# Calibre and the new K3



## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

Anyone know of a quick way to change the metadata on all the books I want to put on my K3 to match my K2 or am I going to have to do it all by hand, again? LOL


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

You are doomed, as are we all.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

RiddleMeThis said:


> Anyone know of a quick way to change the metadata on all the books I want to put on my K3 to match my K2 or am I going to have to do it all by hand, again? LOL


I guess I'm unclear on what you're asking. First off, what metadata?

Basically, if you changed the metadata in Calibre before putting the books on your K2, and you still have that Calibre database, the same metadata will make it onto your K3 provided you copy the files from Calibre to your K3.

If you changed things somehow on the Kindle itself, then you'll have to redo that work.


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

Basilius said:


> Basically, if you changed the metadata in Calibre before putting the books on your K2, and you still have that Calibre database, the same metadata will make it onto your K3 provided you copy the files from Calibre to your K3.


The problem with that, as far as I am aware, is that you CANT copy those books onto your K3 because they are coded for your K2.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

No, you cannot use the books that were downloaded for one Kindle on another Kindle.


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## KayakerNC (Oct 7, 2009)

RiddleMeThis said:


> Anyone know of a quick way to change the metadata on all the books I want to put on my K3 to match my K2 or am I going to have to do it all by hand, again? LOL


Or....you could ask your question in the MobileRead Calibre Forum. The developer of Calibre would probably answer. Then you could update us here.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=166


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

RiddleMeThis said:


> The problem with that, as far as I am aware, is that you CANT copy those books onto your K3 because they are coded for your K2.


This is true - the DRM is encoded per device.

So, if you have DRM'd files where you changed the metadata, you will have to redo that work.


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## firedawn (Feb 5, 2010)

I am seriously concerned about this now. I think my only option will have to cross check my Calibre list with my Amazon list books, delete the ones I have from Amazon on my Calibre, then copy them back from the new Kindle once it syncs....


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

You'll need to download the files for the new Kindle, but you won't need to edit the metadata in Calibre.  You'll just add the newly downloaded file to Calibre (adding it to the existing entry),  then use the Calibre "send to device" to send the newly downloaded + metadata to the Kindle. 

It's going to be a pain, certainly, but you won't have to do any metadata editing/changing - what you've fixed and stored in Calibre will still work.

And THIS is why people hate DRM.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

tlrowley said:


> You'll need to download the files for the new Kindle, but you won't need to edit the metadata in Calibre. You'll just add the newly downloaded file to Calibre (adding it to the existing entry), then use the Calibre "send to device" to send the newly downloaded + metadata to the Kindle.
> 
> It's going to be a pain, certainly, but you won't have to do any metadata editing/changing - what you've fixed and stored in Calibre will still work.
> 
> And THIS is why people hate DRM.


That's only possible if you're intending to get rid of your current Kindle. If you want to keep the existing one and the calibre files for it intact, you won't be able to merge the files. And in any case, I thought the metadata was in the book file rather than the .mbp file, so won't you overide the metadata if you overide the existing book file with the new one?


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

Calibre has its own metadata.db file - the data isn't stored in the azw file unless you do a "convert"  which isn't possible on DRM'd files (I guess if you've done a "save to disk" it's been overwritten, too).  It is true that Calibre can only store one of each azw file, though.  Calibre will support an azw and a mobi file associated with the same library entry - you could rename the new file as a .mobi before you add it to the library entry.  The Kindle doesn't care about .azw/.mobi and will open both.  If you had a third Kindle, you could then use .prc.  After that, I'm out of ideas


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

I'm confused now. Folks over in Troubleshooting discussing this are saying we will have to redo all of the changes made in Calibre, but in this discussion I'm reading that we won't have too? I'm not keeping this Kindle, so won't need two libraries or anything, just want to get what is on this Kindle that has been modified in Calibre on to my soon to be K3. Will I be able to plug the new Kindle in to my laptop and use the "send to device" in Calibre to get it all there? I've got Amazon and non-Amazon books, most of which have had the meta data changed. 

Or am I just confused??


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

I'm obviously not communicating well, I'm sorry for that.  You will be able to use the DATA that you've created in Calibre, but you will have to download new files for the new Kindle and apply the data to those new files and save them to the Kindle.

I really do wish I could explain it better.  If you've gone through a lot of work setting the titles of books to include series information, for example, and getting covers for books that are missing them, you won't need to throw out that work.  You would need to download the azw file (that matches the new Kindle) to your computer, edit the Calibre library entry for that book to add this new file, then use the "save to disk" Calibre command to save the new file with the edited data to your Kindle.  Still a lot of work, no question about it, but if you've got your metadata looking all pretty, it might be worth it.


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

RiddleMeThis said:


> Anyone know of a quick way to change the metadata on all the books I want to put on my K3 to match my K2 or am I going to have to do it all by hand, again? LOL


Ouch! I hadn't thought of that.


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

tlrowley said:


> I'm obviously not communicating well, I'm sorry for that. You will be able to use the DATA that you've created in Calibre, but you will have to download new files for the new Kindle and apply the data to those new files and save them to the Kindle.
> 
> I really do wish I could explain it better. If you've gone through a lot of work setting the titles of books to include series information, for example, and getting covers for books that are missing them, you won't need to throw out that work. You would need to download the azw file (that matches the new Kindle) to your computer, edit the Calibre library entry for that book to add this new file, then use the "save to disk" Calibre command to save the new file with the edited data to your Kindle. Still a lot of work, no question about it, but if you've got your metadata looking all pretty, it might be worth it.


I would assume it's me not understanding you! Not that you aren't communicating..... so, I'm clueless, can you tell me how I'll need to do this? Not in total detail, but maybe what order to do this in?

Thanks TL!


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

Sometimes I'm such a geek that it's hard for me to understand just where the breakdown in communications is. That is, at what point things aren't obvious.

The first thing you'll need to do is download the file - formatted for the new Kindle. I do this using "Manage my kindle", which is a link near the top righthand side of any Kindle page.










I click on the book I want to download, and choose Download by computer and pick the Kindle I'm going to use










Now, go into Calibre, and click on the book entry and press the 'e' (for edit) key, or choose the "edit metadata" button.










When the edit window comes up, choose the "add format" button, and navigate to the directory when the azw file was downloaded.










Now, you should be all set to connect your Kindle, and choose "send to device" and the file (with the encryption for the new Kindle) will be written to the Kindle with the edited medatdata.

I know this seems long and involved, and it will be a pain to download all the files, but if you're OCD about your metadata, this will save you from re-creating an awful lot of data.

Tracey


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Well, downloading files and attaching them to the existing Calibre files doesn't seem all that awful. _Redoing all the work from scratch, however, does!_ So I'm glad there's a less catastrophic solution.

I do anticipate one problem for myself: there was a book I'd purchased from amazon (Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago") that for some perverse reason never appeared in my "Manage your Kindle" list. I'd contacted customer service at time of purchase and they told me they couldn't figure out why - and they never fixed it. So this means I won't be able to have this book on my new Kindle. (The book is no longer available for Kindle.) I'll certainly be expecting a full refund from them!

And yes, whoever said it above, *this is why DRM sucks!!!!!!!!*


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Hey Tracey, that was very well explained.  

I asked this question on mobilereads, and seemed to get a little confused response.

If I have two files of the same book, and I set my output preference as Mobi, is it the Mobi file that will be sent to the kindle?  Someone there said that Calibre has a hierarchy and that AZW tends to be the default file sent.

I reckon that if simply by saving the new ebook file to the correct book metadata already saved in Calibre, and that data is then carried over to the new file that has been downloaded, then that isnt too bad.

But drm sucks.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I want to keep my K2 for the time being - can I make a second copy of my calibre library and amend that one for my K3 so I can keep files for both Kindles without having to re-do the metadata?


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## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

Thanks a million Tracey! I knew that I had read a while back that it could be done, but I wasn't sure how to do it. Thanks for giving us step by step instructions. This will make the switch from K2 to K3 a whole lot easier. This news makes me love Calibre even more.


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

Pushka said:


> If I have two files of the same book, and I set my output preference as Mobi, is it the Mobi file that will be sent to the kindle? Someone there said that Calibre has a hierarchy and that AZW tends to be the default file sent.


You can set the default action (what type to send, and where to send it) for a "send to device" command, or you can select the file type and location at the time you click on "send". Clicking on the "send" button will perform whatever actions you setup as the default, or you can click on the little arrow to get the submenu to setup the default action, or to perform something different.












Linjeakel said:


> I want to keep my K2 for the time being - can I make a second copy of my calibre library and amend that one for my K3 so I can keep files for both Kindles without having to re-do the metadata?


I've never played with the moving/copying of libraries, but I think that will work. The solution of using the existing azw files for the K2 and renaming the new files as .mobi for the K3 might be slightly easier, though.


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

Okay, think I"ve got a handle on it, as much as I can until my K3 gets here and I actually do it! Tracey, thank you so much for taking the time to make that clear for me. I was getting parts of the concept, but not all of it, you have made my day. I'm so glad that we won't have to do all of the editing again, that was the time consuming part. The downloading will take time, but not so bad. 

So the next question is, once I've done all this, they are all on the new Kindle, can I use the add collections from another device, and will they all go in their homes? Or will I have to recreate the collections and sort them all by hand?

THANKS ALL OF YOU FANTASTIC FOLKS FOR HELPING THE CLUELESS!!!


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Whidbeyislandgirl said:


> Okay, think I"ve got a handle on it, as much as I can until my K3 gets here and I actually do it! Tracey, thank you so much for taking the time to make that clear for me. I was getting parts of the concept, but not all of it, you have made my day. I'm so glad that we won't have to do all of the editing again, that was the time consuming part. The downloading will take time, but not so bad.
> 
> So the next question is, once I've done all this, they are all on the new Kindle, can I use the add collections from another device, and will they all go in their homes? Or will I have to recreate the collections and sort them all by hand?
> 
> THANKS ALL OF YOU FANTASTIC FOLKS FOR HELPING THE CLUELESS!!!


Provided you make sure your collections are backed up at Amazon - turn wireless on and do a manual sync & check on the old Kindle to make sure - and you put all the books on the new Kindle FIRST, you can then choose the option at the top of your archived items page to add collections from another device. Everything on the new Kindle should go into the appropriate collection.


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

Linjeakel said:


> Provided you make sure your collections are backed up at Amazon - turn wireless on and do a manual sync & check on the old Kindle to make sure - and you put all the books on the new Kindle FIRST, you can then choose the option at the top of your archived items page to add collections from another device. Everything on the new Kindle should go into the appropriate collection.


Cool. Thanks. Yes, syncing is critical, I've had that issue before. Kindle crashed and lost everything a couple of weeks ago. It sucked, now I sync every thime I make changes to collections.

I have to say I'm convincing myself this all makes sense, I think I'll just have to see it and do it when my K3 arrives. I've still having a hard time understanding why.... and I'm not asking for an explanation, that will just confuse me more! I have my instructions, I'll just shut up and do it in a few weeks. Guess what we'll all be doing the last weekend of the month??


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Whidbeyislandgirl said:


> Cool. Thanks. Yes, syncing is critical, I've had that issue before. Kindle crashed and lost everything a couple of weeks ago. It sucked, now I sync every thime I make changes to collections.
> 
> I have to say I'm convincing myself this all makes sense, I think I'll just have to see it and do it when my K3 arrives. I've still having a hard time understanding why.... and I'm not asking for an explanation, that will just confuse me more! I have my instructions, I'll just shut up and do it in a few weeks. Guess what we'll all be doing the last weekend of the month??


LOL - I think there'll be a short lull here on KB on 27th and then all hell will break loose as everyone either wants to let everyone else know how brilliant it is or is screaming for help!


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

Linjeakel said:


> LOL - I think there'll be a short lull here on KB on 27th and then all hell will break loose as everyone either wants to let everyone else know how brilliant it is or is screaming for help!


Yup! And we'll all be staying up late...... then cranky in the morning!

Damn, I have to work on Saturday.


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## Dan (Jul 30, 2010)

FYI for those that utilize Calibre there is a software update that was just posted today.


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

Can the Calibre library be backup up on a memory card and moved to another computer? Right now I have everything on my netbook and I'm almost through with cleaning it all up the way I want it. I'd like to copy it to my husband's laptop. Then, when I get my new K3, I'll update the Calibre library on my netbook and keep a separate  library on the laptop for the K2.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I don't see why not. Just identify the folder where the library is and copy it across like any other. I've never tried it, but I can't think why it wouldn't work.

Others may know different. Anyone tried it?


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

DCSholtis said:


> FYI for those that utilize Calibre there is a software update that was just posted today.


There is an update pretty much every week.

Mike


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Laurie said:


> Can the Calibre library be backup up on a memory card and moved to another computer?


Yes.

Mike


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

I update every three or four updates unless there is a major change. The last time I did, the version was so different and I really don't like it. But am hoping it is just a matter of getting used to it.


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

Linjeakel said:


> I don't see why not. Just identify the folder where the library is and copy it across like any other. I've never tried it, but I can't think why it wouldn't work.
> 
> Others may know different. Anyone tried it?





jmiked said:


> Yes.
> 
> Mike


Thanks. At least now I've got a plan of attack. K2 on the netbook, K3 on the laptop - and I won't have to start completely from scratch.


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

tlrowley said:


> Sometimes I'm such a geek that it's hard for me to understand just where the breakdown in communications is. That is, at what point things aren't obvious.
> 
> The first thing you'll need to do is download the file - formatted for the new Kindle. I do this using "Manage my kindle", which is a link near the top righthand side of any Kindle page.
> 
> ...


So now that our Kindles are all starting to ship, I'm getting back to this.... I think I'm missing a step. I see how to dowload to the computer for the new kindle from the Manage your Kindle screen, but I don't get where to save the file to, then how to get it in to calibre. I tried it, saved a book to my Calibre Library, then clicked on add books and found the one I had added. What stopped me was when it asked if I wanted to replace the existing file. What do I do? Am I doing this right?

Help!!


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## Whidbeyislandgirl (Apr 19, 2009)

Got it figured out! Wow, time consuming, but I've got 208 out of 590 on there. Think I'll stop for the night and let it index....


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## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

I downloaded the latest Calibre (at least I think I did, I ran the installation wizard and now have an hourglass at the bottom corner) and it still won't recognize my Kindle. What do I need to do??


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## dimples (Jul 28, 2010)

Mandy, I may sound stupid for suggesting it, but did you restart your pc after installing the update? After completing the update I got this nice little pop up that told me it was essential. 
You can check in the lower left corner of Calibre which version you have. The correct one is 0.7.16.


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## lesedi (May 3, 2009)

I'm having a problem similar to Mandy's but mine goes back a bit further. My computer won't recognize my K3, and thus Calibre won't either. 

Any suggestions? I loaded Calibre yesterday and turned off my computer for the night so I've done that.

Thanks!

Cherie


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

Now that some of you have had your K3s for an entire week, what have been your experiences resetting up all of the books you've previously edited in Calibre? Did you choose to copy over the previous K2 versions and re-edit all the metadata or did you experiment with changing the file format and keeping your existing changes? Please let those of us still waiting for our K3s know how this is going for you. I'm dreading the thought of having to redo all those books in order to make my favorite series display in the correct order.


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## chilady1 (Jun 9, 2009)

dimples said:


> Mandy, I may sound stupid for suggesting it, but did you restart your pc after installing the update? After completing the update I got this nice little pop up that told me it was essential.
> You can check in the lower left corner of Calibre which version you have. The correct one is 0.7.16.


Actually, the latest version of Calibre that is out now is 0.7.17.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

chilady1 said:


> Actually, the latest version of Calibre that is out now is 0.7.17.


And by tomorrow it will be 0.7.18 

I only tend to upgrade when a big improvement has been made, such as when the k3 came out. It takes so long for my ancient laptop to install it.


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