Questions about converting epub to Kindle

inkyness · 01-06-2011, 10:10 PM

I'd like to buy an ebook reader, and after looking at all the options, the wifi-only Kindle sounds like it may be the closest to what I'm looking for.

Its only major issue seems to be lack of epub support, and I from what I've read I can get around that fairly easily... but I do have a couple questions about how it works:

How do converted epub files look on the kindle? Would the appearance be the same as viewing the original file on a epub-compatible device? If not, how might it be different and how much of a problem is it? It's quite possible that the majority of my books would be converted epubs, so this is one of my largest worries.
Same question but opposite: how would official Kindle books look after being converted to epub? Would they look exactly the same? It would be nice to know I could switch to some other company's ereader in the future if I wanted to.
Also, is it easy to transfer books (both official Kindle books and converted epub files) through the USB cable rather than with the wifi?

Thanks! This community seems great from what I've seen so far and I hope to stick around.

HelenaJole · 01-06-2011, 10:32 PM

I've converted epub with good results. I did have one book that had a weird title that ended up
loo
king
li
ke
this
but usually that doesn't happen. Haven't tried converting Kindle to epub.

Yes, it's easy to transfer via USB!

I am a new Kindle owner and very pleased. Though I am spending entirely too much time playing Triple Town.

wallcraft · 01-06-2011, 10:40 PM

The ePub standard has more features than MOBI, but because Amazon is such a large player very few publishers take advantage of ePub features that are not supported by MOBI. So most ebooks look very similar when converted from one format to the other. Major ePub features not in MOBI include embedded fonts, text around images, and multi-level table of contents. I can't think of any MOBI features that are missing from ePub, so MOBI to ePub conversion is usually very accurate.

inkyness · 01-06-2011, 11:02 PM

Good to know, thanks both of you!

drjenkins · 01-07-2011, 06:26 AM

If a book is available in both ePub and MOBI my personal preference is to download the ePub version. Then I use SIGIL to fix any errors, set the formatting to my preferences, create a good TOC, etc. Then I use Calibre to export to MOBI and transfer to my Kindle.

inkyness · 01-09-2011, 02:27 PM

That's probably what I'll end up doing most of the time, drjenkins.

I did notice from downloading samples that in at least one case the Kindle version was formatted better (Jeffrey Eugenides's "Middlesex"). By default the epub version has space between each paragraph instead of indented first lines. While that's easily fixable, the Kindle also preserves the spaces between different sections of a chapter that the print book has and the epub version doesn't, and there's no easy way to add them.

bball2 · 01-10-2011, 02:02 PM

Converted mobi files look almost identical to the original epub. The only times I've had problems is sometimes an additional page break is added to the beginning of each chapter; ie. between Chapter 1 and Chapter Title.

01-06-2011, 10:10 PM	#1
inkyness Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 501252 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Questions about converting epub to Kindle I'd like to buy an ebook reader, and after looking at all the options, the wifi-only Kindle sounds like it may be the closest to what I'm looking for. Its only major issue seems to be lack of epub support, and I from what I've read I can get around that fairly easily... but I do have a couple questions about how it works: How do converted epub files look on the kindle? Would the appearance be the same as viewing the original file on a epub-compatible device? If not, how might it be different and how much of a problem is it? It's quite possible that the majority of my books would be converted epubs, so this is one of my largest worries. Same question but opposite: how would official Kindle books look after being converted to epub? Would they look exactly the same? It would be nice to know I could switch to some other company's ereader in the future if I wanted to. Also, is it easy to transfer books (both official Kindle books and converted epub files) through the USB cable rather than with the wifi? Thanks! This community seems great from what I've seen so far and I hope to stick around.

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01-06-2011, 10:32 PM	#2
HelenaJole Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 580 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3	I've converted epub with good results. I did have one book that had a weird title that ended up loo king li ke this but usually that doesn't happen. Haven't tried converting Kindle to epub. Yes, it's easy to transfer via USB! I am a new Kindle owner and very pleased. Though I am spending entirely too much time playing Triple Town.

01-06-2011, 10:40 PM	#3
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The ePub standard has more features than MOBI, but because Amazon is such a large player very few publishers take advantage of ePub features that are not supported by MOBI. So most ebooks look very similar when converted from one format to the other. Major ePub features not in MOBI include embedded fonts, text around images, and multi-level table of contents. I can't think of any MOBI features that are missing from ePub, so MOBI to ePub conversion is usually very accurate.

01-06-2011, 11:02 PM	#4
inkyness Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 501252 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Good to know, thanks both of you!

01-07-2011, 06:26 AM	#5
drjenkins Addict Posts: 250 Karma: 1702156 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle Voyage	If a book is available in both ePub and MOBI my personal preference is to download the ePub version. Then I use SIGIL to fix any errors, set the formatting to my preferences, create a good TOC, etc. Then I use Calibre to export to MOBI and transfer to my Kindle.

01-09-2011, 02:27 PM	#6
inkyness Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 501252 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Simple Touch	That's probably what I'll end up doing most of the time, drjenkins. I did notice from downloading samples that in at least one case the Kindle version was formatted better (Jeffrey Eugenides's "Middlesex"). By default the epub version has space between each paragraph instead of indented first lines. While that's easily fixable, the Kindle also preserves the spaces between different sections of a chapter that the print book has and the epub version doesn't, and there's no easy way to add them.

01-10-2011, 02:02 PM	#7
bball2 Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Converted mobi files look almost identical to the original epub. The only times I've had problems is sometimes an additional page break is added to the beginning of each chapter; ie. between Chapter 1 and Chapter Title.

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