TOC for multi-volume work

[BobK99]

I want to produce an 'Uber'-TOC, pointing to a number of other EPUB files, and wonder what the syntax is for making a link to another EPUB file. I assume it's like the <a href="../Text/WVGT-intro.xhtml#Intro">Introduction</a> I've been using for internal links, but with some magic word other than 'Text'. I've tried lots of possibilities though ('File', 'Book', 'Volume'... and a few others) without any luck. (Of course, one of them might have worked, if I'd uploaded the EPUBs, but Sigil didn't reflect it. It kept saying 'File not found' - as if it knew it was supposed to be looking for one).



b

[DiapDealer]

Not possible to link to a file in another ePub container as far as I know. Even if it were possible RE ePub specs, I doubt you'd find any readers that would honor the functionality.

[theducks]

DiapDealer

the magic 'Text' is really ../Text which is just the path to another (alongside) Folder inside the EPUB

[BobK99]

I wonder why KDP insist on it then :

For bundled editions containing more than one individual book, include an over-arching TOC at the beginning of the file.

Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines, 3.3.7

I guess I'm misinterpreting; it does after all say 'the file'; so I suppose they mean 'At the beginning of the first volume, put a link to future volumes. Future volumes should be added to the existing EPUB file.' If so, I don't think they support my idea - publishing a part-work in stages, unless I just have links to 'volume N - tbs'.



b

[Man Eating Duck]

Originally Posted by BobK99

I wonder why KDP insist on it then :


Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines, 3.3.7

I guess I'm misinterpreting; it does after all say 'the file'; so I suppose they mean 'At the beginning of the first volume, put a link to future volumes. Future volumes should be added to the existing EPUB file.' If so, I don't think they support my idea - publishing a part-work in stages, unless I just have links to 'volume N - tbs'.



b

I'm pretty sure this refers to 'Omnibus' editions, ie the collected stories of Sherlock Holmes or Lord of the Rings I-III. In those cases a comprehensive TOC spanning all volumes makes a lot of sense

With the way every reader stores its files differently, a scheme for linking between epubs would be very fragile, and none exist AFAIK. Neither do I believe it would be a good idea, as any one person might not even own all volumes.

[kiwidude]

For an omnibus (bundle), you put all the HTML files and resources from the individual EPUB books together into one combined EPUB. Then at the start of that combined EPUB file add an additional TOC page which points to the individual start of book pages within it.

Edit: Man Eating Duck beat me

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

For an omnibus (bundle), you put all the HTML files and resources from the individual EPUB books together into one combined EPUB. Then at the start of that combined EPUB file add an additional TOC page which points to the individual start of book pages within it.

Edit: Man Eating Duck beat me

As we're in the process of making a series of omnibi (ha! I fear, it is really the mundane "omnibuses," but I prefer omnibi...sounds like a bus full of succubi), I can indeed confirm that this is precisely what they mean--the "future volumes" are the succeeding volumes in the same omnibus, not some future event. (And, not to get all Doctor Whovian, but, hell, how could you link to "a future volume," any damn way?) I did discuss this with my Tech. Acct. Mgr at Amazon, so, yes, MED and kiwidude are correct.

Hitch

[BobK99]

Originally Posted by Hitch

... (And, not to get all Doctor Whovian, but, hell, how could you link to "a future volume," any damn way?) ...

This did occur to me; I was planning a link to an actual file - volumeN.epub - in which the only text would be "Not yet published". But come to think of it that's pretty unfriendly - making them click to get the bad news - and I might as well say "Not yet published" in the TOC itself.

Thanks

b