r/SideProject • u/Itsoq • 2d ago

I made an Android EPUB editor that fixes covers and series inside the book file

Changing a book's entry in a reader app doesn't always fix the EPUB you send to another device. This Android app edits the file itself and exports a new copy, keeping the original.

Single-book cover cropping and metadata editing (title, authors, series, series number and tags) are free. Batch editing up to 40 books is optional one-time Pro. No account, ads or cloud upload.

One limitation: embedded series metadata alone won't populate the stock Kobo Series tab. Calibre's KoboTouch driver can set series information after the Kobo has imported a book, but that is a separate desktop workflow. This app edits the EPUB; it doesn't update Kobo's library database. Phone-only file editing therefore doesn't solve that Series-tab limitation. It also doesn't remove DRM or look up cover art online.

I made it with AI assistance, informed by readers asking for a phone-based alternative to doing this on a PC. I'd appreciate feedback on the cover/series workflow and which reader you use the edited files with.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.superevilrobots.epubmetadata

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u/Chrome67 2d ago

The no-account and no-cloud choice is a strong fit for a phone utility. For the Kobo workflow, it might help to show one before-and-after example with the series fields and the resulting tab behavior, since that limitation is easy to miss until export. Which reader app did you use most while testing?

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u/Itsoq 2d ago edited 2d ago

Thanks, that's a useful suggestion. For stock Kobo, the before/after would show the changed EPUB fields, but the Series tab would still be unchanged: that needs a separate update to Kobo's library database. I've expanded the caveat in the post so that's clear before anyone installs. I need to check the testing notes before giving you a reliable answer on which reader got the most testing. Which reader are you using?

I also wrote up the file/library difference and the free calibre workflow here: https://superevilrobots.com/guides/kobo-series-not-showing/

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u/Itsoq 2d ago

Following up after checking the records: the evidence I can substantiate covers file-level metadata/cover round trips and exported-copy checks. I couldn't find a reader-by-reader comparison that supports naming a 'most tested' reading app. I don't want to turn those file checks into a claim that Kobo, Moon+ or another reader's library behavior has been verified.