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Old 05-11-2012, 01:06 PM   #1
NuMor
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Red face Scanning my first books and what a nightmare this is being...

Hello all,

I am a writer, one more self-published writer, and I had this crazy idea it would be interesting to have my stories available for eventual readers using e-books - namely the Amazon Kindle, in a first phase.

I downloaded Calibre about a week ago and I have been trying unsuccessfully to convert two of my novellas into MOBI - first from Word (did not work, learned from the manual it is complicated) then from PDF (complicated again) and finally from HTML.

Now, this works, but;

- why is the font that I wrote in (Centaur) not used for the converted e-book?
- why are spaces not respected in the converted e-book, even when paragraphs are used (the respect for paragraphs seems completely random).

I look forward to learn from you.

Please bear in mind I am a computer end-user.
I type, the letters appear and form words which then become sentences.
This is almost as far as I go



Sad, yes, I know.

Thanks.
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Old 05-11-2012, 01:25 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by NuMor View Post
- why is the font that I wrote in (Centaur) not used for the converted e-book?
In order for your font to appear, it needs to be either:
- already installed on the ereader or
- embedded in the source file.

Since you most likely didn't embed the Centaur font and none of the Kindles has it installed by default, it comes as no surprise that the font is not displayed. (BTW, you can only embed free fonts or fonts for which you have bought a license.)

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- why are spaces not respected in the converted e-book, even when paragraphs are used (the respect for paragraphs seems completely random).
Spaces are respected if they're properly encoded in the source file. (In the .html file, each paragraph needs to be enclosed by <p>...</p> tags.)
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Old 05-11-2012, 02:05 PM   #3
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Thanks Doitsu
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Old 05-11-2012, 06:20 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by NuMor View Post
...I had this crazy idea it would be interesting to have my stories available for eventual readers using e-books - namely the Amazon Kindle...
Now, this works, but;

- why is the font that I wrote in (Centaur) not used for the converted e-book?...
The classic Kindle format does not support embedded fonts. The book will only display in the standard fonts built into the Kindles. The only exception is when you create the new KF8 version and then only when read on a Kindle Fire, an updated Kindle Touch, or the newest versions of the various Kindle For xx apps.
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Old 05-12-2012, 12:31 AM   #5
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The classic Kindle format does not support embedded fonts. The book will only display in the standard fonts built into the Kindles. The only exception is when you create the new KF8 version and then only when read on a Kindle Fire, an updated Kindle Touch, or the newest versions of the various Kindle For xx apps.
Thanks dwig.

Would you happen to know what are the standard fonts built into all kindles? This would help setting the text to the page. Thanks again.
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Old 05-12-2012, 12:38 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Doitsu View Post

Spaces are respected if they're properly encoded in the source file. (In the .html file, each paragraph needs to be enclosed by <p>...</p> tags.)
Just so I am clear. The paragraph enclosures you mention: <p> and </p>; are they inserted as shown, before and after the text of each paragraph, previous to pushing the "enter" key? Please let me know.

Did I mention I would probably ask inane questions? Thanks for your patience.
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Old 05-12-2012, 01:31 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by NuMor View Post
Just so I am clear. The paragraph enclosures you mention: <p> and </p>; are they inserted as shown, before and after the text of each paragraph, previous to pushing the "enter" key? Please let me know.
It doesn't make a difference where you place them, because HTML browsers (and eBook readers) ignore line-breaks.

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Did I mention I would probably ask inane questions
No offense, but if you want to create an ebook, you'll need at least basic HTML/CSS skills. Otherwise you'll need to use a commercial WYSIWYG ebook program that generates the required HTML code for you.

Either way you should get at least Sigil which will allow you to create an .ePub file that you can compile to a .mobi book by opening it with KindlePreviewer. And, while you're at it, you may want to read the Kindle Publishing Guidelines and download some sample files.
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Old 05-12-2012, 02:07 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NuMor View Post
Thanks dwig.

Would you happen to know what are the standard fonts built into all kindles? This would help setting the text to the page. Thanks again.
In my opinion you'd be best served by considering the content over the presentation since the presentation will change from device to device and format to format. Focus instead of ensuring that you've properly specified where the paragraphs end (using the HTML <p></p> tags mentioned already), where the chapters start, where the subsection breaks are, etc.

In my line of work we write a lot of technical documents and I constantly have to remind people to separate content from its presentation because presentation can change. If a document is properly marked up with what a chunk of text represents and how it should behave, rather than what it should look like, it makes it MUCH easier to handle differing presentations later (such as MS Word documents, PDF files, web pages, online help, etc)

Once you've done all of that you can export to MOBI and give up all further control (MOBI doesn't give a lot of control of final presentation to the creator), and then provide your preferred presentation for EPUB readers by embedding a font and providing some CSS for default margins, spacing, etc, but realize that the reader will still be able to override the presentation by changing the font size, margins, line spacing, as well as viewing it on different screen sizes (3.5" phones, 6" eink readers, 10" tablets, and computer screens of all sizes) so you really don't have the final say on how it looks even if you think that you do.

That said...

I'm surprised nobody has suggested this yet, but have you tried importing the text into Sigil and cleaning it up there and then re-exporting it?

Edit: oops... there was a Sigil recommendation. :-)
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Old 05-12-2012, 02:10 AM   #9
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No offence taken Doitsu. I am learning as I go along. And I may just realise the whole project is too much for me, but until then I 'll keep on trying.

Thanks for the tip on Sigil. I already had KindlePreviewer - that was how I realised the problems I first described - and I have read the Kindle Publishing Guidelines.

Last edited by NuMor; 05-12-2012 at 02:13 AM.
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Old 05-12-2012, 02:30 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by twowheels View Post
In my opinion you'd be best served by considering the content over the presentation since the presentation will change from device to device and format to format. Focus instead of ensuring that you've properly specified where the paragraphs end (using the HTML <p></p> tags mentioned already), where the chapters start, where the subsection breaks are, etc.

(...)

Once you've done all of that you can export to MOBI and give up all further control (MOBI doesn't give a lot of control of final presentation to the creator), and then provide your preferred presentation for EPUB readers by embedding a font and providing some CSS for default margins, spacing, etc, but realize that the reader will still be able to override the presentation by changing the font size, margins, line spacing, as well as viewing it on different screen sizes (3.5" phones, 6" eink readers, 10" tablets, and computer screens of all sizes) so you really don't have the final say on how it looks even if you think that you do.
Thanks for this twowheels. I am coming straight from paper books and their close link to text presentation - one not only reads text, one also has to look at it and therefore it must look good.

I realise now I will have to forego a bit of control at this level, and understand also that, in e-books, the author cannot really control anything – apart from content.

I’ll have a go at Sigil to see where that takes me.

Thanks again!
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Old 05-12-2012, 02:34 AM   #11
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I realise now I will have to forego a bit of control at this level, and understand also that, in e-books, the author cannot really control anything – apart from content.
While ebooks and pbooks are very different, I want to ensure that you didn't get the wrong idea from what I said:

The formatting is just as critical for ebooks, you're just controlling different aspects. You're telling the reader software what the blocks of text contain and letting the software decide how they should look. There are many poorly formatted ebooks out there where the publisher didn't put any effort into specifying those details, leaving the reader software with no information on how it should format the text and making it look like garbage.


(by software I mean either a program running on a traditional computer, or that which is built into a dedicated reading device, such as the Kindle)
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Old 05-12-2012, 02:39 AM   #12
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One more point:


Not sure if you've used MS Word much, but here's an example... in MS Word you have two ways that you can use the program... you can either type, then to make a block of text look like a section title you can say that it's bold, 14 point, red, underlined (for example) and then remember to do that for every section title. Then whenever you add a paragraph you can go back through the entire document and ensure that the titles don't land on the last line of the page and add blank lines before them to make them show up on the first line of the page, constantly juggling the spacing to get it to all look good... then when you come to your senses and decide that 14pt bold red underlined is an ugly title style and want to change it to 16 point small caps black and not underlined you can go through and find each and every section title and change it... ugh... what a pain in the rear, and exactly how most people use MS Word.

Alternatively you can create a paragraph style and specify what that paragraph style should look like. You can also indicate that the following paragraph should always be on the same page as this one and be of the proper following paragraph style. Then whenever you add text and indicate that it is a paragraph of that section heading style, MS Word will automatically ensure that the section titles stay with their associated text, and when you change what the style looks like the entire document is automatically updated in one fell swoop... also, once you've typed your section title and press enter it'll automatically assign the proper paragraph style for your next paragraph!

This later way of working (the correct way) is what I'm recommending that you do with your ebook.

Last edited by twowheels; 05-12-2012 at 02:41 AM.
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Old 05-12-2012, 03:32 AM   #13
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One more point:

Alternatively you can create a paragraph style and specify what that paragraph style should look like. You can also indicate that the following paragraph should always be on the same page as this one and be of the proper following paragraph style. Then whenever you add text and indicate that it is a paragraph of that section heading style, MS Word will automatically ensure that the section titles stay with their associated text, and when you change what the style looks like the entire document is automatically updated in one fell swoop... also, once you've typed your section title and press enter it'll automatically assign the proper paragraph style for your next paragraph!

This later way of working (the correct way) is what I'm recommending that you do with your ebook.
Thanks again twowheels. This is very helpful.

It must be said, on Calibre's behalf, that my original conversions -from HTML to MOBI - do not look that bad. They are just a bit off...

Text paragraphs and dialogue lines are actually OK, for most part. Chapters are well defined - sometimes too well, with one extra blank page between them which did not exist on the HTML doc.

My sole concerns, at first look, were: wrong font - which, although it came as a shock that not all fonts I take for granted in a pc are available in Kindle, is a problem now sorted - and blank paragraphs - for the lack of better description, these are the spaces left blank at the beginning of a novel (i.e. one page may have only one sentence, the title, another just a paragraph of credits) and in between blocks of text, to represent changes in scenery, dialogue or time of occurrence - which are mostly not respected.

I'll have to "see" the stories I would like to convert in one of the standard fonts accepted by Kindle, type it in that font into HTML and then convert the HTML doc into MOBI, trying to make sure the paragraphs are well marked and defined in advance.

It is going to take a bit of work to get he first one right, but I hope the next ones will become easier.

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Old 05-12-2012, 11:23 AM   #14
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Thanks dwig.

Would you happen to know what are the standard fonts built into all kindles? This would help setting the text to the page. Thanks again.
They vary depending on which Kindle device or app you are using. The Kindle Previewer does a rather good, though not perfect, job of replicating the fonts and dispaly attributes of the various devices and the iOS apps.
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Old 05-12-2012, 11:50 AM   #15
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...and blank paragraphs - for the lack of better description, these are the spaces left blank at the beginning of a novel (i.e. one page may have only one sentence, the title, another just a paragraph of credits) and in between blocks of text, to represent changes in scenery, dialogue or time of occurrence - which are mostly not respected...
This failure to convert various spacing is to be expected when converting from a page orientated file type (files from wordprocessors and page layout/design apps) to an ebook format where there is no "page" construct. The problem is always worse when antique typewriter formatting methods are used instead of using styles exclusively.
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