Start location

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Version 2019.1 of the Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines is now available.

Listed changes are:
...
Updated 5.3, Guide Items, to clarify that the start reading location is defined by Amazon.
..

Over the years, there have been many threads started by readers, authors, and book makers about the start reading location, and many of these have expressed a strong desire that the location be the cover. It is frequently stated that just can not be done.

I recently bought Guns, Germs, and Steel on sale for $2.99 (, sale price still good), and imagine my surprise when it opened at the cover. (Actually, location 2, but that is the cover image.)

https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-St...dp/B06X1CT33R/

So, is amazon playing some kind of game?

[Notjohn]

Interesting. The Look Inside sample also opens at the (first) cover. (There are two covers, both apparently full size. Is that true also of the downloaded book?)

I have found that not entering a start / text location in the epub gives me a fair chance of the Look Inside sample's starting at the cover. I don't think it follows that the downloaded book starts there, but I really don't care what happens once the shopper actually buys the book.

I never include a cover in the uploaded epub for Kindle, because that sometimes results in the duplicated cover (though usually the included cover is not full screen). Absent an included cover, I don't see how it's possible to point to a start location at the cover.

Indeed, my experience has been that if I do include a start / text instruction other than at the first page of text, the book will open in the middle of the TOC.

[Hitch]

Guys?

Anyone here read the Publishing Guidelines? I'm starting to think that only J. Howell and I ever read this stuff. Check the newest version, 2019.1, which says, in 5.3:

The start reading location is defined by Amazon. I

Hitch

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Guys?

Anyone here read the Publishing Guidelines? I'm starting to think that only J. Howell and I ever read this stuff. Check the newest version, 2019.1, which says, in 5.3:

Quote:
The start reading location is defined by Amazon.

And isn't that exactly what I quoted and bolded in my OP?

My question is if it is not technically possible to have Kindle books open at the cover, how is it happening with this book?

And if it is Amazon policy to not have books open at the cover, why is it happening with this book?

[lumpynose]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

imagine my surprise when it opened at the cover. (Actually, location 2, but that is the cover image.)

Maybe you can't have it open at location 1, which is typically the cover?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

And isn't that exactly what I quoted and bolded in my OP?

My question is if it is not technically possible to have Kindle books open at the cover, how is it happening with this book?

And if it is Amazon policy to not have books open at the cover, why is it happening with this book?

The "it's not possible..." thing is a hangover, from the days when the SRL was set, both initially by bookmakers and by folks that set the "start" location using a bookmark in Word. Then, in...I think it was 2012, Amazon changed it to the "first full page after the TOC" thing, and that's when the "you can't start at the cover" bit commenced.

I know that some people have reported anecdotally that not trying to set an SRL has resulted in books opening at the cover. I haven't invested any time in sorting out the what/why of it. I had a client recently, prior to the new PG I quoted above, having a cow about his SRL and we tried a variety of things, to no avail--the book opened to the first chapter. And we're not pikers at this.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO, my thoughts are, run the book through MOBI unpack, and let's see what's in it? You could be the discoverer of the answer.

Hitch

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Notjohn

Interesting. The Look Inside sample also opens at the (first) cover. (There are two covers, both apparently full size. Is that true also of the downloaded book?)

kindleunpack output only has one.

Originally Posted by Notjohn

Indeed, my experience has been that if I do include a start / text instruction other than at the first page of text, the book will open in the middle of the TOC.

That's weird.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

kindleunpack output only has one.



That's weird.

No, the mystery of the Middle-of-the-TOC is a real thing.

Hitch

[RbnJrg]

The key to have the SRL at the cover is very technical; basically consist in... to pray (because Amazon can do anything).

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Hitch

No, the mystery of the Middle-of-the-TOC is a real thing.

Hitch

Should I written bizarre instead?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

The key to have the SRL at the cover is very technical; basically consist in... to pray (because Amazon can do anything).

But what about books that are not submitted to amazon?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

But what about books that are not submitted to amazon?

I assume you're being humorous?

Hitch

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

But what about books that are not submitted to amazon?

Sorry but I'm not understanding you very well. You mean ebooks for Kindle not sold by Amazon? If so, that seems even to be a more technical thing that my previous statement (that was "extremedly technical", by the way ).

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I assume you're being humorous?

Hitch

No, I am not.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Hitch

The "it's not possible..." thing is a hangover, from the days when the SRL was set, both initially by bookmakers and by folks that set the "start" location using a bookmark in Word. Then, in...I think it was 2012, Amazon changed it to the "first full page after the TOC" thing, and that's when the "you can't start at the cover" bit commenced.

I know that some people have reported anecdotally that not trying to set an SRL has resulted in books opening at the cover. I haven't invested any time in sorting out the what/why of it. I had a client recently, prior to the new PG I quoted above, having a cow about his SRL and we tried a variety of things, to no avail--the book opened to the first chapter. And we're not pikers at this.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO, my thoughts are, run the book through MOBI unpack, and let's see what's in it? You could be the discoverer of the answer.

Hitch

For some reason, I had not really processed the above when I first read it.

Thanks for the historical explanation. That clears things up somewhat for me.

I did run it through kindleunpack, but I have no idea what to look for in the rawml.

I had naively assumed that someone would download a free sample and figure it out.