Export for Kindle

[adrianma3]

When I export a project from Storyist, no matter how I arrange the files in the export dialog, 'Table of Contents' is put right after the cover in the mobi file. How do I change this? I'd like to have at least the copyright page (wich is a notebook file) between the cover and the ToC.

I'm able to perform some basic html editing in the mobi files (if I choose to save the individual files), but I don't know what (and where!) it needs to be done.

 

Thank you for help.

[adrianma3]

I got it!

In the toc.opf file at <spine> I just had to change the order the itmes were listed.

[Steve]

Hi Adrian,

 

Exactly right. The spine element in the toc.opf file specifies the order that items are presented in the eBook.

 

<spine toc="toc">
	<itemref idref="cover" linear="no"></itemref>
	<itemref idref="toc-content" linear="yes"></itemref>
	<itemref idref="main-1" linear="yes"></itemref>
	<itemref idref="main-2" linear="yes"></itemref>
</spine>

 

If you move the reference to the copyright page directly after the cover item, Kindle will open the book to the copyright page instead of the table of contents.

 

Note that this does set up a usability issue where the reading sequence you get when stepping through the book is different from the one listed in the table of contents. When stepping through the book, the sequence is Copyright -> Table of Contents > Chapter 1, but the TOC lists Copyright -> Chapter 1.

 

If you want to remove the Copyright from the TOC the reader sees, you'd do that by editing the navMap element in the toc.ncx file.

 

 

<navMap>
	<navPoint class="cover" id="cover" playOrder="1">
		<navLabel>
			<text>Cover</text>
		</navLabel>
		<content src="cover.xhtml"></content>
	</navPoint>
	<navPoint class="toc" id="toc-content" playOrder="2">
		<navLabel>
			<text>Table of Contents</text>
		</navLabel>
		<content src="toc-content.xhtml"></content>
	</navPoint>
	<navPoint class="chapter" id="id844C9FAEB8E246E6B835E6A3E4B5A709" playOrder="3">
		<navLabel>
			<text>Copyright</text>
		</navLabel>
		<content src="main-1.xhtml"></content>
	</navPoint>
	<navPoint class="chapter" id="id24887512B1204515824F0B25128E3CC2" playOrder="4">
		<navLabel>
			<text>CHAPTER 1</text>
		</navLabel>
		<content src="main-2.xhtml"></content>
	</navPoint>
	<navPoint class="chapter" id="id1FA10C601B5B413DB549A362E18E50E2" playOrder="5">
		<navLabel>
			<text>CHAPTER 2</text>
		</navLabel>
		<content src="main-3.xhtml"></content>
	</navPoint>
</navMap>

 

If you do reorder the navPoint elements in the navMap structure, make sure you adjust the playOrder elements accordingly.

 

-Steve

[adrianma3]

Thanks for the tips, Steve.

 

"If you move the reference to the copyright page directly after the cover item, Kindle will open the book to the copyright page instead of the table of contents"

Why, you can't force Kindle to start at a certain point using id=start as you'd do in an epub file?

I'll make some experiments.

 

Adrian

[Steve]

Hi Adrian,

 

Interesting idea. I'd be curious to know if this works for you.

 

-Steve