Cannot embed cover to ebook file

[Siavahda]

I built the .epub file myself from epubs downloaded from AO3 and merged together with the epubmerge plugin. Chose a cover, hit 'embed metadata', converted to .mobi, and sent to device.

But once it's on my Kindle, the cover can't be viewed.

I've tried marking it as a personal document and not; converting to .azw3 instead of .mobi; and ticking the 'enable sharing of book content via Facebook' option on the mobi output page. (I'm not sure how that was supposed to help, but I found it as a suggestion when I Googled). I've also tried resizing the image file and changing it from .png to .jpeg. It's only this file, sending other ebooks to my Kindle via Calibre results in zero problems viewing the book covers.

Can anybody help?

[eschwartz]

What do you mean the cover can't be viewed on the Kindle? Your profile says you have a K3, so I assume you don't mean the library Cover view, and instead you are referring to the actual first page of the AZW3.

I can't think why that might fail, can you attach the AZW3? (Fanfiction should be safe to upload without violating copyright.)

[Siavahda]

I do actually mean the library cover view - the picture is viewed fine on the first page of the file.

I experimented some more and found that the problem was with the cover image - for whatever reason, if I set some other image as the cover, it viewed perfectly. I don't know what it was about that one picture (size of the pic file and file format made zero difference), but I eventually gave up and found another cover.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Siavahda

I do actually mean the library cover view - the picture is viewed fine on the first page of the file.

I experimented some more and found that the problem was with the cover image - for whatever reason, if I set some other image as the cover, it viewed perfectly. I don't know what it was about that one picture (size of the pic file and file format made zero difference), but I eventually gave up and found another cover.

Kindles do not OPEN on the cover. That is the way they are designed.
You need to do tricks to get around that design. (look in the Kindle Format forum here at MR for ideas and tips)

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Siavahda

I do actually mean the library cover view - the picture is viewed fine on the first page of the file.

I experimented some more and found that the problem was with the cover image - for whatever reason, if I set some other image as the cover, it viewed perfectly. I don't know what it was about that one picture (size of the pic file and file format made zero difference), but I eventually gave up and found another cover.

Hmm, as I recall the library cover view was first introduced as an update to the KT, and only the KT and later have that option.

Anyway, calibre sideloads the cover thumbnails itself so the Kindle can see it in cover view (you can check for the thumbnail in "[userstore]/system/thumbnails/") but once that happens it is all up to the Kindle itself. You can ask in our Kindle forums if anyone knows why the Kindle might choke on a particular thumbnail, but at that point it would no longer be a calibre problem.