Batch extract highlights from books

Batch extracting highlights from books typically involves gathering key excerpts, notes, or annotations from multiple books at once, rather than processing them individually. This is especially useful for researchers, students, or avid readers who want to compile important points efficiently.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to batch extract highlights from books, focusing on both physical and digital formats:

1. Extracting Highlights from Digital Books

a. Using eReader Platforms (Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, etc.)

• Kindle:

  • Kindle stores highlights in your account. Visit https://read.amazon.com/notebook to see all your highlights and notes across books.

  • You can select multiple books and export highlights in bulk via third-party tools or by copying from this page.

• Apple Books:

  • Highlights sync across devices with iCloud.

  • Use apps like Highlights (macOS) to batch export notes.

• Kobo:

  • Kobo also syncs highlights online.

  • You can export annotations by accessing your Kobo account or using apps like Kobo Desktop.

b. Using Third-Party Apps and Tools

• Readwise: Aggregates highlights from Kindle, Apple Books, Instapaper, and more. Allows batch export to CSV, Evernote, Notion, or other platforms.

• Bookcision: A free Chrome extension to extract highlights from Kindle Cloud Reader.

• Clippings.io: Import Kindle clippings and organize/export them in bulk.

2. Extracting Highlights from PDFs and ePub Files

• Use PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat, Foxit Reader, or PDF-XChange which allow exporting annotations/highlights in bulk.

• For ePub files, tools like Calibre with plugins (e.g., “Annotations”) can batch extract highlights.

• Apps like LiquidText or MarginNote enable comprehensive highlighting and export.

3. Extracting Highlights from Physical Books

• Use apps like Evernote Scannable, Adobe Scan, or Microsoft Lens to digitize pages with highlights.

• Use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tools to convert images to text.

• Manually transcribe or use voice-to-text apps while reading.

4. Automation and Scripting

• If you have digital files and basic programming skills, you can write scripts (Python, etc.) using libraries like PyPDF2 or pdfplumber to extract highlighted text programmatically.

• APIs from services like Readwise can be used to automate extraction and organization.

Best Practices for Batch Extraction

• Keep your highlights well-organized with tags or categories.

• Regularly sync your digital reading devices to keep annotations up to date.

• Use cloud-based tools for easy access and backup.

• Export your highlights in standard formats like CSV, Markdown, or JSON for easier integration with note-taking or research tools.

Batch extracting highlights boosts productivity and knowledge retention by centralizing key insights from multiple books efficiently. Whether digital or physical, the right tools can streamline this process effectively.