diff --git a/src/calibre/library/database2.py b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
index 00da8f3e37..388a2d4fdb 100644
--- a/src/calibre/library/database2.py
+++ b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ from calibre.library import title_sort
 from calibre.library.database import LibraryDatabase
 from calibre.library.sqlite import connect, IntegrityError
 from calibre.utils.search_query_parser import SearchQueryParser
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata import string_to_authors, authors_to_string, MetaInformation
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata import string_to_authors, authors_to_string, \
+                                    MetaInformation, authors_to_sort_string
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.meta import get_metadata, set_metadata, \
     metadata_from_formats
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.opf2 import OPFCreator
@@ -1197,11 +1198,17 @@ class LibraryDatabase2(LibraryDatabase):
      
     def import_book(self, mi, formats, notify=True):
         series_index = 1 if mi.series_index is None else mi.series_index
+        if not mi.title:
+            mi.title = _('Unknown')
         if not mi.authors:
             mi.authors = [_('Unknown')]
-        aus = mi.author_sort if mi.author_sort else ', '.join(mi.authors)
+        aus = mi.author_sort if mi.author_sort else authors_to_sort_string(mi.authors)
+        if isinstance(aus, str):
+            aus = aus.decode(preferred_encoding, 'replace')
+        title = mi.title if isinstance(mi.title, unicode) else \
+                mi.title.decode(preferred_encoding, 'replace')
         obj = self.conn.execute('INSERT INTO books(title, uri, series_index, author_sort) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)', 
-                          (mi.title, None, series_index, aus))
+                          (title, None, series_index, aus))
         id = obj.lastrowid
         self.data.books_added([id], self.conn)
         self.set_path(id, True)