Transfering highlights to a fixed book?

[archz2]

I transferred a book in epub format via send-to-kindle service. I have been reading it for sometime. It has messed up table of contents, i.e. the full contents don't show when I press the table of contents button in my Kindle.

I have fixed this problem earlier in other books by converting the epub to azw3 and then converting it back to epub using Calibre, and transferring it via send-to-kindle online service.

Unfortunately, in this book, I have done lot of highlights. How can I copy all the highlights from this to the newly fixed epub that I'll be transferring again via send-to-kindle?

[Quoth]

Use USB transfer in future. Calibre is better for epub -> azw3 than "Send to Kindle" and private. You are giving Amazon content and reading preferences.

[archz2]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Use USB transfer in future. Calibre is better for epub -> azw3 than "Send to Kindle" and private. You are giving Amazon content and reading preferences.

If I use USB transfer method then the ebooks and docs don't show up in Kindle app on my Android phone where I can export highlights because the files won't be synced.

Moreover, the export highlights button doesn't show up in Kindle device for sideloaded documents and ebooks.

[jhowell]

There is a file on your Kindle in the .sdr folder associated with each book which holds the annotations you have made in that book. The file name varies based on the format of the book but will likely end in either .yjr or .azw3r. You can try replacing the file in your newly sent copy with the one from the original version of the book. However there are some significant problems with that approach.

First, the annotations are matched up with contents of the book based on internal "position" numbers that will probably be different in your new copy, shifting the annotations to different content within the book.

Second, this change will only apply on your Kindle device, the annotations will not transfer to another copy of that book on any other reading app or device.

Third, the master copy of the annotations made are stored in Amazon's servers and replacing this file will break the synchronization of highlights leading to unexpected results.

[archz2]

It seems as if I've hit a dead end. I think I shouldn't take the risk of replacing the file to avoid getting unexpected results.

I had no idea that syncing of highlights with a replacement was such a sensitive task.

[JSWolf]

Once you start to highlight, that's it. You cannot replace the eBook. Also, your way of converting the new copy makes it a completely different eBook in terms of the locations the highlights were.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Once you start to highlight, that's it. You cannot replace the eBook.

Yeah. That's why I never highlight. Waste of time and effort, IMO, unless it's a textbook or academic writing. In reading for pleasure, why bother?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yeah. That's why I never highlight. Waste of time and effort, IMO, unless it's a textbook or academic writing. In reading for pleasure, why bother?

Or proofing, and you export the highlights & annotations to desktop and use them to guide editing. Then you make a new ebook, remove the old one completely, and send the new one. Did this for a few years on Kindle before switching to Kobo.

Highlights & annotations & bookmarks on the actual ereader (any make/model/OS) are useless if you update the ebook. It's only worth copying them with ebook to same model/version ereader, or exporting.

I'd only start annotating any fiction if I decided it's badly OCRed and needs edited. Then those notes are only for fixing on desktop, no use for an updated ebook.

Text books are a different issue. If you need the notes on the ereader then you can't update the ebook.