Quote:
Originally Posted by knightrider247
Hi there,
I have a problem that has taken too much of my time already .. therefore I am turning to you for help ...My quest:
Publishing a photo book an Amazon KDP in the best way possible
By that I mean - -the pictures go from side to side or top to bottom (depending on portrait or landscape) - so there is no margin on 2 sides each time
- -the ratio of the picture is not changed
- -compatibility with as many devices as possible
- -navigation feature (hold and swipe on a Kindle) - I can send a picture of that if wanted
I found an example that meets all the requirements (nudity!):* https://www.amazon.de/Uber-500-Sexfo...s=books&sr=1-3
So I basically just*want the same quality of book like this author.
My research so far
Kindle Support says that the*above book was submitted as a MOBI file and was very likely professionally made.
One seasoned publisher told me that the navigation thing is only possible with Comic-made books (question here would be: was it made with the old one or the current one?)
an uploaded Word-file or kbf does not do the trick
I am working with Calibre since yesterday, so I am really a newbie at this ... should I import a PDF or create the book itself in Calibre?
My questions - What format to use? (MOBI, I assume?)What tool to use to create the book?If Calibre
- Do I make one html for each photo?
- Or should I put them all on one html page since it looks like pages afterwards anyway?
- How could I automize this?
- How can the navigation feature be created?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Chris |
Chris:
You're going to get the same experts here that you did on KDP. Me and jhowell and some others. And we're going to tell you the same damn thing. But, as other folks read this forum, let me address some of your questions.
You
CANNOT even with fixed-layout, make a book in which the images will *always* go side-to-side, with no margin. Why? Because no two eBook readers are the same. Kindles don't have all the same aspect ratio (relative ratio of height to width) and that means, you cannot possibly make an image that will always fill the screen on different devices with different screen ratios.
Can't be done. You need to pick a device size and ratio, and use that. Otherwise, all you can do is distort the images by setting them to 100%. You've already said you don't want to do that.
Fixed-layout is NOT compatible with that many Kindle devices. Generally speaking, KDP limits download of fixed-layout, whether it's Kids' books, Comics, or other FXL eBooks, to Fire devices and then software readers, like Kindle 4 PC, Kindle 4Mac, for Tablet, etc. You would not be able to be seen on Paperwhites, etc.
Which I told you at the KDP forums.
As jhowell told you, the image you displayed of the "hold and sweep" navigation, is from the
Comic Book Creator. You don't get that with other FXL eBooks. It's called panel view.
I feel I should also add that KDP has
significantly changed how those books work. Now, when those are made, Comics, etc., they play the "panels" like a slideshow (if requested!) and--here's the important part--
only the selected panels are shown. The zoomed portion.
The remainder of the page is not displayed automatically. You simply slide the panel and the next "page" or popped-up panel displays.
That's what you're asking about. If you don't have any other content on the page, then this is what you need. It won't address your "image needs to be full bleed without distortion no matter what" request, but that's Magical Thinking, as it cannot be done due to the differing aspect ratios of the Fire devices (in this instance, for FXL). And just think about what that would take for the various software device readers! Yowza.
YES, the submitted file was likely a MOBI. It was likely made using Kindle Comic Creator, some years back. (Or with the older software, more recently.) Or hand-coded to work like the older KCC software. The thing that's odd is that KDP is allowing you to download it to a PPW,
which is why I think that it was published a while back. I don't see a publishing date and I don't see reviews, but I dunno--
DO people review porny stuff? Or adult stuff? KDP Playboy stuff?
Newer submitted books, in FXL, are now routinely blocked from being downloaded by eInks. Older books seem to be taking some time, working their way through the system and presumably, those books in the adult ghetto are at the bottom of the priority list. (I don't know that, factually; it's an educated guess on my part.) I know that a few books that we've made, over the years, which I could
formerly download and view on my Voyage or Oasis, can no longer be read on those devices. I just tested this, this past weekend. Amazon is obviously withdrawing all the FXL eBooks from eReader compatiblity.
No,
you cannot do this with Calibre. Calibre is not a tool for making eBooks, it's a library tool that also has "conversion" features for people to convert their OWN books. It's not really meant as a commercial book production tool and you can't make fixed-layout with it, not by pushing buttons.
You cannot have everything you want. You can have images that fill many, not all, screens. You can have "full-bleed" images if you use KCC or one of the other FXL options. That will absolutely limit your distribution--period. Not optional, non-negotiable. You cannot make this using Calibre; you will have to use one of Amazon's DIY tools, unless you are going to learn how to write HTML and CSS and even then...you won't get some magically different result, than you would just using the DIY programs.
No, you're correct, a Word file or .kpf file made from a reflowable Word file sort of source document will NOT do the trick.
Perhaps you should consider this--that navigation that you are SO in love with,
only happens in panel view. That means that the reader has tap-zoomed and is viewing the zoomed panels, in the "comic" or book. Your readers could just as easily tap-zoom the images in a regular, reflowable eBook. No, they
can't just slide from image A to image B; they'd have to flip the page and then tap-zoom the next image...but deciding that you would live with a reflowable ebook would get you access to
the millions of people with eInks, that you would lose if you do fixed-layout.
But...well, let's see. Maybe someone else here will tell you something that you
want to hear, but...well, I'd say that the odds aren't great.
Hitch