Calibre dropping 2nd name when there are multiple authors

[A Lurker]

I've been using Calibre to convert and create ebooks for many years. Some of those books have two authors. For instance: "John Smith & Jane Doe".

In the past I'd simple enter those names in the metadata fields for "Author(s)" and "Author sort", click convert, and the resulting ebook would have both names. Worked perfectly

However, it no longer works. Now when I convert or create a book with two authors Calibre drops the second name from the "Author sort" field, so that only the first author's name is present. Consequently, when I upload it to my Kindle it only shows the first author's name.

I've not changed any settings, so I don't know why this is started happening. Again, I've never experienced this problem in the past. I'd say it started with build 4.0.0.

I'm a novice with Calibre and not very technical in general, so please be patient with me and try to use laymen's terms. Thanks.

[kovidgoyal]

calibre likely isn't dropping them, the Kindle is. Try doing your conversion and then adding the book back to calibre and see if it gets both author names or not.

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

calibre likely isn't dropping them, the Kindle is. Try doing your conversion and then adding the book back to calibre and see if it gets both author names or not.

No, it's definitely Calibre. I've already try the exact test you recommend. I convert the book, remove it from my Calibre library, and then reimport it. The second name is missing.

[kovidgoyal]

I cannot replicate that, steps I tried:

1) ebook-convert file.epub file.mobi --authors 'Author One & Editor Two'
2) add the mobi to calibre and both authors show up, as expected

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

I cannot replicate that, steps I tried:

1) ebook-convert file.epub file.mobi --authors 'Author One & Editor Two'
2) add the mobi to calibre and both authors show up, as expected

Yes, that's what I'm doing. And it worked perfectly fine for years. But now it's stopped. It's a mystery.

One important thing I should point out: when I add a second author's name to the ebook, the Calibre GUI suggests the second author's name is present. Based on the GUI you wouldn't know there's a problem.

Here's how I know the GUI is wrong and there second author's author has been dropped from the file's metadata:

1.) As I've explained, if I export the file to a different directory and then re-import it, the second name is missing. (And if I export it to a Kindle, same thing.)

2.) I go to the Calibre library in my Windows Explored (i.e. the actual location of the files saved on your hard drive). Calibre creates folders based on authors' names. If Calibre was working properly, the folder name would have both authors. But when I check, the folder name only has the first author.

[A Lurker]

I just conducted another test.

There were some ebooks I successful converted several years ago with two author names. When I load those files on my Kindle, both names appear. Thus, those files created by Calibre 3 years ago display as intended.

Some of those ebooks were no longer in my Calibre library. I just re-imported them. When I did so, Calibre stripped the second author's name. Specially, both authors' names show up in the "Author(s)" field, but only the first author is in the "Author sort" field. And when I load them on my Kindle only the first author's name appears.

So it's not just the process of converting or exporting ebooks that strips a second author's name; it happens even when I import an old file that had been perfect.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

Yes, that's what I'm doing. And it worked perfectly fine for years. But now it's stopped. It's a mystery.

One important thing I should point out: when I add a second author's name to the ebook, the Calibre GUI suggests the second author's name is present. Based on the GUI you wouldn't know there's a problem.

Here's how I know the GUI is wrong and there second author's author has been dropped from the file's metadata:

1.) As I've explained, if I export the file to a different directory and then re-import it, the second name is missing. (And if I export it to a Kindle, same thing.)

2.) I go to the Calibre library in my Windows Explored (i.e. the actual location of the files saved on your hard drive). Calibre creates folders based on authors' names. If Calibre was working properly, the folder name would have both authors. But when I check, the folder name only has the first author.

Calibre GUI suggests that THE NAME is used SOMEWHERE in Calibre, NOT specifically THAT book.

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by theducks

Calibre GUI suggests that THE NAME is used SOMEWHERE in Calibre, NOT specifically THAT book.

I'm not totally sure what you're saying.

When I highlight a book in Calibre and select "Edit metadata", a pop-up window opens. The Calibre GUI is indeed showing me the metadata associated with THAT specific book.

In fact, in many cases I have only one book by the author(s) in question, which means the only place in Calibre the name(s) could be is in association with THAT book.

But I'm not sure this is an important point. Again, while the Calibre GUI shows me both authors names when I initially input them, Calibre doesn't a.) create a folder with both names, and b.) it doesn't actually add both names to the .mobi file metadata. It used to do that, but stopped. As I've explained, I've tested this repeatedly. Once I remove the .mobi file from my library and re-import it or add to an e-reader, the second author's name is missing.

[BetterRed]

@A Lurker - if it doesn't exist, an author folder is only created for the first author name of a book. So, if you add a book by "John Smith & Jane Doe", both authors will appear in the tag browser but there will only be one author folder named "John Smith". And that's been true since i started using calibre in 2012. This linkages between a book and its authors is maintained in the database, not the folder structure; it's just a convenience store for format files, display covers, and metadata backup files.

I don't use MOBI files on Kindles, so I can't help with the main issue.

BR

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@A Lurker - if it doesn't exist, an author folder is only created for the first author name of a book. So, if you add a book by "John Smith & Jane Doe", both authors will appear in the tag browser but there will only be one author folder named "John Smith". And that's been true since i started using calibre in 2012. This linkages between a book and its authors is maintained in the database, not the folder structure; it's just a convenience store for format files, display covers, and metadata backup files.

Perhaps that's true now, but I'm certain that wasn't always the case. In the past the Calibre-generated always folders included both names. I have tons of older folders created by Calibre that do have both authors' names. I could provide 50 examples as proof.

Which reminds me... In the past, when Calibre created the actual .mobi file, the file name would also always include both authors' names. But that's no longer happening either. Now the file name only has the first author.

However, these two issues in-and-of-themselves are not a problem. Ultimately I don't care about the folder name or the file name. They could have one, both or no author names and it would make zero difference to me. All I care about is that both authors' names are in the .mobi file's metadata so that both names display when the ebook is on my Kindle. Currently, that's not the case.

The only reason I'm mentioning that Calibre is no longer including both authors in the folder and .mobi file names is in case those issues are related to (or a symptom of) the problem of Calibre no longer preserving both authors' names in the ebook metadata.

If those issues are unrelated, then we can forget about them -- I don't care about folder or file names. But if those issues are related, then they might help us figure out and solve the problem of the missing eboook metadata.

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@A LurkerI don't use MOBI files on Kindles, so I can't help with the main issue.

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my thread. I appreciate it.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@A Lurker - if it doesn't exist, an author folder is only created for the first author name of a book. So, if you add a book by "John Smith & Jane Doe", both authors will appear in the tag browser but there will only be one author folder named "John Smith". And that's been true since i started using calibre in 2012. ..

BR

out of curiosity I scanned by library folders, I was just about to say " you're right" then i spotted a folder called "Terry Pratchett,Neil Gaiman" containing the book good omens
that's my only instance, but 1 is all it takes to disprove a theory
i definitely have others which are multiple authors but have a single author filename
i think its because in my counter example the separator is a comma, whereas for others the separator will be an ampersand
so that calibre thinks that the good omens author is one guy with 4 name components, ( filed under T in the alphabetical sort) not 2 authors with 2 each ?
i will try correcting that now...
done, replaced comma with & in author, created author sort from author.... book now has 2 authors.... and calibre has refiled it in a folder called terry Pratchett

[Bookstooge]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

...Which reminds me... In the past, when Calibre created the actual .mobi file, 100% of the time the file name would also include both authors' names. But that's no longer happening either. Now the file name only has the first author.....

THAT sounds like you had a plugboard and now it isn't properly functioning. Can you confirm you have one configured for your kindle?

Edited:

I think I misread that. I assumed that you meant on your kindle, but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if you mean in your calibre library?
I just checked my library and I have a book from 2016 with 2 authors that I last edited in 2016 and the azw3 file only shows the one author

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

Perhaps that's true now, but I'm certain that wasn't always the case. I have tons of older folders created by Calibre that do have both authors' names. In fact, in the past 100% of the time the Calibre-generated folders included both names. I have at least 50 examples of this.

I'm pretty sure that it hasn't changed. At least not in the nearly ten years I have been using calibre. What you might be seeing is the result of using "Save to disk". With this, the template can include the author sort as a directory. And I'm pretty sure the default template is setup this way. The same goes for "Send to device".

Which reminds me... In the past, when Calibre created the actual .mobi file, 100% of the time the file name would also include both authors' names. But that's no longer happening either. Now the file name only has the first author.

How are you creating the MOBI file? If it is in during a send-to-device, the default template uses both the author sort and the authors. The former usually has all authors. The latter will definitely have all.


I can't help with the issues with getting the metadata on the Kindle correct. Other than to say that if the metadata is wrong in library, it will be wrong when it is sent to the device. If you have only one author in the library, the second can't magically appear. And that you should check if you are using a metadata plugboard. These are used to fiddle with the metadata during a send-to-device. If you have one in use, then will be changing what you see on the device. There is also something about dual format MOBIs and issues with the metadata in them.

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

THAT sounds like you had a plugboard and now it isn't properly functioning. Can you confirm you have one configured for your kindle?

Edited:

I think I misread that. I assumed that you meant on your kindle, but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if you mean in your calibre library?
I just checked my library and I have a book from 2016 with 2 authors that I last edited in 2016 and the azw3 file only shows the one author

I do not know what a plug board is, but I'm pretty certain I don't have one.

When I say the Calibre-generated names for folders and .mobi files used to contain both authors' names, I'm talking about the folders and files in my Calibre library on my hard drive. Not the folders or files on my Kindle itself.

(For the record, I do not sync my Calibre library directly with my Kindle. Instead I take the .mobi file created by Calibre and email it to my Kindle. So there is no direct connection between my Calibre library and my Kindle.

To pre-empt your next question, no, it's not Amazon stripping the second author's metadata when I email the ebook. As I noted above, I've tested this theory. I've created an ebook with Calibre, saved it to my desktop, deleted it from my Calibre library, then re-imported it to Calibre. When I re-import it, the second author's name is missing. Neither Amazon nor my Kindle touched the file in that process. Calibre is the only app that touched the file -- it created it, saved it, and imported it -- so the missing metadata is Calibre's fault.)

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I'm pretty sure that it hasn't changed. At least not in the nearly ten years I have been using calibre. What you might be seeing is the result of using "Save to disk". [...]

How are you creating the MOBI file? If it is in during a send-to-device, the default template uses both the author sort and the authors. The former usually has all authors. The latter will definitely have all.

I'm not talking about "Save to disk".

I'm not talking about "Send to device".

I'm talking about "Add a book" and "Covert book". When I use these functions, Calibre auto-generates a folder within my Calibre library on my hard drive.

Previously, these Calibre-generated folders within my library contained both authors' names. I'm not mistaken about this. There are at least 50 auto-generated folders in my Calibre library with two names.

Similarly, when I press "Convert book" the file generated by Calibre would have both authors' names. I'm not mistaken about this either -- I probably have 100 .mobi files with both names.

Now, this is no longer the case. Any time I "Add book" or "Convert book" now, the Calibre-generated folders and files in my Calibre Library only contains the first author's name.

But as I've stated above, I ultimately don't care about the folder or files names. All I care about is the metadata in the file itself (because that controls how it's displayed on my Kindle). I raise these two other issues simply because I thought that might be related. Which brings me to the next point...

Originally Posted by davidfor

I can't help with the issues with getting the metadata on the Kindle correct. Other than to say that if the metadata is wrong in library, it will be wrong when it is sent to the device. If you have only one author in the library, the second can't magically appear.

YES, YES, YES! This is what I've been explaining. The metadata in the actual file my library is wrong. Again, I only raised the issue of the naming conventions for the Calibre-generated folders and .mobi files on the off chance they're related. I don't really care about those inconsistencies. I care about the metadata in the file itself.

Originally Posted by davidfor

And that you should check if you are using a metadata plugboard. These are used to fiddle with the metadata during a send-to-device.

I literally never use the "Send to device" function, and I don't have a plugboard. The way I load the file on my device is to email the original.mobi file created by Calibre to my Kindle. Calibre and my Kindle have no links.

(Again, before you suggest that Amazon/my Kindle are stripping the second author from the metadata when I email it, I've tested and disproved this theory.

I physically remove the .mobi file from my Calibre library. Then I re-import it. Note that it has not been "saved to disc" or "sent to device" or anything else. It's still the original, unmolested file created by Calibre. So whatever metadata is there or not there is 100% due to Calibre.

And when I re-import it, the metadata is indeed missing... which means it must not have been properly recorded to being with. )