kindlegen plugin for Sigil

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

Is there any benefit in this plugin over dropping the epub file into Kindle Previewer? Serious question, not a snark!

The plug-in allows you to insert a genuine Amazon ASIN. If you sideload the resulting AZW3 onto your Kindle, you will get covers on the Kindle home screen, and it will be treated as a "Book" rather than a "Doc." (However, if you transfer the book using Send-to-Kindle, Amazon will override the ASIN with a new one, so this trick only works with USB-transfer.)

The plug-in will also generate a thumbnail image if you want to manually transfer the cover to your Kindle.

Originally Posted by msh2050

how I can use this with this negative margin script should I make it as azw then import to sigil and lastly export?

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...17&postcount=8

I'm not entirely sure what your goal is or what the negative margin script does, but I adjust margins by inserting the following in the CSS stylesheet:

@media amzn-kf8 {
	p, h1, h2, h3 {
		margin-left: -20px; 
		margin-right: -20px; 
		}
	}

[msh2050]

Originally Posted by odamizu

The plug-in allows you to insert a genuine Amazon ASIN. If you sideload the resulting AZW3 onto your Kindle, you will get covers on the Kindle home screen, and it will be treated as a "Book" rather than a "Doc." (However, if you transfer the book using Send-to-Kindle, Amazon will override the ASIN with a new one, so this trick only works with USB-transfer.)

The plug-in will also generate a thumbnail image if you want to manually transfer the cover to your Kindle.



I'm not entirely sure what your goal is or what the negative margin script does, but I adjust margins by inserting the following in the CSS stylesheet:

@media amzn-kf8 {
	p, h1, h2, h3 {
		margin-left: -20px; 
		margin-right: -20px; 
		}
	}

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

My KindleGen plugin is primarily intended for KDP authors and book designers. All other users are better off simply using Calibre ...

I much prefer the Sigil+Kindlegen plugin combination to Calibre, and I'm not an author or book designer.

Thank you, Doitsu!

[Doitsu]

I've attached a new version with KFX support (courtesy of jhowell's Calibre KFX Output plugin) to the first post.

The new version will also check for embedded CFF/Type 1 (Postscript) fonts, which may not render clearly on all Kindle readers.

[odamizu]

Thank you!

[Crick]

A little problem, I installe kindle preview 3.27 and the new version of the addon but when I tried to convert my epub I got this:

Status: failed

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "C:\Program Files\Sigil\plugin_launchers\python\launcher.py", line 135, in launch
self.exitcode = target_script.run(container)
File "C:\Users\Io\AppData\Local\sigil-ebook\sigil\plugins\KindleGen\plugin.py", line 419, in run
dc_creator = LastFirst(dc_creator).replace(' ', '_')
File "C:\Users\Io\AppData\Local\sigil-ebook\sigil\plugins\KindleGen\plugin.py", line 134, in LastFirst
author_parts = author.split(' ')
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'split'
Error: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'split'

I use win 7 and the last version of sigil

[AlanHK]

I use the plugin to make AZWs to load on my own Kindle,and that works fine.

When I am making a book to upload to Amazon, I want a joint mode mobi.

I saw no option for that, and have been using the Previewer to make those, and was about to ask if you could make such an option. But I looked at the options again now and see that I can deselect both "Mobi7" and "AZW3"; if I do that I get the joint file.
So maybe you can make that an explicit option "Generate joint mobi" so it's clear that can be done.
(Possibly add "-joint" to the filename to distinguish it from the simple mobi7?)

Unrelated: When running, the output window is empty (except for "Running KindleGen ... please wait") until the end, when all the output appears.
On a big book at max compression, generation can take up to an hour (not often, but it has happened) and it would be reassuring if I could see the output as it was generated, so if for instance there are warnings or non-fatal errors I can abort and fix them rather than waiting for the completion.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by Crick

A little problem, I installe kindle preview 3.27 and the new version of the addon but when I tried to convert my epub I got this:[...]

The problem was caused by an empty <dc:creator> metadata entry, which I didn't anticipate. I've updated the plugin and attached a new version to the first post.

Originally Posted by AlanHK

So maybe you can make that an explicit option "Generate joint mobi" so it's clear that can be done.

Since I clearly mentioned in the plugin description that it'll generate a master mobi file, if no output options are checked, I fail to see the need to add an extra option for this feature. I also won't add "-joint" to the file name.

Originally Posted by AlanHK

Unrelated: When running, the output window is empty (except for "Running KindleGen ... please wait") until the end, when all the output appears.

For technical reasons it's not possible to display the messages generated by KindleGen until it's done. I.e., you'll have to live with this limitation. If you want to see KindleGen status messages, you'll need to open a Command Prompt window and manually execute KindleGen. (You can find the KindlGen binary location by opening KindleGen.json with an editor.)

If you have installed Kindle Previewer in the default location, you could use the following command:

"%LocalAppData%\Amazon\Kindle Previewer 3\lib\fc\bin\kindlegen.exe" -c2 "c:\my book.epub"

Obviously, you'll need to change the epub path. (You'll need to enclose the path in quotes, if it contains spaces.)

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

Since I clearly mentioned in the plugin description that it'll generate a master mobi file, if no output options are checked, I fail to see the need to add an extra option for this feature. I also won't add "-joint" to the file name.

OK.
I did finally realise that after about a year of using it. So thought it might be useful to have a reminder in the interface.
Is there no mechanism for help files in plugins? Would be helpful have the description available there with info like that.

Originally Posted by Doitsu

For technical reasons it's not possible to display the messages generated by KindleGen until it's done. I.e., you'll have to live with this limitation

Not a big deal. I used to do it with a batch file back when I just coded HTML in a text editor and compiled to mobi, but much prefer to do it in Sigil, even if I bite my nails while it's grinding away. Also it wouldn't make the thumbnail or, I think, use my bogus ASIN.

[Crick]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

The problem was caused by an empty <dc:creator> metadata entry, which I didn't anticipate. I've updated the plugin and attached a new version to the first post.

It work now, I was trying it on a blanc page didn't think of the author. Thanks.

[toancv]

I have this problem while using kindlegen plugin in Sigil: I can create the vertical ebook (Japanese and Chinese) in azw3 format but when I run the kindlegen plugin to create mobi format, the vertical arrangement all become horizontal.
I also find that the kindlegen will create mobi file without original source file despite whether I tick the option "Don't append source file" or not. Is this a bug? I am using Sigil 0.9.10 and the latest kindelgen plugin 0.5.3.
Can someone help?
Thanks.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by toancv

when I run the kindlegen plugin to create mobi format, the vertical arrangement all become horizontal.

If you select MOBI, the plugin will actually create a MOBI7 file, which doesn't support vertical alignment. (MOBI7 is the old MOBI file format.)

Originally Posted by toancv

I also find that the kindlegen will create mobi file without original source file despite whether I tick the option "Don't append source file" or not.

If you select MOBI, AZW3 or KFX the file won't have attached source files. This is by design. If you want to create a master mobi file that contains both AZW3 and MOBI7 sections and attached source files, don't check any of the post-processing options below the Language drop-down box.

[toancv]

Thank you very much Doitsu. Your prompt reply solve my problem. I have another problem that when I "send to kindle" vertical books, the cover never displays on my Kindle Paperwhite. Do you know why and have solution for it?

Originally Posted by Doitsu

If you select MOBI, the plugin will actually create a MOBI7 file, which doesn't support vertical alignment. (MOBI7 is the old MOBI file format.)


If you select MOBI, AZW3 or KFX the file won't have attached source files. This is by design. If you want to create a master mobi file that contains both AZW3 and MOBI7 sections and attached source files, don't check any of the post-processing options below the Language drop-down box.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by toancv

I have another problem that when I "send to kindle" vertical books, the cover never displays on my Kindle Paperwhite. Do you know why and have solution for it?

This is a known limitation of Send to Kindle. Use Calibre to transfer books to your Kindle; it'll automatically generate thumbnails.

[AlanHK]

I installed Sigil .9.12 in WinXPSP3 using the legacy installer.
I have Kindle Previewer 2.94 installed.

Everything else seems to work, BUT when I tried to run Kindlegen 0.53, which was working fine in Sigil 0.9.10, I get this error:

Status: failed

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "d:\sigil\plugin_launchers\python\launcher.py" , line 134, in launch
target_script = __import__(script_module)
File "C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\Local Settings\Application Data\sigil-ebook\sigil\plugins\KindleGen\plugin.py", line 11, in <module>
from PIL import Image
File "site-packages\PIL\Image.py", line 94, in <module>
ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified procedure could not be found.
Error: DLL load failed: The specified procedure could not be found.

Uninstalled and reinstalled the plugin, same result.

So far, other plugins are working as before.

line 94 referenced is in the section of plugin.py "find kindlegen binary".

So I guess I need to tell it where Kindlegen is. (I chose a different location than the default.) But I don't get the plugin's window at all, it just starts the "plugin runner", then the error above, and stops.