Best way to copy existing data/metadata to a new copy of a book

[hollowpoint]

Q: What's the best way in Calibre to copy existing data and metadata (like: custom downloaded covers, custom tags and book metadata, personal annotations, highlights, bookmarks), to a new copy of the same book?

Background:

• I keep 2 copies of my Calibre library and all ebooks: a source library (jailbroken copies of all ebooks in their original format), and a custom library (everything in the source library but with multiple formats added, customizations like covers, metadata, and annotations like notes/bookmarks added thru Calibre content server)
• Periodically, the ebooks in the 'source' library get updated. For example, maybe Amazon puts out an updated copy of a book I already have, or a 2nd ed. that adds a new preface, etc.
• In those cases where book is updated but content is nearly identical, I want to move a copy of the updated book into my custom library, then apply all the custom data from the first copy of the book to the updated copy.

Looking for the most simple and efficient way to copy all custom metadata from the old copy of a book to the new, without mangling or losing my custom metadata and annotations. Is it as simple as using the copy/paste or merge metadata functions that are in the context menu? Or is it more of a multi-step process, maybe something that can be handled with one of the specialty plugins?

[ownedbycats]

What I've done in the past is add the new book as a new record. Then I strip all the metadata from the new copy. Then use Edit Metadata > Merge > Merge into First Selected Book.

Note that you can't have two copies of the same format. If you want to retain it in the same record, you can put the old one to a compressed archive and add that, but temporarily disable the Archive Extract plugin.

Annotations are tricky though. I think they're based on position so depending on how much the book has changed it might be in the completely wrong place.

[kovidgoyal]

Right click add books and choose "add empty book" and "duplicate current book". That will take care fo copying metadata. As for annotations, assuming you are reading in epub format and have not disabled saving of annotations inside files, the easiest way is to simply add the epub file from the old book record to the new one.

[BetterRed]

The exclude_fields_on_paste tweak can be used to control the Edit metadata->Paste action.

Tips: a) search for 'exclude' at the top of Preferences->Tweaks; b) I assigned Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to the Edit Metadata->Copy and Paste

BR