[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Notjohn

The file size as shown on the Amazon product page isn't related to the delivery fee? Then what in the world IS it related to?

What do you mean, what is it related to? Why do you think the "product details" section on the sales page has bupkus to do with what the publisher is paying Amazon to deliver?

The more I learn, the weirder it all seems.

You know, you're the publisher, not me. It seems to me you ought to know this stuff, a hell of a lot more than I do. Don't you think?

If the file size ostensibly increases, while the delivery fee remains the same, then obviously the better thing to do is to include a cover, since it fools the shopper into thinking he's getting a more capacious book for his money.

You amaze me, you do. Why on earth do you think that the shopper actually looks at the FILE SIZE of a book, prior to buying it? I don't know how many K books I've bought, since my first Kindle, but I can honestly say that in all those books--hundreds, or even thousands, I suspect--I've never ONCE looked at the file size in the product details. I don't think I'm any different than anyone else in that regard.

I have a client's book sitting on my bookshelf, that we created for him, etc., that has a deliverable size (for the fee calculation) of 3.59MB. Including the original, in-book cover. On the product page, it says it's 8.1MB. (n.b.: twice the size of the original mobi that we created for him, I'd add).

So: as I said: the file size on the sales page is utterly and completely unrelated to the "product details" size.

Now, to dispel the rest of the myths:

I just tested a book we've done. Just to be absolutely, positively, 100% certain that my memory isn't faulty. This is the same book--3.59 mb del. fee, 8.1mb "product details" size--that I mentioned above.

I added a 1549 x 2500px cover to the upload in Step whatever-it-is. And guess what, everyone? The deliverable size changed by....NOTHING!! NOTHING AT ALL!!

So, I don't know where that thread is on the KDP, but, if you opined or claimed or said that the addition of a cover would impact the DELIVERY FEE, notjohn, I'd highly recommend that you change your opinion post-haste. Because that is quite clearly and unarguably incorrect.

Hitch