Publishing on Kindle: Guidelines for Publishers
2.2.2.4 KindleGen Messages
As conversion progresses, KindleGen displays detailed informational messages. If KindleGen encounters issues while converting a file, it displays a warning or error.
Amazon strongly recommends fixing all KindleGen warnings and errors before publishing an ebook.
• If KindleGen displays an error, it will not create the .mobi file. Errors impair the readability of the book in the Kindle Reader.
• If KindleGen displays a warning, it will create the .mobi file with an attempt to automatically fix the issue described in the warning. Amazon does not guarantee the results of any KindleGen automatic fix, which could lead to the ebook displaying differently than designed.
2.2.3 Kindle Previewer Software
Kindle Previewer is graphical user interface tool that imitates how books display on Kindle devices and applications. Kindle Previewer makes it easy to preview the layout of a book and make sure its text displays properly for any orientation or font size. To produce the highest quality Kindle books, Amazon recommends this tool in combination with KindleGen.
Kindle Previewer is available for the Windows and Mac OS X platforms.
2.2.3.1 Installing Kindle Previewer
The most recent version of Kindle Previewer can be downloaded for free from www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlepreviewer . Installation and help documentation can be found at http://kindlepreviewer.s3.amazonaws.com/UserGuide.pdf
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Kindle Previewer for Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8)
1. Download Kindle Previewer for Windows from www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlepreviewer .
2. Store the executable (KindlePreviewerInstall.exe) to the local disk.
3. Execute KindlePreviewerInstall.exe by double-clicking it.
4. Accept the EULA from the dialog box with details to install Kindle Previewer.
5. Kindle Previewer appears in Start > Programs > Amazon > Kindle Previewer after successful installation.
Kindle Previewer for Mac OS 10.6 and above i386
1. Download Kindle Previewer for Intel Mac from www.amazon.com/kindleformat/kindlepreviewer .
2. Save the zip file (KindlePreviewer.zip) to the local disk.
3. Double-click the zip file to unzip Kindle Previewer.
4. Drag Kindle Previewer from Downloads folder to Application folder.
5. Start Kindle Previewer.
Use F1 or the Help menu to find the Kindle Previewer User’s Guide.
2.3
Third-Party Conversion Services
Publishers have the option to outsource conversion of titles from a variety of formats to eBook formats.
Conversion houses offer publishers solutions and services that include taking a variety of input formats and creating eBook or print-ready output. The typical input formats are:
• Word (.DOC, .DOCX), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Text (.txt)
• PDF
• Scan of print book
• FrameMaker, InDesign, PageMaker, QuarkXPress
Kindle Publishing Guidelines Amazon.com 10
