I guess this is basic, but...

fergdeff · 09-18-2023, 06:56 PM

Hey,

I should say firstly that this is not a promotional blurb - it's a tech question - just cos, you know, it might sound like it at first and people turn off...

So here's my thing. I am trying to promote a book I wrote and published through kdp. I've just added the eBook, and that's all working fine through Amazon and all.

But, what I want to do is create an epub (which I believe would be the best format); then link to the epub from my blog - this would be available free for prospective reviewers. They can download from the link and... well you get the idea. To try to encourage readers, some of whom might be so kind as to give me a review.

So my problem is that while I can use Kindle Create to produce an epub. And, this works - I can Send it to my Kindle. The thing is... that it has no cover and no author name - basically no custom metadata. And Kindle Create doesn't allow me to add these.

I downloaded and tried Calibre, which allows me to edit the metadata, to add a cover and author name. But. It produced some extra files - an opf (manifest file) and also the cover as jpg is not included in the epub itself. Worse, when I try to use the Send to Kindle feature (which I expect is what a lot of potential reviewers will be doing) it gives me errors - even if I just try to send the epub. I tried zipping, sending all three, no luck.

So, I figure I'm missing something basic. Maybe there's just no way for me to do this with an epub file on a Kindle? Anyone know if it's possible? Or if there's a better way? Should I just consider creating a pdf instead?

DNSB · 09-18-2023, 08:18 PM

Are you using the epubcheck plugin for the calibre ebook-editor to check for errors? Send to Kindle is rather fussy over even minor errors.

The cover and .opf file are part of calibre's library storage and you should not be mucking with those files. If you want to embed cover and metadata information, you can either use calibre's Polish tool or install the ModifyEpub plugin. Normally, the epub file in the calibre library will not be modified unless you use a tool that does so. When you save to disk or send to device, the default is to embed metadata since those files are moving outside of calibre.

fergdeff · 09-19-2023, 09:50 AM

Yep. The Polish book option works better, but still not problems with the cover image. I have some more questions, but I'm going to post them in the Calibre forum

Thanks!

JSWolf · 09-19-2023, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fergdeff

Yep. The Polish book option works better, but still not problems with the cover image. I have some more questions, but I'm going to post them in the Calibre forum

Thanks!

You'd be best posting in the ePub forum.

09-18-2023, 06:56 PM	#1
fergdeff Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 20 Join Date: Sep 2023 Device: Kindle Basic 4th Generation	I guess this is basic, but... Hey, I should say firstly that this is not a promotional blurb - it's a tech question - just cos, you know, it might sound like it at first and people turn off... So here's my thing. I am trying to promote a book I wrote and published through kdp. I've just added the eBook, and that's all working fine through Amazon and all. But, what I want to do is create an epub (which I believe would be the best format); then link to the epub from my blog - this would be available free for prospective reviewers. They can download from the link and... well you get the idea. To try to encourage readers, some of whom might be so kind as to give me a review. So my problem is that while I can use Kindle Create to produce an epub. And, this works - I can Send it to my Kindle. The thing is... that it has no cover and no author name - basically no custom metadata. And Kindle Create doesn't allow me to add these. I downloaded and tried Calibre, which allows me to edit the metadata, to add a cover and author name. But. It produced some extra files - an opf (manifest file) and also the cover as jpg is not included in the epub itself. Worse, when I try to use the Send to Kindle feature (which I expect is what a lot of potential reviewers will be doing) it gives me errors - even if I just try to send the epub. I tried zipping, sending all three, no luck. So, I figure I'm missing something basic. Maybe there's just no way for me to do this with an epub file on a Kindle? Anyone know if it's possible? Or if there's a better way? Should I just consider creating a pdf instead?

09-19-2023, 09:50 AM	#3
fergdeff Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 20 Join Date: Sep 2023 Device: Kindle Basic 4th Generation	Thank you Yep. The Polish book option works better, but still not problems with the cover image. I have some more questions, but I'm going to post them in the Calibre forum Thanks!

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09-18-2023, 08:18 PM	#2
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 44,574 Karma: 168431235 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	Are you using the epubcheck plugin for the calibre ebook-editor to check for errors? Send to Kindle is rather fussy over even minor errors. The cover and .opf file are part of calibre's library storage and you should not be mucking with those files. If you want to embed cover and metadata information, you can either use calibre's Polish tool or install the ModifyEpub plugin. Normally, the epub file in the calibre library will not be modified unless you use a tool that does so. When you save to disk or send to device, the default is to embed metadata since those files are moving outside of calibre.

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