Epubs to Kindle

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tomsem

KFX has been the direct download format ever since they introduced 'enhanced typography'. That includes the apps. It was possible to prevent the PC/Mac apps from downloading KFX but that was just a lucky thing for people that wanted to remove DRM more easily.

Please explain how you got from your statement above to "AZW3 is explicitly for side-loading". And please note that my Android tablet still gets .azw3 from Amazon. Perhaps that the last Android update for it was also the first and that was quite a few years back has something to do with that.

Originally Posted by tomsem

KFX is functionally the best format to use on Kindle platform, period. "When in Rome".

Damning with faint praise. It makes me feel rather sorry for those stuck in the Amazon walled garden of an ecosystem.

Originally Posted by tomsem

I do not side load to Kindles at all, and deal with AZW3 only because I buy books mostly from Amazon and I download that format and have calibre convert to ePub so I can read with non Amazon devices and apps (which I do).

Except for experimentation, I don't convert to or from KFX. ePub and PDF are the 'formats of record', not AZW3 or KFX. If I get a book in epub, I let Amazon convert it to KFX for reading on Kindle platform.

So SB is wasting their time and effort providing AZW3 as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps that aligns with the preference of the Kindle people using their service. I have no way to know.

As far as I can tell, the 'compatible epub' versions look perfectly fine when they are fed to Send To Kindle for conversion (I haven't found any with footnotes to see if they popup). They don't actually need to do anything other than change the wording on their web site.

If they got rid of AZW3, they could direct Kindle owners to download 'compatible' epub and use Send to Kindle, or convert to Kindle format with calibre.

And for those who do not want to use StK? I suspect that you are part of a minute minority when it comes to Standard Ebooks. The number of people who may prefer books that are formatted with azw3 in mind and that they don't have to shuttle through Amazon is, from what I've read, likely to be a much larger number.

And why would they need to get rid of azw3? If you want to download a compatible ePub and use StK, exactly what is stopping you? And why do you want those who may be happily downloading and sideloading azw3 to be unable to do so?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Please explain how you got from your statement above to "AZW3 is explicitly for side-loading". And please note that my Android tablet still gets .azw3 from Amazon. Perhaps that the last Android update for it was also the first and that was quite a few years back has something to do with that.



Damning with faint praise. It makes me feel rather sorry for those stuck in the Amazon walled garden of an ecosystem.



And for those who do not want to use StK? I suspect that you are part of a minute minority when it comes to Standard Ebooks. The number of people who may prefer books that are formatted with azw3 in mind and that they don't have to shuttle through Amazon is, from what I've read, likely to be a much larger number.

And why would they need to get rid of azw3? If you want to download a compatible ePub and use StK, exactly what is stopping you? And why do you want those who may be happily downloading and sideloading azw3 to be unable to do so?

Anyone side loading to a Kindle is probably using calibre to manage their library. AZW3 doesn't represent any convenience. You are still going to want it in ePub format, so just get that and convert to Kindle format on demand.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Anyone side loading to a Kindle is probably using calibre to manage their library. AZW3 doesn't represent any convenience. You are still going to want it in ePub format, so just get that and convert to Kindle format on demand.

Can you offer any proof of your statement? Of the Kindle owners I know who sideload, 4 use an USB connection to drag and drop the ebooks and 2 use calibre. Perhaps a bit of explication as to why someone would want the book in ePub when calibre is happy to use azw3 (or mobi, pdf, txt, fb2, etc...) in the library? Heck, calibre will even let you edit an azw3 book without having to convert it.

OTOH, calibre has a learning curve and some people are not willing to take the time and effort to learn a tool that they will not make much use of.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Can you offer any proof of your statement? Of the Kindle owners I know who sideload, 4 use an USB connection to drag and drop the ebooks and 2 use calibre. Perhaps a bit of explication as to why someone would want the book in ePub when calibre is happy to use azw3 (or mobi, pdf, txt, fb2, etc...) in the library? Heck, calibre will even let you edit an azw3 book without having to convert it.

OTOH, calibre has a learning curve and some people are not willing to take the time and effort to learn a tool that they will not make much use of.

There are only opinions, no proof to be had and I am not demanding any from you. It's okay to disagree!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I still fail to see why you seem to feel entitled to having Standard Ebooks spend the time and effort to add the media queries to their ePub ebooks to make them compatible with Send to Kindle. Does the term 'Karen' hold any meaning for you? Are you offering to fund the ongoing effort that this will take? Or are you going to sideload their azw3 version?

As for SB saying that their ePubs are not intended for use with Kindles and Kobos? That is their privilege. If you don't like it, you can download the ePub from Gutenberg or other PD book supplier, spend the effort to edit it to make it compatible with StK and then send it to StK.

As for your unbounded love for KFX? To me as a person who is used to the flexibility of ePub, KFX with it's limitations is a non-starter.

StandardEbooks doesn't need any media queries in their ePub. There is no formatting that actually needs it. They just do advanced coding because it makes them feel special. There is no need to do it an they really should not do it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tomsem

KFX is functionally the best format to use on Kindle platform, period. "When in Rome".

Actually, I'll disagree with that. When I made ChareInk, I made it such that the line height of Kindle eBooks was smaller because of the metadata in the font. It works very well with KF8. But it's a fail with KFX. Also, KF8 can be edited with the calibre editor.

Basically, KFX was made to give Amazon full control over your Kindle.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Actually, I'll disagree with that. When I made ChareInk, I made it such that the line height of Kindle eBooks was smaller because of the metadata in the font. It works very well with KF8. But it's a fail with KFX. Also, KF8 can be edited with the calibre editor.

Basically, KFX was made to give Amazon full control over your Kindle.

Sure. Because of the way I approach Kindle platform ('when in Rome, do as Romans'), these considerations are not significant for me.

I'm not tied to Kindle platform, and I don't spend all my reading time in Rome. epub is my passport to more exotic reading experiences elsewhere, which I enjoy doing.

If you use a Kindle as a standalone device, and want more control, you will be doing more mucking around with things to work around things you don't like about Kindle. I do not have time or desire for doing that.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tomsem

There are only opinions, no proof to be had and I am not demanding any from you. It's okay to disagree!

I gave you my experience with the 6 Kindle users I have contact with which seems to disagree with your statement that anyone sideloading to a Kindle is probably using calibre. Can you offer similar evidence? Or was your statement just your opinion with no supporting evidence in which case, an IMO, IMHO, IMNSHO or similar disclaimer would be appropriate.

We do not need more posters who seem to feel that their opinion is all that is required to support a statement. I somehow doubt that anyone in these forums has climbed a mountain to have their opinions handed to them on stone tablets.

Edit: And just to make things clear, I do not consider the denizens of Mobileread to even come close to an approximation of the "average" ereader user. IRL, I'm fairly sure that the people I come into contact with by being recommended as the techie to contact for ereader issues are not a good approximation. A person reading on their phone using a Books/Kindle/Kobo/Pocketbook app is likely much closer to that "average" ebook reader.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

StandardEbooks doesn't need any media queries in their ePub. There is no formatting that actually needs it. They just do advanced coding because it makes them feel special. There is no need to do it an they really should not do it.

Jon, Jon, Jon... since you have complained about Vellum and it's complex CSS before, did you ever take the time to look through the CSS to see exactly what classes are attempting to do? Did you look at the media queries to see what they are trying to do? Gentle hint, few of them are needed for any ePub renderers, the majority are attempting to allow mobi and azw3 ebooks on devices with different screen sizes/resolutions to be look acceptable.

The advanced coding is not needed for most ebooks but I have seen it used by other publishers. Standard Ebooks is the only one that gave me the option of choosing which I wanted (KISS ePub, KISS ePub that has been kepubified or state of the art which most renderers will not handle ePub).

[tomsem]

IMO IMO IMO.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tomsem

IMO IMO IMO.

Ty, TY, TY,

[Inquisitive_Ram]

Well this escalated quickly!

I was genuinely just curious whether anyone noticed a difference between Standard ebooks azw3 side loaded files and an epub converted via send-to-kindle. I think the answer is largely no from what I can tell

Standard ebooks is free so whatever they are offering is value for money in my view. I think I'll carry on downloading the epubs and sending to kindle. For one thing, should I ever change to a kobo if my kindle ever expires I'll have the epubs already in calibre