|
|
|||||
|
Older Entries » Kindle Inside Cover Still MandatoryBy Araby Greene, on October 31st, 2012
Nope: It’s still necessary to include an inside cover image, according to the Guidelines, and the Product Image will become the inside cover, according to KDP Help. Get the new Previewer anyway, it’s slicker and easier to use than ever. Given that Amazon is a big place, it’s still prudent to follow all the instructions, even if different parts of Amazon appear to be butting heads like two mountain goats. Anyhow, here’s what’s in the current Guidelines and KDP Help about the cover images (italics added):
In the Guidelines, we are told to include a large inside cover but large is not defined. On eInk Kindles, a 600×800 pixel inside cover image fills the screen perfectly. On Kindle Fire, the full screen viewing area has different proportions, taller and thinner at 150x89mm, almost matching the 1.6 aspect ratio of the product image cover. Since the inside cover is replaced by the product image cover, it doesn’t hurt to stick with 600×800 pixels (smaller upload) but going forward, I would be inclined to use an optimized image with the same 1.6 aspect ratio as the product catalog cover. That is, the cover will be 60% taller than it is wide. Right now, it appears that Amazon resizes the product cover image for each Kindle device or eReader app used for viewing. I don’t know whether this happens on the fly or if several resized images are stored in the final .azw file. Either practice would be a practical solution for multiple device/eReader compatibility if image quality were better on the inside covers. That is, inside covers currently suffer from too much compression going from the very large catalog cover down to Kindle sizes. Looking ahead, this problem may be self-limiting in that bigger images will be needed for higher resolution devices that are becoming the norm with the iPad Retina Display, Kindle HD, and Kindle Fire. The best thing about the new cover image size (recommended) dimensions is that Zoom works great for the cover when Look Inside the Book is available. That’s an awesome feature for promoting book sales and restores the functionality that was lost with the older product image Zoom and Pan feature. Note that there are no explicit instructions on the KDP Formatting Help page for the inside cover versus inside images (illustrations). They aren’t the same. Inside illustrations fit inside screen margins and above the formatting bar; the inside cover fills the screen. Full-screen illustrations work best at 520×622 pixels on eInk Kindles. For more information see Kindle Maximum Image Size.  Leave a comment Kindle Publishing Amazon KDP discards inside coverBy Araby Greene, on October 12th, 2012
These changes in cover production requirements have found their way into Smashwords, which will produce a simply-formatted eBook in multiple versions for publication in SW’s own catalog and those of other vendors, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the iBookStore, and so on. If you also publish to CreateSpace, you will need a 300dpi version of your cover for print at the appropriate binding trim size.
In 2012, Amazon changed product catalog cover image guidelines and the inside cover maximum file-size twice, and released two major updates to Kindle Previewer (which includes Kindlegen). I noticed that covers I had worked on, tested, and ensured met current inside cover guidelines exhibited disappointing evidence of being compressed in spite of claims to the contrary. The mobiunpack.py script used on Kindlegen output showed me additional compression, but I thought it might be due to a lag in the Kindlegen utility or how the script handled images. Late last spring, I realized that KDP instructions had changed because of questions from an author, and advised him to upload the catalog cover when prompted and to look for the inside cover checkbox and select it if possible. At that time, I didn’t occur to me that the inside cover wasn’t being used, and I’m sure I didn’t see anything about such a major policy change. Then last month, I watched the updated KDP process in action. A client requested that I go into his account and check a couple of things on the forms, including the cover upload section. The checkbox for indicating inclusion of the inside cover in the book file was missing and there were new instructions attached to the product catalog cover upload section. Then I uploaded the client’s product catalog cover. The evidence was irrefutable and I watched it happen. KDP not only uploaded the cover, it reprocessed the book file and replaced the inside cover image. Then I searched for user reports and found posts that repeated what I had just seen and expressed frustration with the new practice.
Ask yourself what happens when a very large image is compressed to 60KB compared to a 127KB or even 254KB image? There’s more compression. More compression results in more JPEG artifacts and color bleeding. Amazon must be counting on the facts that:
Given the popularity of tablets, the shift towards a standard 1.6 aspect ratio is here to stay. I don’t particularly like the look, but will get used to it. The silver lining is that a single standard for eBook cover dimensions will make the process easier and more predictable. 2 comments Kindle Publishing Get MakeUseOf's free Kindle Fire ManualBy Araby Greene, on August 2nd, 2012
MakeUseOf offers some excellent free manuals and guides for many popular apps and devices. They’ve earned my respect and I just downloaded Your Unofficial Kindle Fire Manual by Christian Cawley. The download is free in exchange for a Tweet, Facebook share, or a simple Google +1. Fair enough. The manual is in PDF format and . . . → Read More: Get MakeUseOf’s free Kindle Fire Manual Leave a comment Kindle Tips, Reader Hardware Kindle Catalog Cover UpdateBy Araby Greene, on April 16th, 2012
As you probably know, Kindle cover images for the Amazon product catalog can be much larger in both dimensions and file-size than the cover that appears inside the book. The latest Kindle Publishing Guidelines spell it out. Interestingly, verbiage about the “shortest side” (formerly a minimum of 500px) has been dropped in favor of . . . → Read More: Kindle Catalog Cover Update 9 comments Featured Posts, Kindle Publishing Amazon guidelines, cover image, image size, kindle cover Book Covers with Kindlegen 2.4By Araby Greene, on April 10th, 2012
Kindlegen 1.1 (released June 30, 2010) doubled the Kindle image file-size limit from 64KB to 128KB (which became 63KB to 127KB in later documentation). The change was a big leap forward for Kindle authors and readers. Nevertheless, cover image files under 127KB often looked worse for wear after Kindlegen built the .mobi file, even with the . . . → Read More: Book Covers with Kindlegen 2.4 Leave a comment Featured Posts, Kindle Publishing cover image, image size, kindle cover Older Entries » |
Featured Posts
TagsRelated articlesWhy Authors Need Both Kindle and ePub Versions 9 November 2011. ePub Bliss will be a mini-site with my procedure for Word-to-ePub conversions. This is my first post there, to be followed incrementally by a tutorial. Lend a favorite Kindle book to a friend for 14 days. Complete illustrated instructions from Amazon.com Will Tablets Close the Book on e-Readers? Hard to Find Books & Textbooks Looking for Web Hosting? 25% off Hostgator coupon code: webbishhosting |
||||
|
|||||