had the same worry, so I was careful to delete the previous versions, I even changed the newly converted ones' title just in case.

[stumped]

you have to go to amazon web site and delete the cloud copies from there, and make certain they have really gone.
I once ending up with lots of duplicates simply be sending book a to device A i.e. to the device 's kindle address. then sending it again to device B's kindle address. thinking that was the correct procedure. then repeating that for book B, book C....
when you say they don't sync, what actually happens ? does the book open at page 1 on 2nd device , or on some previously read "last" page from an earlier reading session
i assume you have checked that every device has wifi and whispersync enabled
PS amazon help says this:
Whispersync is supported in these content categories:

Books from the Kindle Store
Personal documents that are converted to Kindle format
Newspapers and magazines from the Kindle Store
Audiobooks from Audible.com
Prime Video
Apps and games from Amazon Appstore

so you need to comply with line 2 above, which may mean you have o get into the subtleties and options of a PDOC setting within calibre - that could be the difference between your calibre copy and the ones that work online.

[geza]

Originally Posted by stumped

you have to go to amazon web site and delete the cloud copies from there, and make certain they have really gone.
I once ending up with lots of duplicates simply be sending book a to device A i.e. to the device 's kindle address. then sending it again to device B's kindle address. thinking that was the correct procedure. then repeating that for book B, book C....

I only ever send one copy to my Kindle, then just download the books on my Android devices from the cloud. So there are no duplicates.

Originally Posted by stumped

when you say they don't sync, what actually happens ? does the book open at page 1 on 2nd device , or on some previously read "last" page from an earlier reading session
i assume you have checked that every device has wifi and whispersync enabled

Say, I read the first chapter on my Kindle, later when I want to continue it on my phone it will not ask me to go to the furthest reading location. While with most books they work perfectly, so you can see that whispersync itself working ok with all of my devices. It is only happening with a few books, only with side-loaded ones. But at the same time many side-loaded one working just fine, and I converted them in the exact same way.

Originally Posted by stumped

so you need to comply with line 2 above, which may mean you have o get into the subtleties and options of a PDOC setting within calibre - that could be the difference between your calibre copy and the ones that work online.

Do you know more about "PDOC setting within calibre"?

[j.p.s]

You can rename the epub from name.epub to name.zip or name.png and email it to Amazon and Amazon will convert it for you. See this thread https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=288964 but read it carefully. Some posters (including OP were quite confused).