mobi metada for Amazon

[AlexBell]

As I've mentioned before I'm converting some print books for a small publisher to ePub and then to mobi.

The publisher is confused about what metadata needs to be included to sell the books on Amazon, and is not happy with the information Amazon has given her.
And I can't open up a mobi book to check.

Could some kind soul please give me or send me the metadata for one of their mobi ebooks which has been accepted by Amazon for the Kindle?

[susan_cassidy]

Author and Title are the two main pieces of metadata. Can't think of any other necessary ones, right off hand.

[st_albert]

Actually, I don't think Amazon or anyone makes much use of the internal metadata. It seems one always has to provide it externally as well when the book is uploaded.

That said, I think it's a good idea to provide as much metadata as possible just so it's there.

We first build the epub, add metadata, and convert epub to mobi using kindlegen. I don't know whether all of the metadata makes it into the mobi or not. According to Calibre's ebook-meta program, some doesn't.

Here are examples of the sort of dc metadata we use:

<dc:title>The Mudslinger Sanction</dc:title>
<dc:creator opf:role="aut" opf:file-as="Mills, Gerald">Gerald Mills</dc:creator>
<dc:subject>psychokinesis, scientists, suspense</dc:subject>
<dc:publisher>Twilight Times Books</dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier id="BookID" opf:scheme="urn:isbn">9781931201704</dc:identifier>
<dc:language>en-US</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Copyright &#x00A9; 2002 by Gerald Mills. All rights reserved.</dc:rights>
<dc:contributor opf:role="edt" opf:file-as="Quillen, Lida E.">Lida E. Quillen</dc:contributor>
<dc:contributor opf:role="art" opf:file-as="Ozinga, Kurt">Kurt Ozinga</dc:contributor>
<dc:coverage>U.S., 20th Century</dc:coverage>
<dc:date opf:event="issued">2006-04-15</dc:date>
<dc:description>When Dr. Gordon Whittier is kidnapped for bait, Jim sets out to rescue him against all odds. His powers are pitted against ruthless murderers, a brilliant computer hacker, the FBI's best, and the clock in a race to save Whittier's life. All he has to work with is a trail of clues and his talents, but to succeed he must learn to use his force against theirs.</dc:description>

HTH

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by st_albert

Here are examples of the sort of dc metadata we use:

HTH

Many thanks, that's most helpful. I think it's the 'rights' section that she's most concerned about. Can you confirm please that that mobi books with metada to that in your document would be accepted and sold by Amazon?

And thanks Susan for your response.

[HarryT]

This is entirely standard metadata in an OPF file. I'd suggest that you install Mobi Creator and take a look at what metadata it asks you for.

[st_albert]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

Many thanks, that's most helpful. I think it's the 'rights' section that she's most concerned about. Can you confirm please that that mobi books with metada to that in your document would be accepted and sold by Amazon?

We've uploaded some 50+ books, and no complaints so far. Actually, I'm wondering where the concern is coming from. I don't recall seeing any "Thou Shalt Not Include the following metadata..." directives from Amazon. Note that I'm referring to metadata within the ebook file. Not the metadata that you supply externally to Amazon when you submit the book.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by st_albert

We've uploaded some 50+ books, and no complaints so far. Actually, I'm wondering where the concern is coming from. I don't recall seeing any "Thou Shalt Not Include the following metadata..." directives from Amazon. Note that I'm referring to metadata within the ebook file. Not the metadata that you supply externally to Amazon when you submit the book.

Ah, thank you. I may well have misunderstood the publisher who was having problems with Amazon, and it may be the metadata which she has to supply to Amazon which is causing concerns.

[LuluJ]

Hi all - I am new to this mobi upload to Amazon Kindle caper. I thought I was there - and basically I can read the ebook perfectly in the downloadable kindle previewer.

The trick is that the kindle previewer only will look at non DRM. So, I then build a DRM version for upload to Amazon (because I gather they only take DRM). Then, all the guides I have lovingly put in disappear when I hit preview book button - except for cover, beginning and contents which appear in the menu button. I had about a further 8.

Does anyone have some hints as to where to start looking for the issue?

[st_albert]

Originally Posted by LuluJ

Hi all - I am new to this mobi upload to Amazon Kindle caper. I thought I was there - and basically I can read the ebook perfectly in the downloadable kindle previewer.

The trick is that the kindle previewer only will look at non DRM. So, I then build a DRM version for upload to Amazon (because I gather they only take DRM). Then, all the guides I have lovingly put in disappear when I hit preview book button - except for cover, beginning and contents which appear in the menu button. I had about a further 8.

Does anyone have some hints as to where to start looking for the issue?

If you are submitting the book to Amazon Kindle DTP, you don't apply the DRM yourself. (As far as I know.) You upload the non-DRM file, and check a box on the submission form that requests them to apply DRM. They will do it themselves.

If you are building the mobi with Mobipocket Creator, there IS an option to publish a DRM version -- but that is for publishing via Mobipocket, not Kindle. Of course, Amazon owns Mobipocket now, so it's kind of confusing, but the publishing pathways are not the same. Eventually, I believe, your Mobipocket published book will end up in the Kindle Store (I think?)

[LuluJ]

Thank you St Albert - I have done what you suggested which is great. It's all working, but I have still lost the guides that I entered in the guide section in Mobi. I have spoken with Amazon support three times and they just provide zero help - thank GOODNESS for this forum and your input.

So, looks like my copyright, acknowledgment and reference guides all have vanished. Weird thing, as I said, is that in kindle previewer they work fine but when I review on amazon they do not work.

Any thoughts or do I just let this go to the too hard basket.

Lulu.

[st_albert]

Well, if you can see them in the Kindle Previewer or MobiPocket Reader, and they work, then they must be in the .mobi, eh?

Actually I just checked a .mobi book I prepared from an epub via kindlegen, and it had the following guide elements present and functional: Cover; Table of contents; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Acknowledgements; Preface; and Start Reading.

They all showed up in Kindle Previewer and in MobiPocket Reader. But, on an actual Kindle3 device, all you are ever going to see is: Table of Contents; beginning; (maybe page); cover; end; and location. These are hard-coded into the K3.

So maybe that's why you don't see them when you preview the upload at Amazon, even if they are in the file.

So I'd say, don't sweat it.

[LuluJ]

Thanks St Albert - well, the guides didn't appear on Amazon Kindle version when I viewed in my ipad.

So, no idea why and as I said, Amazon were zero help....you would think it was in the prc file. But at any rate, doesn't show on the ipad. Weirdly too, some of the formatting of chapters is wrong...I guess i have to reduce text size - weirdly again - it was fine in the kindle previewer.

No idea - I would welcome any thoughts

Lisa.