How Seamless is ePUB --> AZW3 Conversion with Calibre?

roninmedia · 10-18-2015, 10:13 AM

I have been under the Nook ecosystem for about 4 years so all my e-books exist as ePUBs. I am considering migration to Amazon's Paperwhite so my current library has to be converted.

How seamless is the conversion? My main concern is a fair amount of my ePUBs have large amounts of footnotes/endnotes related to translations. Any common quirks I may see?

eschwartz · 10-18-2015, 10:52 AM

I've never had a problem converting EPUB to AZW3. And endnotes carry over just fine.

HarryT · 10-18-2015, 11:09 AM

I've converted literally hundreds of ePub books to AZW3. Never a problem that I can recall. Conversion is flawless.

GrannyGrump · 10-22-2015, 06:26 AM

I did stub my toes with embedded fonts, with multiple font sizes for special effects (drop caps, dividers)

Kovid very speedily replied with the solution, bless him --- I didn't find the terminology in the interface to be very intuitive (my fault --- failure to Read The Manual !!!) --- you must DISABLE Font Rescaling.
see this thread https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=264450

So if you have extra-large or extra-small text pieces, check it out.

squeebook · 10-26-2015, 08:02 PM

One thing to consider, don't do a mass convert at all. When you send an EPUB book to your Kindle, it will convert at that time to AZW3, then do a send seamlessly. So only the books you actually go to read from this point on are converted. Perhaps years in the future Amazon will support EPUBS (one can dream) or your next reader after your Kindle might, so you would be converting back anyways, possible with an odd formatting quirk creeping in.

eschwartz · 10-26-2015, 08:51 PM

Actually, I would ALWAYS recommend keeping your master format.
If you started with an EPUB, don't delete it after converting to AZW3!

Conversions of any type are pretty much always lossy. Always keep the master format around, and use it as the base for any conversions.

GeoffR · 10-26-2015, 09:16 PM

Even an ePub --> ePub conversion can cause problems, as Calibre does not retain the original structure of the CSS stylesheet. I would always keep a copy of the original ePub so that you have a reference point for correcting the problems caused by the conversion.

eschwartz · 10-26-2015, 09:20 PM

calibre keeps around an ORIGINAL_EPUB for this exact reason.

cybmole · 10-27-2015, 01:06 PM

except that Kovid says that the original_format file is NOT a backup and should NOT be used as a backup

so if some future version of calibre zaps all such files without asking first, you have been warned.

He has repeatedly said that you should store your own backup versions outside of calibre.

Having said that, I live dangerously & keep mine inside of calibre, as backups . So far so good

eschwartz · 10-27-2015, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybmole

except that Kovid says that the original_format file is NOT a backup and should NOT be used as a backup

so if some future version of calibre zaps all such files without asking first, you have been warned.

He has repeatedly said that you should store your own backup versions outside of calibre.

Having said that, I live dangerously & keep mine inside of calibre, as backups . So far so good

You keep raising this hobby horse of yours, and once again you are wrong.

The ORIGINAL_FMT that calibre keeps is a perfectly correct backup of a pre-automated-conversion ebook.

The ORIGINAL_FMT ebook will never be zapped. It will always zap the FMT ebook.
Which is exactly what it should do in @GeoffR's case.

And... that is exactly why the ORIGINAL_FMT facility exists in the first place.

...

Your case is as we keep telling you, completely different -- you want to keep multiple revisions, which is very different from a pre-conversion backup.
And the problem is that you run the risk of forgetting, trying to convert the book, and zapping the new revision.

...
...

calibre is designed to Do The Right Thing if you let it do the work -- so converting EPUB --> EPUB won't mess anything up, because calibre will automatically save the pre-conversion copy and use that for conversions.
When you mess around underneath calibre's skirts and add your own ORIGINAL_EPUB files, you're darn right you're living on the edge!

Stop trying to confuse people. Please.

cybmole · 10-27-2015, 02:11 PM

I can't be bothered with this again, a forum search will find the instances of Kovid saying it is a temporary copy, not there to be used as a backup, check if you don't believe me .

cybmole · 10-27-2015, 02:16 PM

http://www.mobileread.mobi/forums/sh...d.php?t=144753

cybmole · 10-27-2015, 02:20 PM

And from that link, ok so this is not kovid posting but he has expressed similar views" ....might be picking nits, but I have found other folks referring to these as backups when this is not their purpose, intention or function. A regular backup of the library is still something folks need to do to ensure they can recover from a catastrophic loss."
That's all I was referring to. No need to revisit the version control issue.

eschwartz · 10-27-2015, 02:27 PM

I absolutely refuse to get sucked into your still-continuing conflation of:

in-library backup/preservation of originals
revision control

and now

redundant offsite data backups

You know exactly what calibre is doing -- or would, if you'd dismount from your hobby horse and be honest with yourself.

BetterRed · 10-27-2015, 04:55 PM

cybmole, eschwartz is right, you never miss an opportunity to run this hobby horse in any race you can see an empty starting stall.

eschwartz, why don't you do us all a favor and not do what you always promise you won't do - get sucked in to arguing about other peoples pet peeves.

I suggest you find a pub and have a beer or two together, then afterwards you can go outside and have a donnybrook to settle the matter in the traditional way

10-18-2015, 10:13 AM	#1
roninmedia Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 2137752 Join Date: Jun 2014 Device: Galaxy Tab 2	How Seamless is ePUB --> AZW3 Conversion with Calibre? I have been under the Nook ecosystem for about 4 years so all my e-books exist as ePUBs. I am considering migration to Amazon's Paperwhite so my current library has to be converted. How seamless is the conversion? My main concern is a fair amount of my ePUBs have large amounts of footnotes/endnotes related to translations. Any common quirks I may see?

10-22-2015, 06:26 AM	#4
GrannyGrump Obsessively Dedicated... Posts: 3,200 Karma: 34977896 Join Date: May 2011 Location: JAPAN (US expatriate) Device: Sony PRS-T2, ADE on PC	I did stub my toes with embedded fonts, with multiple font sizes for special effects (drop caps, dividers) Kovid very speedily replied with the solution, bless him --- I didn't find the terminology in the interface to be very intuitive (my fault --- failure to Read The Manual !!!) --- you must DISABLE Font Rescaling. see this thread https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=264450 So if you have extra-large or extra-small text pieces, check it out. Last edited by GrannyGrump; 10-22-2015 at 06:28 AM.

10-27-2015, 02:27 PM	#14
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	I absolutely refuse to get sucked into your still-continuing conflation of: in-library backup/preservation of originals revision control and now redundant offsite data backups You know exactly what calibre is doing -- or would, if you'd dismount from your hobby horse and be honest with yourself. Last edited by eschwartz; 10-27-2015 at 02:30 PM.

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10-18-2015, 10:52 AM	#2
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	I've never had a problem converting EPUB to AZW3. And endnotes carry over just fine.

10-18-2015, 11:09 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I've converted literally hundreds of ePub books to AZW3. Never a problem that I can recall. Conversion is flawless.

10-26-2015, 08:02 PM	#5
squeebook Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Device: Kindle PaperWhite	One thing to consider, don't do a mass convert at all. When you send an EPUB book to your Kindle, it will convert at that time to AZW3, then do a send seamlessly. So only the books you actually go to read from this point on are converted. Perhaps years in the future Amazon will support EPUBS (one can dream) or your next reader after your Kindle might, so you would be converting back anyways, possible with an odd formatting quirk creeping in.

10-26-2015, 08:51 PM	#6
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Actually, I would ALWAYS recommend keeping your master format. If you started with an EPUB, don't delete it after converting to AZW3! Conversions of any type are pretty much always lossy. Always keep the master format around, and use it as the base for any conversions.

10-26-2015, 09:16 PM	#7
GeoffR Wizard Posts: 3,821 Karma: 19162882 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Te Riu-a-Māui Device: Kobo Glo	Even an ePub --> ePub conversion can cause problems, as Calibre does not retain the original structure of the CSS stylesheet. I would always keep a copy of the original ePub so that you have a reference point for correcting the problems caused by the conversion.

10-26-2015, 09:20 PM	#8
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	calibre keeps around an ORIGINAL_EPUB for this exact reason.

10-27-2015, 01:06 PM	#9
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	except that Kovid says that the original_format file is NOT a backup and should NOT be used as a backup so if some future version of calibre zaps all such files without asking first, you have been warned. He has repeatedly said that you should store your own backup versions outside of calibre. Having said that, I live dangerously & keep mine inside of calibre, as backups . So far so good

10-27-2015, 02:11 PM	#11
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	I can't be bothered with this again, a forum search will find the instances of Kovid saying it is a temporary copy, not there to be used as a backup, check if you don't believe me .

10-27-2015, 02:16 PM	#12
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	http://www.mobileread.mobi/forums/sh...d.php?t=144753

10-27-2015, 02:20 PM	#13
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	And from that link, ok so this is not kovid posting but he has expressed similar views" ....might be picking nits, but I have found other folks referring to these as backups when this is not their purpose, intention or function. A regular backup of the library is still something folks need to do to ensure they can recover from a catastrophic loss." That's all I was referring to. No need to revisit the version control issue.

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10-27-2015, 04:55 PM	#15
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,583 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	cybmole, eschwartz is right, you never miss an opportunity to run this hobby horse in any race you can see an empty starting stall. eschwartz, why don't you do us all a favor and not do what you always promise you won't do - get sucked in to arguing about other peoples pet peeves. I suggest you find a pub and have a beer or two together, then afterwards you can go outside and have a donnybrook to settle the matter in the traditional way