When compiling to Kindle or e-pub, is there a way to insert a “Start” tag into the document in Scrivener? This is the tag that enables Kindle to skip the front matter and open straight at, say, Chapter One. I finally figured out how to do this in HTML, but it would be great if I could do it without that step.
Thanks!
What tag is this and how do you add it to HTML? If I knew more about it, it might be possible to add.
Thanks,
Keith
The beginning tag in HTML is:
When placed before a book paragraph ("<p" tag) in the HTML, Kindle will recognize this as the “Beginning” of the book, and open it there when you first open the book, or when you select “Go to Beginning” in the “Go to” menu.
However, after I wrote my question, I realized that Scrivener works with the Kindlegen module for the conversion. Odd thing is that Kindlegen seems to be different when it comes to these tags. I’m only able to make it work when I send an HTML file via Amazon for azw conversion, but I’m sure there is a way to make it work in Kindlegen, I’m just not good with Terminal stuff.
However, given that Scrivener does a great job at integrated Table Of Contents creation for Kindle files, which is hard to create, I think you have a great chance here to create a one stop Kindle generator – and please bare with me here as this is turning into what I’m sure is a very complicated feature request.
I’m finding there is a bit of a vacuum out there right now for advanced Kindle generator / editor software. It’s hard to create a good Kindle file without going into the HTML and messing with the tags. When I say “good” I mean a Kindle file with a “beginning” tag, proper “Cover” tag and properly formatted Table of Contents, with TOC tag, as well as variable first paragraph indents. (Scrivener may already have the “cover” tag I’m talking about, I haven’t ran that test yet.)
Scrivener’s Kindle compiler is probably the best one stop solution right now given how good the TOC options are, so if the other elements could be added to it, I think it could become the “one stop” Kindle generator a lot of people are looking for right now. (Took me a week of browsing the KDP forums, and playing with HTML, Kindlegen and Amazon email conversions to get what I wanted, and I know I’m not alone in that.)
In any case, the current Kindle compile in Scrivener works nicely for generating a reference file to read on the Kindle, and in an of itself this is a great feature, but it would be great to get advanced controls to skip the HTML step for more “shelf ready” Kindle files.
Judging from other posts you’re probably working on some of these elements already, but I just wanted to take this chance to throw these out there.
Thanks!
The cover already works perfectly. I have no idea about the start tag, though.
Best,
Keith