Testing on different devices

[storax]

Hurrah!

I've essentially finished my first ebook. Many thanks to the posters who've been so generous with their hard-won knowledge. The tips and tricks I've gleaned from the forums have been invaluable, by which I mean I was lost before I found MR.


So now I have a question about testing.

I've created an ePub with Sigil, and from that a .mobi using KindleGen. My only device is a PaperWhite. When I sideload the .mobi file onto it, the reader correctly displays the KF8 version of the book.

But will that work for older devices? Will a KF7 reader know how to extract the correct file from the double-format .mobi that KG created, or do I need to extract the KF7 file for testing on older Kindles?

And what about the ePUB readers? Am I correct in my understanding that sideloading won't be a problem?

I've tested the book with Kindle Previewer and ADE, and everything is copacetic, but the proof of the pudding, as they say . . . .

[ghostyjack]

If I remember correctly, doesn't Kindle Previewer let you choose what device it is previewing?

If so, you could choose one of the older Kindles that is not known to support KF8 and see what that looks like.

ADE pretty much covers it for the ePubs as the majority of ePub readers are using Adobe RMSDK.

[storax]

Originally Posted by ghostyjack

If I remember correctly, doesn't Kindle Previewer let you choose what device it is previewing?

You're right of course, GhostlyJack. Previewer lets me choose which device to emulate, and everything looks fine when I test that way.

My concern is with possible differences between what Previewer shows me and what other people may see on their actual devices. I've noticed quite a few warnings, on various threads, that Previewer's emulation is not 100%, and that it can't be relied on to reveal all problems on all Kindles.

That's why I was asking about sideloading; I have a friend who has an old K2. Before the book goes to the store, I'd like to get it onto as many different readers as possible, just to be sure.

Still, though, it's mostly just words. Aside from the text and cover, there are only two small images and some minor formatting for section breaks and first lines. Not all that much to go wrong. (I used to write time-sensitive financial software and remember the last-minute requests for 'tiny little tweaks').