Now that my book is complete which compiling format should I select for Kindle Direct Publishing so that it’s in the most compatible format possible.
Secondly, how do I integrate my cover art to the Scrivener app? I have a PNG & JPG of my book cover but not sure how to add it to the compiling process.
Thanks!
Rich
I should have also asked which format that will allow all text color and hyper-links to remain just as
I created them… when I compiled as a PDF the font and color remained the same but the hyper-links were non-functional.
Thnx,
Rich
Last time I checked, KDP takes the cover as a separate file.
You should perhaps seek their specifications on the KDP website first.
That makes sense… good to know, thnx.
Do you have any insight to the best format to compile my work for KPDP?
I am actually not sure it does (the cover not being part of the ebook), but that is how they handle it.
KDP accepts .docx and pdf, but I would Compile ePub3. Amazon accepts this file format now and converts it to KF8 when you upload the manuscript.
Place a JPG in an eBook subfolder of the Front Matter folder outside your Draft/Manuscript folder. When Compiling for the File Type ePub3 and the Format Ebook, select the Cover icon above the right column in the Compile Overview window and select First image in the Front Matter Folder. The cover should show.
When you tick the box Add HTML Cover Page, the cover will also appear as a page inside your e-book.
Hope this helps
My version of Scrivener (Mac version 3.2.3) as “ePub Ebook (.epub)” as a compile option. I presume that delivered as part of the Scrivener package. Is that “ePub3” or how can I tell?
Select the ePub3 File Format at the top of the Compile Overview window.
This is why I asked. That not shown on my version. Is it an add-in? Or rely on Pandoc? (Not sure what I’m reading in the Scrivener Manual about this).
Ah, you’re on macOS. There was talk about removing the ePub2 option, but it’s still in that list in Windows.
I think you can assume it’s ePub3.
To be sure, compile a section and check the header of the resulting output in Sigil or Calibre (or just the text editor in 7-zip).
I know I’m probably being thick here, but I created a test Scrivener doc (attached) into ePub on Mac. I have Calibri and looked around to see if it gave the ePub version anywhere and can’t find. I also can’t spot it looking via a text editor. Can you point me to where this is shown (in the HMTL)?
I volunteer to help an author make a Kindle book, and before i get started I wanted to make sure I knew how to do in the “new” way.
Untitled.epub.zip (4.8 KB)
If I remember rightly, from a post some time ago from @AmberV, the ePub eBook is indeed ePub3. I believe there is a way to compile to ePub2; there is a thread from a few weeks ago where Ioa helped someone who needed to compile to a type of eReader that still required ePub2, but I can’t remember if he used Mac or Windows.
Mark
The Mac version has been ePub3-only for years now, that’s why there are no version numbers printed anywhere. On PC it was decided to leave it in because the two were fundamentally the same code with a few spec tweaks (on Mac, ePub2 is a radically different and much “dirtier” quality ebook, more akin to what you’d get from Scriv v2, which is why it was deprecated, as it didn’t make sense to continue maintaining it).
It’s all neither here nor there though, as Amazon wants ePub3.
@rms : I have Calibri and looked around to see if it gave the ePub version anywhere and can’t find.
I don’t think the font will help you out much. 
At any rate you can check the ePub specification being used in the content.opf file: <Package version="3.0"... is what you’re looking for. I believe you’d need to edit the ebook to see that file, I don’t know if Calibre has that information anywhere in the “front end”.
Got it. Thanks. Been since 2011 since i created a couple of Amazon Kindle books (written in Scrivener). Things have changed!!
I volunteered to help someone. I think now I know enough to move forward and explore with him.
<package xmlns="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf" version="3.0"
I meant it makes sense that Amazon /Kindle would make a way to get the cover art applied to the book.
When you say, “outside the Draft/manuscript”, what does that mean? I can create a folder under Front Matter but I don’t understand the next part… sorry
I only have “ePub”, not2 and not 3 available…
When I compiled into epub I didn’t have hyperlink capability in the app I downloaded from Microsoft.
That could be an issue with the ebook reader for all we can tell.
Amazon only recommends proofing results with Kindle Previewer, by the way. That will show you what it will look like on actual Kindles and in their mobile app software. I have no problems using links in KP, so that’s what I’d recommend.
I created the subfolder (not sure if it’s an “eBook” subfolder though) under Front Matter (not sure if it’s outside my “Draft/Manuscript” though) but when I copied my JPG cover i get no option to paste it in this folder… I also tried to ‘import’ but only text files are available for importing, not JPG or PNG. No luck so far getting my cover art into Scrivener.