[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by Hitch

IF you use the DIY Amazon apps that exist today, and even some of the deprecated apps, Amazon limits it--not you. [...]

Thanks for all that info on Kindle Create, Kindle Kid's Book Creator, Apple/Kobo FXL EPUB3s, etc.

You're pretty much the only one I know that KNOWS the ins-and-outs + deals with all that FXL stuff... and then actually spreads nuggets of knowledge about it over the years.

(Everything else is like pulling teeth... + complete Amazon marketing lies/quarter-truths.)

Originally Posted by Hitch

MOST readers have nothing in common, performance/functionality-wise, with the App Formerly Known as iBooks (Books Reader, the stupidest bloody name ever).

Yep, and that's the thing too:

• Different ratios.

A two-page spread (or even image's layout in a book)... may not fit well inside the single-screen device.

It's like trying to squish a 7″×10″ (or 14″×20″) page into a 6″ screen—it just won't work! (Not to mention the horrible pinch/zooming we keep on mentioning.)—the two-page spread's text would just be... microscopic!

You may have to go back to the source document and tweak the size/placement of images/text to get a better visual in your FXL ebook.

Each one of these changes has to be tweaked/decided on... per page/device/store/book basis.

These FXL ebooks then need to be tested on the devices themselves, and, again, this is where professional knowledge comes into play.

A professional would preemptively make you aware of these issues and/or fix them before they become a larger problem. (Very bad user reviews, returned books, Kindle Quality Notices [KQNs].)

- - -

Side Note: I wrote a lot about "professional knowledge" in:

• 2022: /r/selfpublish: "Anybody have experience with the website formattedbooks?"

In the case of ebooks, a professional may:

• know lots of bugs/quirks of different devices.

If you're trying to do X (poetry/lyrics for example), they may code it in a way where it works better across all devices.

Or they may:

• know what ebook readers expect (choosing different fonts, font sizes, background colors, etc.)

... so they'll make sure to NOT break that.

Ebooks are also NOT just "the surface", the underlying HTML+code is just as important.

For example, Text-to-Speech is extremely important, and if:

• you do not use the correct characters (like accidentally using a MINUS SIGN instead of EM DASH)
• you do not mark the proper language (you say the book is "French" when it's actually "English")

... things may go very wrong!

(So many of these automated "one-click" tools create busted code. Those ebooks may "look okay on the surface", but once you begin poking at it and flipping switches, things break.)

- - -

Originally Posted by Hitch

What matters is what the publisher wants; if they end up learning a harder lesson, say, at Amazon with a KQN or the like, that's...that's different. It's not really our job, either here on MR or in my shop, to say "you CAN'T do that." I try to explain...but I don't hold interventions when they decide to go FXL. Just so you know. :-)

Good ol' Tex just says:

"FXL? Nah. Bad idea." (And then I promote Booknook.biz! )

Originally Posted by Hitch

It is, to be fair, their choice to make.

And they'll always get a strongly worded (few) paragraphs from me!