Amazon justifies all body paragraphs by default. They might allow readers to change this behavior; a good user agent ereading app would do so. However, in some cases, specifying alignment is desirable, on a line-by-line or paragraph-by-paragraph basis.
For example, the contents of a sign might be displayed as centered. And a signature for a note or epigraph might be displayed as right-aligned. And a sonnet by Shakespeare might be displayed left-aligned (and without first-line indenting).
Thus, if all your text is left-aligned, it seems that Amazon’s algorithms will protest. But if a paragraph here and there is left-aligned, or centered, or aligned right, and the rest is unspecified, the algorithm won’t squeak.
I have found that using AmberV’s advice of compiling to *.epub, then using the free Sigil program to tweak the epub settings, and then using Kindle Previewer to convert the epub to *.mobi format, works very well and gives me the control I need at any level.
I do find, however, that paragraphs that I have specified as left-aligned will be so marked in the *.css files in the epub compilation; ditto with the paragraphs I specify as justified. So i get into the css files and change that wherever it isn’t someplace I really want it.
A follow-up to my previous note, for anybody wishing to try the method of going Scrivener to epub and Sigil to mobi and Kindle Previewer:
Any paragraphs I want to display left-aligned I so style them in Scrivener. But the majority of my body text I style as justified in Scrivener. Then I compile to epub and open the epub file in Sigil. I go through the various .css files associated with the epub and any that have the ‘text-align: justified’ tag I eliminate this phrase within the stylesheet rule associated with that particular paragraph style.
I do essentially the same thing except I’ve automated a small part of it. My steps are:
Edit source as normal left aligning whatever I want.
Compile to epub
Rename .epub to .zip
Extract the .zip file
Run a script to remove all “text-align: justify;” statements from the .css files.
(much faster than using Sigil–now if Sigil could Find/Replace in stylesheets
the same way it does for HTML files…)*
Update the zip file.
Rename to .epub
Compile with Kindle Previewer.
*In a document with few stylesheets it is quicker to use Sigil, but when there gets to be a dozen or more the rename, unzip, execute script, rezip, rename sequence is faster.
Nice, smart hack to get past the multiple stylesheets that the Mac text engines create.
Yesterday I compiled to html, then inserted the html into an odt file based on my own template in LibreOffice. It meant copying and pasting each separate chapter in Sigil, but I ended up with all the chapters linked to a single stylesheet, so I can tweak the presentation of the whole book by adjusting the single stylesheet settings.
Hello
I also was recently contacted by amazon regarding this same issue
[i]Dear Publisher,
During our review of your title for customer update notification, we found minor quality issues that we would like to inform you of.
The body text for your book has forced alignment. It’s important that your book file does not force alignment for body text.
Be sure to check out the Formatting section of the Guide to Kindle Content Quality Errors page by clicking the link at the end of this message.
"For further information regarding these above reported issues with your book, please see the Guide to Kindle Content Quality Errors:[/i]
I have the Mac Version 2.3.1. If I update to the newest version of scrivener will that fix the alignment issue upon complying a new mobi kindle version of my book?
Is there anything New regarding fixing this in Scrivener?
I’m VERY sorry if I’m out of line here, but I’m pretty much a Scrivener Newbie, and I came to the Forum (only been a few times over the last couple years) to get a question answered, if possible.
But I came across this thread, read the whole thing, and THIS popped into my Mind:
“You can’t waltz in here, left justify my paragraphs, and start spouting universal truths without an Amazon User Guideline.”
