Kindle Previewer 3 versus KDP Online Previewer

[Contre-jour]

Hi

I am self publishing a cookbook on KDP. It is a fixed layout ePub format.

I verified this book on ePub verifier and there were no errors. It also looks perfect on Kindle Previewer 3. However when I uploaded the manuscript on KDP and previewed it on the 'Online Previewer' during the uploading process, it looks wonky with numerous formatting errors, such as out of whack character spacing and paragraph styles running amok.

My question is ... which (Previewer 3 versus the 'Online Previewer' used during manuscript upload) is the more accurate to use for the purpose of testing how my ebook appears on Kindle readers?

Thanks!

[jhowell]

You should check out the Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines.

As far as I know Amazon supports only children’s books and comics in proprietary variants of EPUB fixed layout. All other fixed layout books should be print replica (PDF) based.

Just responding since no one else did. Others will hopefully be able to tell you more.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Contre-jour

Hi

I am self publishing a cookbook on KDP. It is a fixed layout ePub format.

I verified this book on ePub verifier and there were no errors. It also looks perfect on Kindle Previewer 3. However when I uploaded the manuscript on KDP and previewed it on the 'Online Previewer' during the uploading process, it looks wonky with numerous formatting errors, such as out of whack character spacing and paragraph styles running amok.

My question is ... which (Previewer 3 versus the 'Online Previewer' used during manuscript upload) is the more accurate to use for the purpose of testing how my ebook appears on Kindle readers?

Thanks!

Your issue has nothing to do with Previewers. You cannot convert a fixed-layout ePUB into a fixed-layout MOBI. The two differing types of formats have completely different code. Unlike reflowable, they are not 98% similar. You can see the coding that you should be using in the Kindle Publishing Guidelines, and the downloadable sample Print Replica books.

You have to start over. Also, most cookbooks should NOT be fixed-layout. Fixed-layout is the format of last resort, not the format of first choice. There are exceedingly few that need to be FXL. We just did a book for Jeremiah Tower--and it's reflowable.

If you don't have the ability to do hand-coding for your FXL mobi, you can try to use one of Amazon's DIY tools, which allow you to put a PDF into a PDF wrapper, that will function as a fixed-layout MOBI file.

Hitch

[Notjohn]

And be aware that Amazon often (regularly?) rejects cookbooks because more or less identical recipes can be found online. Before investing too much time in formatting an ebook, you might do better to think about paperback (using CreateSpace rather than KDP Print Beta).