Conversion of ibook format to epub using Calibre

lagatha · 09-30-2017, 05:28 PM

Hello,

I am new, so if I am posting in the wrong location, let me know. I did several searches looking for a detailed answer to my question, and did not find one, so if I missed an answer and am duplicating effort, please let me know.

On to my question:

First, let us skip the discussion of DRM and consider that issue resolved as my question is not about DRM at all. I have seen several discussions get sidetracked on the DRM issue, but that is not relevant in this situation (without going into detail).

I have a book with .ibook extension that I purchased from Apple. I would like to convert it to the epub format.

When I imported the .ibook to Calibre (v3.8), and tried to do a Conversion, I received the message that

"calibre, version 3.8.0
WARNING: Could not convert some books: Could not convert the book because no supported source format was found
Booktitlehere - No supported formats (Available formats: ibooks)"

Since the .ibook format is a package, and epub is a special kind of zip archive, I deduced the idea to change the filename extension from .ibook to .zip which changed how Calibre handled the package/archive.

I imported the same book with the .zip extension. I was then able to use Calibre to convert the book to epub format which worked.

All is well. But... the epub format of the book does not look good. There are lots of issues.

My question is this: is there a better way to convert from .ibook to epub format than what I have done which will give better results without extra effort?

I am aware that there are features which allow editing of a book, but since I will have several lengthy books to format, ideally a cleaner way to convert would be preferred.

I have spent a few days searching google and MobileReads, but have not found the answer to my question.

JSWolf · 09-30-2017, 06:20 PM

Change the extension from .ibook to .epub and see how it looks in the program you want to read it in. Apple sells ePub (sort of).

PeterT · 09-30-2017, 07:36 PM

I wonder if this is a fixed format book?

kovidgoyal · 09-30-2017, 10:19 PM

You might also get better results if you rename the file for .ibook to .epub instead of .zip

09-30-2017, 05:28 PM	#1
lagatha Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: Kindle Reader	Conversion of ibook format to epub using Calibre Hello, I am new, so if I am posting in the wrong location, let me know. I did several searches looking for a detailed answer to my question, and did not find one, so if I missed an answer and am duplicating effort, please let me know. On to my question: First, let us skip the discussion of DRM and consider that issue resolved as my question is not about DRM at all. I have seen several discussions get sidetracked on the DRM issue, but that is not relevant in this situation (without going into detail). I have a book with .ibook extension that I purchased from Apple. I would like to convert it to the epub format. When I imported the .ibook to Calibre (v3.8), and tried to do a Conversion, I received the message that "calibre, version 3.8.0 WARNING: Could not convert some books: Could not convert the book because no supported source format was found Booktitlehere - No supported formats (Available formats: ibooks)" Since the .ibook format is a package, and epub is a special kind of zip archive, I deduced the idea to change the filename extension from .ibook to .zip which changed how Calibre handled the package/archive. I imported the same book with the .zip extension. I was then able to use Calibre to convert the book to epub format which worked. All is well. But... the epub format of the book does not look good. There are lots of issues. My question is this: is there a better way to convert from .ibook to epub format than what I have done which will give better results without extra effort? I am aware that there are features which allow editing of a book, but since I will have several lengthy books to format, ideally a cleaner way to convert would be preferred. I have spent a few days searching google and MobileReads, but have not found the answer to my question.

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09-30-2017, 06:20 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 78,930 Karma: 143098300 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Change the extension from .ibook to .epub and see how it looks in the program you want to read it in. Apple sells ePub (sort of).

09-30-2017, 07:36 PM	#3
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,262 Karma: 78869092 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	I wonder if this is a fixed format book?

09-30-2017, 10:19 PM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,144 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	You might also get better results if you rename the file for .ibook to .epub instead of .zip

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