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10.5.1 Applying CSS Reset ...................................................................................... 46
10.5.2 Including One CSS File Per HTML Page .............................................................. 46
10.5.3 Optimizing Content for Full Screen ..................................................................... 46
10.5.4 Using Large Region Magnification Tap Targets in Children’s Books ............................. 46
10.5.5 Using position:absolute for Text on Image ............................................................ 47
10.5.6 Future-Proofing Fixed-Layout Content in Children’s Books ........................................ 47
Creating Children’s Books with Multipage Background Images and Text ............................. 47
10.6
10.6.1 Using Side-by-Side Images to Form a Double-Page Spread When Orientation-Lock Is Set to
Landscape .......................................................................................................... 47
10.6.2 Positioning Text Blocks ................................................................................... 49
10.6.3 Aligning Text ............................................................................................... 49
11 Creating Graphic Novels/Manga/Comics (Fixed-Layout) ................................................ 49
Metadata Guidelines ........................................................................................... 50
11.1
Text Guidelines ................................................................................................. 51
11.2
Image Guidelines ............................................................................................... 53
11.3
11.3.1 Asset Requirements ...................................................................................... 53
11.3.2 Image Quality .............................................................................................. 53
Panel View (Region Magnification) .......................................................................... 53
11.4
Virtual Panels in Comics and Manga ........................................................................ 55
11.5
11.5.1 Requirement #1: Pairing Pages When Orientation-Lock Equals None ........................... 56
Optimizing Content for the Graphic Novel Experience ................................................... 60
11.6
11.6.1 Optimizing Tap Targets ................................................................................... 60
11.6.2 Optimizing View Panels .................................................................................. 60
11.6.3 Optimizing for Wide or Tall Action Scenes ............................................................ 60
12 Creating Fixed-Format Books Without Pop-ups ........................................................... 61
Metadata Guidelines ........................................................................................... 61
12.1
Text Guidelines ................................................................................................. 62
12.2
13 Creating Kindle Edition with Audio/Video Content ....................................................... 63
Audio Requirements ........................................................................................... 63
13.1
Video Requirements ........................................................................................... 63
13.2
File Requirements .............................................................................................. 64
13.3
13.3.1 Multimedia Directory ...................................................................................... 64
13.3.2 Confirm Correct Mime-Type ............................................................................. 64
13.3.3 File Size ..................................................................................................... 65
Navigation Guidelines .......................................................................................... 65
13.4
13.4.1 Including an Audio and Video TOC ..................................................................... 65
13.4.2 Including Audio and Video Assets in NCX File ....................................................... 65
Text Guidelines ................................................................................................. 66
13.5
Image Guidelines ............................................................................................... 66
13.6
Audio and Video Guidelines .................................................................................. 66
13.7
13.7.1 Adding Audio ............................................................................................... 66
13.7.2 Adding Video ............................................................................................... 67
13.7.3 Audio and Video Metadata Required ................................................................... 67
13.7.4 Providing Descriptive Media Captions ................................................................. 68
13.7.5 Adding Images with Play Controls ...................................................................... 68
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Custom Sample File Required................................................................................ 68
13.8
14 Creating Dictionaries ............................................................................................. 69
Metadata Guidelines ........................................................................................... 69
14.1
Text Guidelines ................................................................................................. 70
14.2
14.2.1 Dictionary Entry Template................................................................................ 70
Basic Dictionary HTML ........................................................................................ 70
14.3
14.3.1 Format ....................................................................................................... 70
14.3.2 Frameset element ......................................................................................... 70
14.3.3 Headword Index ........................................................................................... 72
Inflections for Dictionaries ..................................................................................... 73
14.4
14.4.1 Inflection Index ............................................................................................. 73
14.4.2 Exact-match parameter ................................................................................... 75
Building a Dictionary with Kindlegen ........................................................................ 75
14.5
QA Standards—Testing Kindle Dictionaries ............................................................... 75
14.6
14.6.1 Format Testing ............................................................................................. 75
14.6.2 Lookup Testing ............................................................................................ 76
PART IV. APPENDICES ........................................................................ 77
15 Appendix A: Enhanced Typesetting .......................................................................... 77
About Enhanced Typesetting ................................................................................. 77
15.1
Support for Enhanced Typesetting .......................................................................... 77
15.2
16 Appendix B: HTML and CSS Tags Supported in Kindle Format 8 ..................................... 78
HTML Support Table ........................................................................................... 78
16.1
CSS Support Table ............................................................................................. 81
16.2
17 Appendix C: Media Queries..................................................................................... 85
Media Query Guidelines ....................................................................................... 85
17.1
17.1.1 Use Correct CSS Syntax ................................................................................. 85
17.1.2 Add a CSS Comment Before Each Media Query .................................................... 86
17.1.3 Always Use Non-Media Query Code To Target E-Ink Devices .................................... 86
17.1.4 Media Queries Should Appear After Non-Media Query Code ..................................... 86
17.1.5 Avoid Duplicating Code ................................................................................... 87
Using Media Queries ........................................................................................... 88
17.2
Using Media Queries for Backward Compatibility With Mobi ............................................ 90
17.3
17.3.1 Submitting a Media Query ............................................................................... 91
17.3.2 Using the display:none Property with Media Queries................................................ 93
18 Appendix D: Guidelines for Converting XMDF to KF8 ................................................... 97
Kindlegen Command ........................................................................................... 97
18.1
Source Issues ................................................................................................... 97
18.2
18.2.1 Poor Image Quality ........................................................................................ 97
18.2.2 Bad quality images will result in the cover or other image being displayed too small. To avoid
this, provide good quality images. For quality requirements, see section 4 Cover Image Guidelines
and section 9.3.12 Sidebar Guidelines ......................................................................... 97
18.2.3 Blurred Gaiji characters .................................................................................. 97
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18.2.4 TOC Entries Hanging Style .............................................................................. 97
18.2.5 TOC Entries Not Linked .................................................................................. 98
18.2.6 Incorrect Number Orientation in TOC .................................................................. 98
18.2.7 Bold Kanji Characters ..................................................................................... 98
18.2.8 Faded Text ................................................................................................. 98
18.2.9 No Space Between Images .............................................................................. 99
18.2.10 Images Not Shown In Separate Pages ............................................................... 99
18.2.11 TOC Not Shown .......................................................................................... 99
18.2.12 Large Amount of Text Is Not Centered ............................................................... 99
18.2.13 Duplicate IDs ............................................................................................. 99
18.2.14 File Path and File Name Requirements .............................................................. 99
Unsupported Features ......................................................................................... 99
18.3
18.3.1 Ignored Features ........................................................................................ 101
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Part I. Getting Started
1 Introduction
There are several options for making your books available for the Amazon Kindle platform. Which option
is best for you depends upon the nature of your publications (such as your source file format), your
available resources and technical expertise, and your eBook sales model. To help you choose, here are
examples of common publishing scenarios and recommendations:
•
For self-publishers or authors who would like to take advantage of Amazon’s self-service tools to
create Kindle books and sell them on Amazon, see section 2.1, Amazon’s Kindle Direct
Publishing Platform.
•
For publishers with many titles to convert and the expertise to create Kindle books in-house using
Kindle Publisher Tools software, see section 2.2, Creating Kindle Books In-House Using Kindle
Publisher Tools.
•
For publishers who do not wish to convert titles in-house or do not have the technical expertise to
do so, outsourcing to a conversion house is described in section 2.3, Third-Party Conversion
Services.
2 Paths to Getting Your Content on Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing Platform
2.1
Self-publishers can convert books into electronic format using Amazon's self-publishing tools and sell
them on Amazon Kindle with Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Platform (KDP). KDP is a fast, easy self-
publishing system for Amazon Kindle. Upload your content, enter sales copy and pricing information, and
publish in minutes. To learn more or sign up, visit http://kdp.amazon.com.
Creating Kindle Books In-House Using Kindle Publisher Tools
2.2
Publishers can create Kindle books in-house from HTML, XHTML, and EPUB files by using the Kindle
Publisher tools. Amazon officially supports these tools to convert files to Kindle Format 8. Kindle files
created with these tools are designed to be compatible with current and future Kindle devices and
applications. Files created with third-party software may not work properly on current or future Kindle
devices and applications.
2.2.1 KindleGen
Publishers can create Kindle books in-house by using a free software program called KindleGen. This is a
command line tool designed for building Kindle books. KindleGen accepts source content in HTML,
XHTML, or EPUB format.
The most recent version of KindleGen can be downloaded for free from
www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlegen. Amazon periodically releases new versions of the KindleGen
software. Check the site regularly for updates.
2.2.1.1 Source Files to Use with KindleGen
To create Kindle files using KindleGen, you need:
•
A single HTML file that represents the entire book; or
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•
EPUB-compliant files. (IDPF’s EPUB spec is available at http://idpf.org/EPUB/30/spec/EPUB30-
overview.html)
Using the EPUB spec, you can create a Kindle book with multiple HTML files and a single OPF file that
links all of them together.
2.2.1.2 Installing KindleGen
IMPORTANT: Follow these steps to run KindleGen. Double-clicking the KindleGen icon does not launch
this program.
KindleGen for Windows (XP, Vista, 7)
1. Download the KindleGen zip file from www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlegen to the desktop.
2. Right-click the zip file, select Extract All, and enter the folder name as c:\Kindlegen.
3. Open a command prompt by selecting Start menu > All Programs > Accessories > Command
Prompt.
4. Type c:\KindleGen\kindlegen. Instructions on how to run KindleGen are displayed.
Conversion Example: To convert a file called book.html, use change directory (cd) to go to the
directory where the book is located, for example cd desktop, and type c:\KindleGen\kindlegen
book.html. If the conversion was successful, a new file called book.mobi displays on the desktop.
KindleGen for Linux 2.6 i386 or higher
1. Download the KindleGen tar.gz from www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlegen to a location such
as the home (~) directory.
2. Extract it to ~/KindleGen.
3. Open a command prompt and type ~/KindleGen/kindlegen. Instructions on how to run
KindleGen are displayed.
Conversion Example: To convert a file called book.html, use change directory (cd) to go to the
directory where the book is located, for example, cd desktop, and type ~/KindleGen/kindlegen
book.html. If the conversion was successful, a new file called book.mobi displays on the desktop.
KindleGen for Mac OS 10.5 and above i386
1. Download KindleGen.zip from www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlegen. By default, the file is
downloaded in the Downloads folder
2. Unzip the file. In Safari, the zip file is automatically unzipped after download. If this setting is
disabled or if another browser was used, double-click the downloaded file to unzip it.
3. Click the spotlight icon in the top right corner and type Terminal. Click the application to open it.
4. To view the instructions on how to run KindleGen, locate the kindlegen program in the Finder
window. Click and drag it to Terminal window where the cursor is. The cursor writes in the path
and moves to the end of the line. Press Enter to view the instructions.
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o Alternatively, view the instructions by typing the command cd
~/Downloads/KindleGen_Mac_i386_v2 in Terminal and then typing the command
kindlegen.
Conversion Example:
1. To convert a file called book.html, copy book.html to the desktop.
2. In the Finder window, locate the kindlegen program. Click and drag it to the Terminal window,
and drop it where the cursor is. The cursor inserts the path automatically and moves to the end of
that line.
3. In the Finder window, locate the document. Click and drag it to the Terminal window, and drop it
where the cursor is. The cursor writes in the path and moves to the end of the line. Press Enter. If
the conversion was successful, a new file called book.mobi displays on the desktop.
o Alternatively, convert the file by typing the command cd
~/Downloads/KindleGen_Mac_i386_v2 in Terminal and then typing the command
kindlegen ~/Desktop/book.html. If the conversion was successful, a new file called
book.mobi displays on the desktop.
2.2.1.3 Using KindleGen
To convert an EPUB or HTML book to the Kindle Format 8, use KindleGen version 2 or higher as
described below:
kindlegen filename.opf/.htm/.html/.epub [-c0 or -c1 or c2] [-verbose] [-
western] [-o <file name>]
Note:
zip formats are supported for XMDF sources
directory formats are supported for XMDF sources
Options:
-c0: no compression
-c1: standard DOC compression
-c2: Kindle huffdic compression (recommended for large, text-heavy files)
-o <file name>: Specifies the output file name. Output file will be
created in the same directory as that of input file. <file name> should not
contain directory path.
-verbose: provides more information during ebook conversion
-western: force build of Windows-1252 book
-releasenotes: display release notes
-gif: images are converted to GIF format (no JPEG in the book)
-locale <locale option>: To display messages in the selected language.
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