Synching with my Kindle - newbie question

[emellaich]

I'm trying to figure out the proper workflow for getting changes to my Kindle2. I have browsed around the help forum and through this thread. However, I suspect the answer is already here somewhere, but I just overlooked it. Anyway, ...

Let's say I have a book in mobi format. It is in Calibre and already on my Kindle2 (using send to device).

Now I change the meta data. For example I might take author from "First Last" to "Last, First". At this point I assume that this changed meta data is not actually in the mobi book. Correct?

Step 1) would be to convert to mobi to get the data written to the book.

Now I need to get it to my Kindle. I don't see an automatic way to synch it. Nor do I see a way to send new books automatically, so I assume I have to do it manually.

Step 2) if the file name is the same, I assume if I send to device it will just overwrite the original book. Correct?

Step 2a) if the file name is different, I don't see a way to delete the old book from calibre. I assume this means I either delete it from the K2, or I browse to the K2 file folder using the OS and delete it. Correct?

Step 2b) after the old version is deleted, I send the new copy across.

If I go in and do a mass update of my metadata, I assume that I would just delete all of the Kindle2 books and reconvert them in Calibre, and resend them. Correct?

Thanks again,
Michael

[kovidgoyal]

2) correct
2a) you can delete books on your kindle when you connect it to calibre

[sirbruce]

I don't think step 1) is correct? If you update the metadata you don't have to recovert since you already have a MOBI. Just "send to device" again.

[kovidgoyal]

it depends, if the existing MOBI is an old one without support for metadata, then calibre will not be able to update the metadata in it and you have to convert it

[sirbruce]

Ahh, so you mean like a PRC renamed MOBI? That makes sense...

[beernutz]

I have a Kindle2 and use Calibre to change the meta data on mobi (.prc) files by
1. copying the contents of my Kindle memory to my Calibre Library directory on my PC.
2. importing the Library directories contents into Calibre
3. editing the meta information that I wanted to change such as titles, author names, sort orders, etc.
4. converting the ebooks whose meta information I edited from mobi to mobi
5. deleting the books from my kindle memory whose meta information I want to update
6. selecting in Calibre the ebooks whose meta information I edited and then sending them to Kindle memory

Sometimes the meta information will update on the kindle without doing step 4. but about half the time it won't so I always do it and now have 100% success editing my meta information. This has made my Kindle 100% more enjoyable and I have the say the more I use Calibre the more I like it. Thanks for the hard work making it available Kovid.

[sirbruce]

The times it won't work is because those MOBIs are the "old format" PRCs.

I always reconvert everything with Calibre (even MOBI to MOBI) after editing metadata. Unfortunately I lose compression that way.