[Hitch]

Originally Posted by slowsmile

I'm afraid that I can't quote you a Kindle guideline ref for my belief that it doesn't matter whether you have a cover image file in your epub or not on conversion to mobi -- because KDP will add or replace your cover image with the Amazon product image anyway. I actually got that information from Hitch, who is a Kindle recommended professional formatter, on the KDP forum some years ago.

You've either misunderstood or misstated what I said. At the time, I was talking about the fact that someone could upload an ePUB (or HTML file, etc.) with NO cover, because you can upload a cover image which Amazon will, indeed, insert into the resulting MOBI file in the Cover image position. However, William, I have said, very loudly, for years, that a cover.html or cover.xhtml file should absolutely NOT be used. It does not function well with Kindlegen. To this day, the Dreaded Double Cover situation exists from Word files at the KDP--I see no reason to assume that it's been resolved, 100%, for other source files.

We make our files as does St. Albert--we build our ePUB, get a working, ePUB-checked copy, and then we remove the cover.xhtml page/file. We leave the meta pointing at the cover, as ewll as the Guide (for the Go To functionality).

Honestly, we haven't made a MOBI from an ePUB with a cover.xhtml file in at least 5 years, possibly longer. As long as Amazon has been inserting the covers "for" the publishers.

So if you don't believe what I say abut the cover image file then perhaps best to ask her when you get the chance. Hitch has also stated that Kindle is terrible at updating their own guidelines docs to align with any new formatting changes. That's fairly well known too.

Yes, that's certainly true, but that's why it's helpful to test, test test. We do it through sheer volume, really, but...

And here's another Kindle guidelines oddity. Kindle does not recommend using SVG cover images for KDP upload in its Kindle Image Guidelines. The Kindle Image requirements still clearly state that only jpeg or tiff cover images should be used. And yet plenty of people on this forum successfully and regularly upload svg cover images in their epubs(KF8 only) to KDP without any problems. Why doesn't the Kindle guidelines say anything about using SVG cover images being used in epubs??

Due to KF7, quite simply.

And what's even more peculiar is that you cannot upload an SVG image as your product image -- that's not possible. So if you put an SVG cover image into your ebook, how is it that the SVG cover image in your ebook is able to override the Amazon product image being inserted into your ebook?? Nothing is said about that either in the Kindle Guidelines. I'm still scratching my head over that one. And if you don't believe what I've said about SVG cover images being used in Kindle ebooks then you should perhaps download Granny Grump's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Amazon and have a look at the svg cover image for yourself.

I don't know which one is GG's, but always happy to look.

If you still believe that KDP requirements or guidelines docs are perfectly adequate and always tell the truth then try finding the the Kindle requirements for creating a perfect Look Inside version of you ebook. That should be in their doc guidelines, right? You won't find any Kindle guidelines on how to assure a perfect Look Inside anywhere on the internet. I learned most of what I know about formatting the Look Inside correctly by trial and error. Hitch has also mentioned that Look Inside formatting guidelines have always been 'Top Secret' and would never be revealed to the general public. Don't ask me why. Ask Hitch.

Very simply, again, because the LITB is in a current state of flux. I doubt that Amazon itself is sure enough of the LITB functionality and predictability to put out Guidelines on it. Not quite sure what on earth the LITB has to do with putting a cover.xhtml file in an ePUB destined for Kindle, as really, as I mention, nobody has done that for the last 5 or so years. {shrug}

Hitch