Anyone know how to write a script like this? (not sure what programming language you'd use)

[tzikeh]

ETA: SOLVED WITH A VENGEANCE! Solution is here. I'm already a hardcore user of Instapaper, so this is like the cherry on top of the sundae. Many, many thanks to talking_sock!

So, one of the great benefits of AO3 is that they have a variety of download options that let you put fanfiction you like on your e-reader. Formats so far are mobi, epub, pdf, and html.

But a significant amount of fanfiction is still posted solely to livejournal.

There's a free program called Calibre that can convert most kinds of files to most other kinds of files. I thought it would be relatively easy to go to the source code of a livejournal posting of a fanfiction story, grab the relevant html, and have calibre convert it to mobi. Sounds easy, no?

But the coding of livejournal's html is a BIG FAT MESS. Like, just disastrous.

Does anyone out there have the know-how to write a script to convert the source code of a livejournal entry to .mobi? Or, if not that, to convert the html to *standard* html, so that calibre could then convert that file to mobi? Even if it were a two-step process (e.g., the reader would go into the source code, copy just the code of the story itself, paste it to a document, and then run the script on that), it would be infinitely awesome for those of us who are reading our fanfiction on our e-book readers--and that population is increasing daily.

Thoughts? Can you do it, and are you willing to try? Do you know someone else who would be willing to try?

(x-posted to kindledfans)

Comments

[leviathan0999.livejournal.com]

Well, I used to make any fanfic I liked into Mobipocket Ebooks for my Palm Pilot, using Mobipocket Creator, available here: http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp?Language=EN .

About three weeks ago, I got a terrific Smartphone that made my Palm Tungsten E Obsolete, and found my favorite free e-reader prefers ePub. But Calibre does a dandy job of making a palm-ready mobipocket .prc file into any of its familiar formats.

So my suggestion is to download Mobipocket Creator, and use that for "first-draft" conversion, and then go from there to ePub/Mobi/Whatever with Calibre.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Someone over at kindledfans suggested something that sounds even better - Instapaper does all the work for you! (Man, I love Instapaper.)

[fortytricks.livejournal.com]

I haven't tried this yet, but I've seen it recommended by others:
http://www.halcyon-shift.net/gift-shop/squeebook/

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Found a better solution!

http://community.livejournal.com/kindledfans/47172.html?thread=198980&style=mine#t198980

[pocketmouse]

If you hit the 'share' button on LJ (the blue cross) it opens a new post editing window with the original post in there, with HTML intact. You could just copy/paste from there into your program of choice.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

The HTML of the story, yes, but not an HTML doc (with proper headings and indicators, etc.)-- calibre won't read the file. However, the rec for using Instapaper is GENIUS and I'm going to give that a shot today.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

How does Instapaper work?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Hey! Instapaper is awesome, and so so easy to use. Create a free account. It gives you a bookmarklet called "Read Later." Put it on your bookmarks bar. When you come across something on the web you want to read, but don't have time, click "Read Later." It instantly saves it to your Instapaper account. Then, any time you want to read it, just go to your Instapaper account, and it's there.

You can save anything and everything just by clicking that "Read Later" bookmarklet.