Cover Seen First

Jamestoo · 10-30-2011, 02:08 PM

I'm just getting started in setting up my first ebook, which I'm producing on Sigil and converting to Kindle format, and viewing on the "KindleonPC" reader. ( I have a new Kindle on order, but am awaiting the release in November.)

I would like to have the cover as the first page shown by default. (My thinking is that the reader should see the cover of an ebook just as physical book cover is seen when one picks up a book to read.)

I've downloaded several ebooks from the forum to see what others have done and find that sometimes the cover does open first.

Other other equally well done publications show, for example, a title page first, with the cover only visible as an icon in the library, but after selection only seen when reader backs up the book to the cover.

My questions:

What in the epub format controls the default first page in an ebook file (If it makes any difference, which will be converted to the *. mobi format for Kindle)?

If coding this "first page" is possible, can you point me to a XHTML reference with explicit instructions for setting the default first page?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

CWatkinsNash · 10-30-2011, 03:18 PM

Someone else will have to come along with the exact details on pointing to the opening page, but if I'm not mistaken, you can't actually make it open to the cover, per se. I think you have to insert the cover image in a regular page to do that. If no one shows up here with the specifics, you may want to check the Sigil and ePub forums here.

dwig · 10-30-2011, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamestoo

... and find that sometimes the cover does open first.
...

No, you haven't seen a MOBI book open to the cover first. The Kindle/MOBI format does not allow the cover to be displayed as the default opening position.

You have be deceived by books that place an additional image that matches, or is very similar to, the actual cover at the beginning of the body of the book. If you use the Kindle's "Go To" function to go to the actual cover and then advance forward into the body of the book all will be revealed. You will see that there is a second image displayed that is the match to the cover. It may be at the very beginning of the book or there may be some titlepage, or such, displayed before you get to the second cover-esque image.

Personally, I prefer the book to open like a traditional paper book, to the title page and that that title page be the very first thing in the body of the book. Alternately, it could open to a frontpiece image of the classic type (an illustration of an event in the book and not a dupe of the cover). This allows a single back page action to reveal the actual cover full screen.

As it is with traditional paper book, the cover is to be viewed before opening the book as part of the book selection process. Placing the second copy of the cover image in the body of the book increases the file size unnecessarily.

Jamestoo · 10-30-2011, 04:37 PM

I appreciate both of your responding so quickly with answers to my questions.

I follow your reasoning, dwig, and agree that a title page is better as an opening page, and that is what I'll add to my project.

Thanks.

K-Thom · 10-30-2011, 06:24 PM

This is Amazon's strategy. "No frills, no diversions, go to the text, young man".

This is why they also never had a thumbnail view in the main menu. Pure focus on the main aspect: reading.

AlexBell · 10-31-2011, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-Thom

This is Amazon's strategy. "No frills, no diversions, go to the text, young man".

This is why they also never had a thumbnail view in the main menu. Pure focus on the main aspect: reading.

I don't think so; I think it's the old 'bug dressed up as a feature' routine, and is because the pidgin HTML which is the basis for mobi/azw just can't open the book at the cover.

It will be interesting to see what happens when and if Amazon gets round to using HTML5 instead of the secret variation on HTML 3.2 they use now. I suspect that when they start using an up to date version of HTML they'll decide that it's a good idea to open at the cover.

mr ploppy · 10-31-2011, 06:26 AM

Kindles open at the first #filepos location, easiest way to do it would be to create an entry for the duplicate cover image in the TOC. It will only work with cover images that don't bleed off the "page" because you can't set it to full screen.

10-30-2011, 02:08 PM	#1
Jamestoo Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle	Cover Seen First I'm just getting started in setting up my first ebook, which I'm producing on Sigil and converting to Kindle format, and viewing on the "KindleonPC" reader. ( I have a new Kindle on order, but am awaiting the release in November.) I would like to have the cover as the first page shown by default. (My thinking is that the reader should see the cover of an ebook just as physical book cover is seen when one picks up a book to read.) I've downloaded several ebooks from the forum to see what others have done and find that sometimes the cover does open first. Other other equally well done publications show, for example, a title page first, with the cover only visible as an icon in the library, but after selection only seen when reader backs up the book to the cover. My questions: What in the epub format controls the default first page in an ebook file (If it makes any difference, which will be converted to the *. mobi format for Kindle)? If coding this "first page" is possible, can you point me to a XHTML reference with explicit instructions for setting the default first page? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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10-30-2011, 03:18 PM	#2
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	Someone else will have to come along with the exact details on pointing to the opening page, but if I'm not mistaken, you can't actually make it open to the cover, per se. I think you have to insert the cover image in a regular page to do that. If no one shows up here with the specifics, you may want to check the Sigil and ePub forums here.

10-30-2011, 04:37 PM	#4
Jamestoo Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle	I appreciate both of your responding so quickly with answers to my questions. I follow your reasoning, dwig, and agree that a title page is better as an opening page, and that is what I'll add to my project. Thanks.

10-30-2011, 06:24 PM	#5
K-Thom The one and only Posts: 3,302 Karma: 535819 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Device: yup!	This is Amazon's strategy. "No frills, no diversions, go to the text, young man". This is why they also never had a thumbnail view in the main menu. Pure focus on the main aspect: reading.

10-31-2011, 06:26 AM	#7
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Kindles open at the first #filepos location, easiest way to do it would be to create an entry for the duplicate cover image in the TOC. It will only work with cover images that don't bleed off the "page" because you can't set it to full screen.