Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch
If you want to publish a proper file at Amazon, today, just upload a bloody ePUB. Getting an older version of Kindlegen won't help you. By 6/28, MOBI files will no longer be accepted, no matter how they are made.
...
(Can't wait to see what Smashwords is planning to do, as they use the Calibre API, AFAIK....)
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Smashwords have two well known retailers they don't supply:
1) Amazon
2) Google (PlayStore PlayBooks).
What Amazon accepts as KDP upload is irrelevant to Smashwords.
They have some prehistoric conversion process that only uses MS-DOC and the results are not great. You can upload epub direct and/or mobi for Kindle, then whatever isn't uploaded is provided via their ms doc input conversion.
Unlike Amazon,
Smashwords doesn't know what sort of Kindle you have. Amazon create at least three Kindle versions from the uploaded epub2 or docx. They ask which it's for if you have more than one Kindle. Kindle apps count as different kindle models.
The Calibre created Dual Mobi from epub2 does KF7 on really old Kindles, choice of KF7 or KF8 on some (Publisher option gives KF8) and on later ones KF8 only with the usual Amazon font fall backs (vary per kindle) unless the user selects Publisher which does give the same appearance as an epub2 ereader using the embedded fonts.
I use DXG, Kindle Keyboard 3, Paperwhite 3 and Kindle Android to test if we do a new paragraph style. In such a case we might not trust the preview file offered by Amazon after epub2 upload, but test purchase in UK and USA on two different kindles.
I also test epub2 on Aldiko (4.3" phone), Lithium (6" phone, 7" & 10" tablets), Sony PRS-350, Kobo Libra and on Koreader on an 8" eink.
Calibre viewer just to see TOC, links, format. It works perfectly with ebooks that are actually broken on an ereader.
We make sure changing margins, line spacing and font works as well as all embedded fonts are correct on the Libra. If it's broken there, it's broken everywhere except maybe the Calibre Viewer.
So we upload epub2 (same one) to Google, Amazon and Smashwords.
We upload dual-mobi made from that epub to Smashwords for Kindle.
We upload an MS doc also to Smashwords.
You don't get samples created unless you let Smashwords do everything from an ms doc. Which is poor!
So we are now adding sample PDF, epub2, dual-mobi and audio to our web site. People can see online a sample or download a sample from Amazon even if they have only epub ereader. We have no DRM.
So anyway, what Amazon accepts as KDP upload is irrelevant to Smashwords.
A difference with our own samples:
We end the full text at a suitable point.
The full TOC/NCX (Index) works as we leave a sentence or a paragraph at the start of every chapter.