Go to beginning/start - solved at last

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@pdurrant: Here we go!

Thanks for the patch. Now included (slightly amended) in v0.55 of the mobiunpack files.

[Tugger]

Please can I just double check what v0.55 now does? If I understand correctly:

It includes the patch that, while unpacking, fixes the start position problem with KF8 files, so that when unpacked the start position works correctly on all devices and the Previewer.

[Tugger]

I am still unable to find out if KDP really does automatically fix uploaded files in the same way. I uploaded my test book and it just sits there in my bookshelf flagged as Draft, so I can't buy it. I tried emailing them but received no reply.

Has anyone here got a book that goes to the wrong start position when they view it on a Kindle 3 (that has been upgraded to KF8), that is available for purchase very cheaply? If so I could buy it and find the answer. An expert could then compare the book that was submitted to the book that was purchased and check exactly what KDP are doing.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Tugger

I am still unable to find out if KDP really does automatically fix uploaded files in the same way. I uploaded my test book and it just sits there in my bookshelf flagged as Draft, so I can't buy it. I tried emailing them but received no reply.

Has anyone here got a book that goes to the wrong start position when they view it on a Kindle 3 (that has been upgraded to KF8), that is available for purchase very cheaply? If so I could buy it and find the answer. An expert could then compare the book that was submitted to the book that was purchased and check exactly what KDP are doing.

Tugger, you're saying you clicked "publish," and it is still in draft? Do you have all the required account information entered? I mean, I know that sounds like a stupid question, but...

Hitch

[Tugger]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Tugger, you're saying you clicked "publish," and it is still in draft? Do you have all the required account information entered? I mean, I know that sounds like a stupid question, but...

Hitch

I've published several times before and I did exactly the same this time. I put all the information in and on the last screen I went ahead and told it to publish. After it went to Draft I went in again and published a second time. I just went in a third time and yet again pressed "Save and Publish". It is back to "In Review" yet again.

I think a human sees it doesn't look like a real book and interferes.

Hello, I've downloaded Mac version of MobiUnpack55; I've unpacked, have all my source files. I'm relatively new to this world, so I need some guidance: which files do I edit to change the start position (my file is all over the place with its start position). And once edited, how do I put it all together again? Through KPreviewer? Isn't that the source of the problem?

Thanks very much for your patience.

PS< I've also downloaded the KindleGenQuickFix. Not sure what to do with that; I ran my mobi through it; got a new _fixed version, still has the start position problem. Thanks!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Tugger

I've published several times before and I did exactly the same this time. I put all the information in and on the last screen I went ahead and told it to publish. After it went to Draft I went in again and published a second time. I just went in a third time and yet again pressed "Save and Publish". It is back to "In Review" yet again.

I think a human sees it doesn't look like a real book and interferes.

Yes, I suspect that is true. However...(sorry for asking again, if you've answered this), if you download the PREVIEW copy, from KDP, how does the start position work? Does it work from the Preview file? Because the Preview file from KDP, post-upload, is pretty much what you're gonna get, as it's been through the "conversion" process; it's simply not got DRM attached, basically. Do you still have start location issues there? Can you DL the Preview copy and let us all look?

Hitch

[Tugger]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yes, I suspect that is true. However...(sorry for asking again, if you've answered this), if you download the PREVIEW copy, from KDP, how does the start position work? Does it work from the Preview file? Because the Preview file from KDP, post-upload, is pretty much what you're gonna get, as it's been through the "conversion" process; it's simply not got DRM attached, basically. Do you still have start location issues there? Can you DL the Preview copy and let us all look?

Hitch

I downloaded and tried the preview and it still had the problem. I have attached it to this message. We can't be sure they don't fix it after creating the preview. But unlikely. So the answer is probably that it is not being fixed and there are thousands of books on Kindle 3 devices that start in the wrong place.

The ONLY time it works is when I fix it with the script from here.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by KevCal

PS< I've also downloaded the KindleGenQuickFix. Not sure what to do with that; I ran my mobi through it; got a new _fixed version, still has the start position problem. Thanks!

This thread, despite appearances, is really about a problem specific to KindleGen 2.0 and later, and Kindle Keyboard with firmware 3.4.

Does your book go to the right place if you select "Go/Beginning" in Kindle for Mac/PC? If it does not, then you haven't got the correct metadata in your opf file. You need a guide section, with three entries ideally:

<guide>
    <reference type="cover" title="Cover Image" href="cover.html" />
    <reference type="toc" title="Table of Contents" href="contents.html"></reference>
    <reference type="text" title="Start" href="kim1.html"></reference>
</guide>

The type="text" one is the one that controls the start of the book. The title is pretty much unimportant. The href must be relative to the opf file.

HTH

thank you. It works like a charm.

[st_albert]

For what it's worth, I took a book we had recently published, "Write like the Wind, Volume 1" by Aaron Paul Lazar, which had the following properties:

1) was converted to mobi from epub via Kindlegen 2.5 (command line program on Linux);

2) the mobi file produced by kindlegen appeared fine on all "devices" in the kindle previewer;

3) when the file was side-loaded to a Kindle 3 with firmware 3.4 (i.e. KF8) it exhibited the problem with opening in the wrong place.

4) the file was uploaded to KDP, and after it went live I purchased it over the air from the same Kindle 3. The purchased file opens correctly (to the "Introduction" chapter).

So, at least in the case of the Kindle 3, Amazon does seem to "fix" the file before download.

Edited to add, the purchased book is supposed to be DRM free, in case that should matter as to the fixing of the problem.


BTW, the book is priced at $0.99, so it shouldn't "break the bank" of anyone who wants to experiment with it on other devices.

(And no, this isn't a cheezy attempt to sell books -- it's for Science!)



Albert

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by st_albert

For what it's worth, I took a book we had recently published, "Write like the Wind, Volume 1" by Aaron Paul Lazar, which had the following properties:

[snip]

BTW, the book is priced at $0.99, so it shouldn't "break the bank" of anyone who wants to experiment with it on other devices.

If you would email me (paul@durrant.co.uk) the version uploaded to KDP (so that I can check it has the expected problem), I'll then buy and download your book to check that it doesn't.

But it sounds like good news.

[Tugger]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Thanks for the patch. Now included (slightly amended) in v0.55 of the mobiunpack files.

I don't see a version 0.55 available?

Is the included patch the one that fixes the start position problem when the KF8 version is unpacked?

Thanks.

[Tugger]

Albert - thanks. Sounds like very good news.

May I suggest you also email Paul with the downloaded preview version from KDP, if you could. This would all ow him to confirm my finding that the preview is still faulty, so the correction must take place after the preview is created.