Jan 8 2012
Setting Up a New Library with Calibre: Essential Plugins and Getting to Know Metadata
Introduction
I am a huge fan of the free open source software written by Kovid called Calibre. It is an organization, management, conversion tool for both print and digital books. I’ve had several people email me asking what the best set up is for Calibre along with what plugins that they should download. The following is what I recommend but I am sure that there are other great organizational minds out there.
1. Plugins
There are three essential plugins for me and they are all metadata plugins. (Read here on how to install a plugin) The newest versions of Calibre allow the download and installation of plugins from directly within Calibre interface. From the top menu bar, select Preferences and from the drop down menu Get plugins to enhance Calibre:
The “Get New Plugins” screen begins with a filter that lets you choose whether you want to see “all, uninstalled, installed, and update”. The following is the list of plugins I have installed:
The BN, Fantastic Fiction, Goodreads plugins are all designed to ensure that the metadata for your book is up to date. The metadata that Calibre will automatically pull for you includes “Title, author, series, tags, rating, description and ISBN.” When you import a book, that digital book will often come with some metadata but the metadata can be inconsistent from publisher to publisher or incomplete or simply wrong. When building your library, you will want consistency.
Other plugins I have installed include:
Count Pages estimates how many pages are in an ePub and Mobi files. In order to get this plugin to work, you need to create a custom column.
Goodreads Sync can synchronize your library with your Goodreads account. This should only be used if you are going to add a few books at a time because, as the plugin author says “Goodreads T&C require a very limited threshold on the number of API calls per minute. Worst case they will block the plugin and that ruins it for everyone. You can use export/import to Goodreads for large volumes if you need it. Refer to the help page within the plugin for the full details.”
Find Duplicates, Quality Check are for larger libraries wherein the user didn’t do a very good job of setting up front standards and thus her library is filled with all kinds of junk and needs to be cleaned up. (AKA me)
Recently I installed Reading List which helps me organize my ARCS and books for review. The Reading List plugin allows readings to create an ordered list of books they want to read. “You can have multiple lists (e.g. if keeping track for different users or genres). In addition v1.2 has integrated all the functionality of the Book Sync plugin, allowing you to send your list to a device either manually or automatically when it is connected.”
Another plugin that might be worth checking out is Extract ISBN. The plugin will attempt to extract the ISBN from the digital file. As the author of the plugins that I use explains “Secondly, a good ISBN will always give you the best match. The Extract ISBN plugin can help with this, provided the ISBN is in the book for it to find. Note this plugin is not infallible, not all books have an ISBN it can read, or worse sometimes the ISBN it finds is from the publisher advertising some other book within it. However a very high % of the time it gets it right, and will give you the best chance of a quality edition match with most metadata sources.”
Another fun plugin is Fan Fiction Downloader. I’m not a fan fiction reader but I know it is tremendously popular. This plugin helps to download and then enable for transfer to your reading device fan fiction from these sites: Download FanFiction stories from various sites into ebooks. Currently supported sites are: www.adastrafanfic.com, www.fanfiction.net, www.fictionalley.org, www.fictionpress.com, www.ficwad.com, www.fimfiction.net, www.harrypotterfanfiction.com, www.mediaminer.org, www.potionsandsnitches.net, fanfiction.tenhawkpresents.com, www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com, www.tthfanfic.org, www.twilighted.net, www.twiwrite.net, www.whofic.com.
2. Metadata Organization
I use the Calibre automated metadata download function. You can tell Calibre the metadata you would like to download. By default, all the choices are selected. The configure metadata screen can be accessed via the Edit Metadata screen at the bottom middle:
There are a few features that I like to activate here.
Downloaded comments are essentially the description, blurb or series of reviews that Calibre pulls down automatically from various sites. Some of the encoding of the various publishers is really poor so I opt for plain text which means no bold or italics. The middle option allows you to switch the way that your author names appear. I actually prefer First Name, Last Name because you can modify the author sort to be something different. I also like fewer tags. Some books can have 10, 15 tags and it seems too many.
Obtaining the metadata can be done a couple of different ways. First, you can run the search by ISBN or other identifier. This will pull up only one specific record. For instance, I purchased The Bride by Julie Garwood in digital form. I can look it up by the ISBN or just by using title and author. Both will give me a list of books. As you can see there are really two versions of The Bride. The original publication or the reprint by Penguin. The first screenshot shows a search using author, title and Nook ISBN (9781101533116):
This screenshot shows the results from just using the amazon ASIN (B004XFYWNY). The way to use the identifiers is to preface the identifier with the lookup site. Therefore in the Id field, type amazon:B004XFYWNY.
After you double click on the entry that contains the metadata that you want to use, the next screen will load the covers and you can choose which cover you want associated with your file.
I like the original The Bride cover and I double-click the cover to select it. This is the resulting metadata:
An underused feature of Calibre may be the Author Sort feature. Calibre will sort your books by FN LN or LN, FN. Remember when we had the option of how it is displayed in the metadata configuration? I like it display as Julie Garwood, but I want it to sort as Garwood, Julie so I will make sure the author sort is LN, FN
Ordinarily, you will simply need to import your digital book file and press CMD/CTRL + D to start a metadata download based on the information extracted from the ebook file. Please remember that when you are handling ePub files, ACSM is not the epub file. The ACSM file is simply the licenses that allows you to download the actual ebook. Your ebooks will likely be in Documents/My Documents folder under “Digital Editions” (Adobe Digital Editions) or “My Books” (Sony) or That’s it for today. If you have any questions, let me know. Next week, we will discuss essential user created columns and saved searches.
Send to Kindle
Jan 08, 2012 @ 05:03:58
I love Calibre, too. I downloaded it a few months after you first posted about it when my library was fairly small.
I am a bit anal about my metadata, so probably will not use the plugins you mentioned. I like to ensure the title, author, and tags appear the way I want them to. It was a bit of a pain to manually edit at the beginning, but now I’m so happy I did. It’s routine now to fix things the way I like when I add new books.
I tag all of my books by type (contemporary, historical, futuristic, time travel) and then have a few other tags I use, such as paranormal, novella, anthology, and series type (Silhouette Intimate Moments, Harlequin Intrigue, etc). Calibre automatically creates collections on my Sony using the tags so I don’t really want things like fiction, novel, secret baby, etc.
Thanks so much for introducing this wonderful program to me and the continuing posts about it. I always learn something new. I am going to download the Fantastic Fiction plugin so I don’t have to manually grab covers from them. I hope it will include covers from their site when I click “download cover” if I have this plugin.
ETA: Yay, it works. I guess I need to browse through more of these plugins. I now wonder what else I am missing…
Jan 08, 2012 @ 05:13:03
Thank you so much for this, Jane. I’ve been using Calibre for a few years and have just started trying to bring order to my horribly cluttered library. I wasn’t happy with the results the standard metadata search was returning but I couldn’t face editing the metadata manually, so these plugins will be a huge help.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 07:24:36
Thank you! I downloaded Calibre yesterday, so this article is very timely. I can set up Calibre the way I want it before using it.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 07:39:55
I love Calibre too. I use an ‘unread’ tag to keep track of my to-be-read list. (I tried using a custom column for that but went back to the tag, and now I can’t remember why.)
I recently got a tablet. Since Calibre relies on volunteers for its upkeep and doesn’t have an app, I was having to still use my laptop for that, but I just got a remote desktop app, which allows me to operate Calibre on the laptop from the tablet. Very cool. (I’m using Splashtop because it was free on Amazon recently but there are others.)
Jan 08, 2012 @ 07:53:47
Thanks for pointing out the Count Pages plugin. I love it!
Jan 08, 2012 @ 08:00:48
I love Calibre. I only use a fraction of the plugins, but I am happy with the ones I have. I haven’t used Metadata plugins to get covers, but I might give it a try.
For me the essential plugins are Reading List, and certain third party plugins ;).
Jan 08, 2012 @ 09:07:32
nice!
Jan 08, 2012 @ 09:46:49
Calibre is my favorite software, ever. I like to use my own metadata, but some of the other plug-ins you mention sound great. If one can go to the effort to track them down, figure them out and install them, the DRM stripping plug-ins are the bomb, too.
As a side note, I am enjoying your “what could possibly happen next?”
Jan 08, 2012 @ 09:52:16
Here’s a possibly dumb question: I just started using Calibre last fall. I don’t use it as my main ebook software, but I like it for certain things. So, when I enter metadata, I just leave a book with whatever number of stars the metadata download gives it. If I export information to my Goodreads account, it’s not going to change ratings I put on books in Goodreads, is it?
Jan 08, 2012 @ 10:22:28
I’ve added the Count Pages plugin, and created a custom column called Pages – now, how do I get it to populate?
Jan 08, 2012 @ 10:40:32
The Reading List – do I have to create a custom column for this to work? Everything else has been straight forward so I don’t understand what it is I am doing wrong. Do you have any screensnaps to share what this looks like? I am at a loss here.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 10:55:20
@Keishon: Yep, here is what mine looks like. Essentially reading list works like a filtering tag. You select the books that you want in your list and then you can view your different lists and it reduces the number of entries in your viewing page.
Screenshot
Jan 08, 2012 @ 11:01:46
@becca: I think the custom column is an integer but once you have it created, simply highlight the book that you want to count pages or words and then press the “Count Pages” plugin button.
Screenshot of Count Pages button
Screenshot of custom column creation
Jan 08, 2012 @ 11:05:48
I bet some of you are having problems not seeing the plugin buttons on your toolbar. If that is the case, press CMD/CTRL + P for preferences and then at the top row of icons, look for the Toolbar icon.
Then select Main Menu. Go through and take out the icons that you don’t use. Like I don’t use news and a couple of others and then add your plugin buttons:
Screenshot of customize toolbar button
Screenshot of selecting the right toolbar
Screenshot of modify toolbar options
Jan 08, 2012 @ 11:06:59
@Jane A I was over at the Booksmugglers and their text is “tell me more, tell me more” and I thought my “click to read the rest of the post” was so boring. I had to change it!
Jan 08, 2012 @ 11:08:16
@cecilia You can uncheck the star rating to be downloaded in the calibre metadata configuration section. As for exporting the information to goodreads, it depends on whether you map that field to a goodreads field.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 11:37:39
Jane, how do your books sort when you get them into your Kindle? I have mine set up for view author and author sort the same way you do, but I’ve noticed that in my Kindle occasionally the author will show up under the first name instead of the last…I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.
I love these posts. Calibre has been awesome for me for the couple years I’ve had it, but I always learn something new here.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 11:44:15
Does the Count Pages plug-in just puts in the value of the total word count? There are no options to change it to total page count? I can view the log and see what the page count is but it would be nice if it could record that value instead of the total word count. That is all.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 12:24:45
Thanks for this post. I use Calibre almost every day but I’m positive I’m not using it to it’s fullest potential. I have a few of the plugins you listed but I’m going to install count pages and reading list.
BTW I am constantly linking people to your Calibre posts. Thank you for the great resource!
ETA: OMG, I LOVE the Quality Check plugin. <3
Jan 08, 2012 @ 12:40:02
@Keishon The Count Pages counts both words and pages. You have to have a custom column for each. Here are my settings. Screenshot
You access the settings of a plugin by going to preferences (CMD/CTRL+P), then scroll to the bottom for plugins. In the plugins page, type “Count Pages” to search for the plugin. Highlight it and then select “customize plugin”.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 12:42:51
@Angela Not well. I am using the Kindle Fire and there is no organization. You can use this plugin in coordination with Kindle Collections. I’ll look into that but frankly I haven’t been using KC because I don’t have it on my Kindle Fire. (The Kindle Fire limitations are really irritating)
Jan 08, 2012 @ 14:41:52
Great post, Jane. Thanx!
Jan 08, 2012 @ 15:21:15
Hi Jane,
Thanks for this tips. I’ve been using Calibre for a couple of years now and I love all the updates you give. While my library isn’t in perfect order, it is getting…slowly.
Jan 08, 2012 @ 22:38:28
@Jane: It really is lacking. They’ve got an Android device so you’d think they’d be spending some dev time making that app better, but the iOS app seems to get way more attention (such as the recent addition of personal doc support).
I really wish they’d get some consistency in features across all apps/devices.
Jan 09, 2012 @ 07:33:56
Thank you so much for this post! I got Calibre set up with Dropbox just a few weeks ago and I’m still giddy every time I put a box on my iPad! It’s so much simpler! I’m ready for the plugins now. That may be my adventure this week.
Jan 09, 2012 @ 09:24:29
Another fun plugin is Fan Fiction Downloader.
There’s also another fanfiction archive, An Archive of Our Own — archiveofourown.org — that has one-button downloading on each story, in several formats, including Kindle, epub, PDF, and HTML. No need for a Calibre plugin; just open any story, click the “Download” button in the upper right, and choose your format. Have the file download to your desktop and move it into Calibre, or download directly into Calibre.
Jan 09, 2012 @ 09:58:47
Is there a free calibre app for the kindle fire? I have only found a paid one. Since I have my library in dropbox I have been hesitant to waste the money.
Jan 09, 2012 @ 10:15:17
@Liz There is no free calibre app for the Kindle Fire. I’m not even sure what the paid app does??
Jan 09, 2012 @ 16:51:19
@Chicklet: Seconding this recommendation – there are even some published authors writing fanfiction in An Archive of Our Own (although not in their own worlds usually) and there definitely are quite a few real authors reading the fanfics, especially when the Yuletide event is running.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 15:19:53
The paid Calibre app allows you to download books from your Calibre library to your device (I am using Android devices – and rooted Nooks) over your local wireless lan. It requires that Calibre be running, and if you have multiple Calibre “Libraries” it only accesses the currently active library. Unfortunately it is ONLY your local wireless, so you don’t have internet access… Still, it is handy. I can add books to my device from the comfort of my recliner.
If you have a Fire or Nook Tablet, the app will not show as available – it is an app on Android Market.
Bookmarks for January 11th from 09:10 to 20:41 — Somewhere out there!
Jan 11, 2012 @ 03:02:16
[...] Setting Up a New Library with Calibre: Essential Plugins and Getting to Know Metadata | Dear Author – [...]
Setting Up A New Library With Calibre: User Created Columns, Saved Searches, Multiple Libraries, Plugboard | Dear Author
Jan 15, 2012 @ 04:53:22
[...] by Alissa JohnsonThanking our January AdvertisersDA/SBTB Bestseller List, Week ending January 3Setting Up a New Library with Calibre: Essential Plugins and Getting to Know MetadataREVIEW: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuireFirst Page: Sylvan Legacy, YA Historical Romance with [...]
Jan 16, 2012 @ 11:18:41
@Estara: @Chicklet The Archive of Your Own Site is invite only or join the waiting list and there are 720 people on the waiting list. Boo! Do either of you have an invite you’re longing to share?
angel Graham (angel_graham) | Pearltrees
Apr 11, 2012 @ 01:25:13
[...] After you double click on the entry that contains the metadata that you want to use, the next screen will load the covers and you can choose which cover you want associated with your file. Setting Up a New Library with Calibre: Essential Plugins and Getting to Know Metadata [...]
Jan 27, 2013 @ 16:17:34
@Angela: There’s an option hidden in the Preferences, under Conversion ==> Output Options to fix this. Under the options for MOBI and AZW3, check the option “use author sort for author”
Explanation:
Apparently the Kindle doesn’t recognize author vs. author sort. MOBI ebooks only have an author field, which shows the sort value. The kindle reads this and autoswaps it on the screen to show you the author, but sorts according to that field. Of course, calibre sets the author field to whatever you have set, so if you converted from an EPUB or corrected your MOBI’s then you have a problem. This option shoud really be checked by default, and I filed a bug report on the issue.
May 07, 2013 @ 21:13:24
Is there a way in Calibre to make the pages be the same as the book? So when my instructor says go to page 109 (because he is using the paper book) I can go to the same page? I want my screen to be the same as the book page and have the ability to zoom in or zoom out, not have Calibre break down each page and break it into 2-3 or 4 screen pages. Thank you.
May 07, 2013 @ 21:14:52
@aklaura: You’d probably have to resize the font and size of the Calibre book window to match the print version.