Issues publishing an Ebook to amazon

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Hey guys, im having some trouble trying to publish to Kindle using the amazon website, every article i have read says that its incredibly easy and i do what is asked but every time i view the publication on my Kindle app for mac it comes up with the following errors: NCX file not found, Table of contents not found, Cover not found. Now i made sure that the Table of contents and the cover are included in the file. Not really sure what a ncx file is. I've tried doing it in Microsoft word and in Pages. I even exported the file to an .epub to have the same thing said.
 

RavingMac

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Hey guys, im having some trouble trying to publish to Kindle using the amazon website, every article i have read says that its incredibly easy and i do what is asked but every time i view the publication on my Kindle app for mac it comes up with the following errors: NCX file not found, Table of contents not found, Cover not found. Now i made sure that the Table of contents and the cover are included in the file. Not really sure what a ncx file is. I've tried doing it in Microsoft word and in Pages. I even exported the file to an .epub to have the same thing said.

I don't have any answers, but I am interested in seeing how this works out for you as I have considered publishing a manuscript I have through Amazon as an eBook.
 

vansmith

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Take a look here. That article goes to great lengths to explain what the NCX files is.
 
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chas_m

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Whoever told you that publishing an ebook to Amazon (MOBI format) was easy has a hole in his head where his brains should be.
 

RavingMac

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Whoever told you that publishing an ebook to Amazon (MOBI format) was easy has a hole in his head where his brains should be.

Do you have any pointers to share with those of us who may be so inclined?
 
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chas_m

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That's the problem, Razormac -- there aren't any pointers, it's just expensive and/or difficult compared to the iBookStore.

Here's the page with all the info you should need:
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=200735120

They sure make it SOUND easy, but it's not. You either have to have Adobe InDesign (which I already do, but you know it's a $700 program) and their plug-in, or you have to use a COMMAND LINE TOOL (again, some of us are comfortable there but your typical author would likely not be) to generate the MOBI file.

Compared to most other stores (submit ePub file), this is kind of ridiculous. For the iBookStore, you simply need to create an account, obtain an ISBN for your ePub file (which can be created directly in Pages, btw) and that's pretty much it. If you want to use iBooks Author, the process is essentially the same.

The introduction of iBooks Author will likely force Amazon to finally come up with a "normal" way of generating MOBI files, which will be good for everyone (including Amazon). I love the way Apple pushes even its competitors forward ...
 

RavingMac

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Thanks.

I've used Pages to create ePubs, so iBookstore looks like the better bet. Appreciate the info.
 
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chas_m

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Short summary on how to get your book published on the iBookStore:

How to Publish Your Book in the iBookstore | Copyblogger

As a former book editor, I cannot overstress the importance of avoiding self-editing. Get a REAL editor to edit your book, it will save Apple having to reject it and you lots and lots of trouble down the line. Very, VERY few authors have the discipline to self-edit well.

Smashwords (one of several aggregator services that Apple uses) got a rave review from a local mystery author here in town, and Lulu looks very good as well.
 
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Hey guys, sorry about the late response, i know some of you were awaiting my reply but i eventually figured it out, there is a free wysiwyg called Sigil, its a little complicated to use especially if you dont have alot of experience writing in code. http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33395/sigil and i found some videos on youtube from a woman at Unrulyguides which was very very helpful. Basically i took the epub file i made in pages and opened it up in sigil, from there i did page breaks or Chapter brakes as they are called in sigil. Made a table of contents which is very active and heres the link to UnrulyGuides:

http://www.youtube.com/user/UnrulyGuides Very Helpful
 

RavingMac

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Hey guys, sorry about the late response, i know some of you were awaiting my reply but i eventually figured it out, there is a free wysiwyg called Sigil, its a little complicated to use especially if you dont have alot of experience writing in code. Download Sigil for Mac - WYSIWYG e-book editor for the ePub format. MacUpdate.com and i found some videos on youtube from a woman at Unrulyguides which was very very helpful. Basically i took the epub file i made in pages and opened it up in sigil, from there i did page breaks or Chapter brakes as they are called in sigil. Made a table of contents which is very active and heres the link to UnrulyGuides:

UnrulyGuides's Channel - YouTube Very Helpful

Thanks, I'll give it a look.
 

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