# Kindle editing question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307 "2010-02-01T23:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307/1 "2010-02-01T23:59:21Z")
OK, simple question: Is there any way to edit the author’s name in a Kindle? My DX insists that “The Shadow of Saganami” was written by “David Weber” instead of “Weber, David” and alphabetizes it accordingly. This annoys me. I don’t mind the first name being first, as long as the book is at the end of the list where it belongs, not right after Tom Clancy. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307/2 "2010-02-02T09:07:37Z")
Yep, I do that all the time. I hate it when the author’s first name is listed first. Go to [MobileRead.com](http://MobileRead.com) and get the program “Mobi2Mobi”, which lets you edit the metadata from the command line, and then get the “Mobi2Mobi GUI.” You can edit the metadata of the files, I believe, even with the DRM intact. (It’s simple to strip off the DRM if it doesn’t work with DRM intact, but that might be against board rules to describe how to do that, so I won’t.) ETA: Oh, but I’m assuming you’re dealing with the Kindle FILE here, on a Windows PC. As far as I know, there’s no way to do it on the Kindle itself … which might be what you were asking. Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307/3 "2010-02-02T13:38:26Z")
Exactly what I needed to know. The files are on my computer as well as my Kindle, so I’ll just adjust them, then reload. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307/4 "2010-02-04T02:05:53Z")
Exactly what you needed to know? You are a genius programmer and I’m a moron newbie peabrain then. I went to that site and I can’t make head or tail of it. I need to download what files? and what Perl sources? And what .net frameworks? You got this thing to work? Can you drop some hints for Myron Totally Stupid Newbie? ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307/5 "2010-02-04T05:23:44Z")
OK. To get Mobi2Mobi, you need MobiPerl, a collection of Mobipocket-manipulating utilities. Go here: [https://dev.mobileread.com/dist/tompe/mobiperl/](https://dev.mobileread.com/dist/tompe/mobiperl/) And get the **mobiperl-win-0.0.43.zip** file (assuming you’re using Windows). Unzip it, and put the **mobi2mobi.exe** file somewhere, like in c:\mobi or something. Then go to this thread at MobileRead: > **[Mobi2Mobi Mobi2Mobi v0.13 - GUI for Mobiperl tools - MobileRead Forums](https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21763)** > > Mobi2Mobi Mobi2Mobi v0.13 - GUI for Mobiperl tools Kindle Formats And, at the bottom of the first post, download the **Mobi2Mobi\_GUI\_VB\_v7.zip** file. Unzip it, and put the files somewhere. Maybe on your desktop. Then double-click the **Mobi2Mobi\_GUI\_VB** file to run it, and it will tell you “Please select the location of the Mobi2Mobi Win32 or Perl file.” Say OK, then in the “Mobi2Mobi Dir” box, either type in the directory you put the unzipped **mobi2mobi.exe** file in earlier, or click the “Set Dir” button to select the directory from a list. (You’ll be able to tell if you got it right because a checkbox will appear with “Use Win32” next to it. It will be checked, so just leave it alone.) THEN, in the “eBook Dir” box, either type in the directory your ebook file is in, or choose it with “Set Dir” again. Finally, go to “Opened File:” and click the Open File button. It will let you select a .prc, .mobi, or .azw file (AZW is amazon’s Kindle default extension, but it could sometimes be .prc or .mobi as well) and when you click the “Open” button or hit Enter, it will load the existing metadata and cover images into the program, and you can then modify them to your heart’s content. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-editing-question/527307/6 "2010-02-04T23:23:33Z")
OK… I did need a .net framework first; I managed to locate and install it… And it works! Thank you **chorpler** , thank you, \ I needed this. I have beaucoups public domain books on my Kindle, and most of them are blank and unsortable in the Kindle directory with regard to authors, not to mention the various problems **silenus** mentioned. Now I shall have to take a week off to fix them all… thanks again **chorpler**!