How to generate Kindle AZK on the command line from mobi/epub?

Question

I'm trying to generate an AZK file from the command line.

I need an AZK file because I need to test my Kindle books on iOS devices. These books are in Japanese, which currently is not supported for Enhanced Typesetting, so I need to sideload an AZK file. It's a pain to generate this in Kindle Previewer each time, so I want to automate the process.

The source file is an epub.

I convert the epub with Kindle Previewer 3 via the command line:

kindlepreviewer myfile.epub -convert -showpreview

This will create a mobi from the epub and then launch Kindle Previewer. From Kindle Previewer, I can then go to File->Export and output an AZK-- this is the part I want to automate.

It seems there was a tool called Gozak for doing this but it's not available anymore.

I tried running azkcreator via the path in MacOS but it just segfaults:

➜  ~ /Applications/Kindle\ Previewer\ 3.app/Contents/MacOS/lib/azkcreator
[1]    18208 segmentation fault  /Applications/Kindle\ Previewer\ 3.app/Contents/MacOS/lib/azkcreator

So, my guess is that there is no way to create an AZK file from the command line at the moment-- but I hope someone can prove me wrong!

Answer 1

AFAIK, you can't directly convert from the command line using Kindle Previewer. You also can't convert multiple files.

But there is a plugin for Calibre that would allow you to do it. Now you use Calibre to convert from the command line using the Calibre executable ebook-convert:

ebook-convert myfile.input_format myfile.output_format -h

Answer 2

I’m not sure you can generate an AZK from the command line. From https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/KindleGen

Note that Kindle Previewer is currently the only way to generate AZK files for iOS use.

Not the answer you seek, but an answer.

Answer 3

You can generate via caliber..