The Scream by Edvard Munch
Just the thought of making revisions to the Kindle ebook causes me to panic—the process is so difficult. Even when the change is simple and the existing files function perfectly, I know that something will go wrong just as something has gone wrong with all previous revision uploads. I can upload revised files to other outlets without difficulty; the work is tedious, but the process is straightforward. Not so with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
Why I wanted to scream
Revision 3.1 changed one drawing and two words, not major changes. Even so, it took me over six hours of frustrating time, and the problem is not fixed. In addition to changing the source document, I revised the .ncx and .opf files to reflect the current revision. I made no changes to bookmarks, anchors, or “start” location. Yet, the revised downloaded preview file has a faulty start location, which it did not have previously.
The start location is a navigation point created with an anchor that the Kindle devise uses to locate the start. Many ebook authors skip the copyright and legal pages, placing the start anchor at that point they feel is the best place for the reader to start the book. For me, that was at the Dedication. This is where I wanted my readers to start reading and for the “Go to beginning” to take the reader.
Now, when I first turn on the kindle, it starts in the correct location; however, if I go to another location and then use the “Go to beginning” tool, the program takes me to a different place several pages into the next chapter, not to the Dedication. What is more confusing is that the problem exists on certain devices and not on others. I even uploaded the file to my Kindle hoping that the problem existed with the Kindle Previewer tool, but that is not the case; the problem still exists.
The search for a solution
Based on CJs Easy As Pie Kindle Tutorials Create an NCX File, I changed the “start” marker from the chapter title to the TOC entry where I wanted the book to start or the “Go to beginning” to locate. Though this made sense, it did not resolve the issue.
Searching the KDP forums, I found a discussion Beginning “Start” bookmark not working on Kindle. Evidently, I am not the only one having this problem, but knowing this does not diminish my frustration. In another thread, others also try to solve the problem. I read that the “start reading location” has a bug that Amazon has not yet fixed. But this is the conclusion of another user, not an official Amazon statement. So, is Amazon working to solve the problem? I sure hope so. I have sent in a request for technical assistance and am waiting for a reply.
I hate publishing my book knowing that there is an inherent problem. I also dread what other out-of-my-control problems I may face with the next revision.
If you have a solution, I would love to hear from you. Do you have your own KDP-related horror story, one that makes you just want to scream?
