Writing a book for Kindle

Calibre can create .mobi files from your Filtered HTML. (http://calibre-ebook.com/)

I use it to process all the books I sell on Amazon, but you don't need to upload it to Amazon to do that. You can use it to create your Kindle file (complete with cover art), then e-mail that Kindle book directly to your (or anyone else's Kindle), easy-as-pie.

Great idea!

I think there's also even a way that you can e-mail files directly to their Kindles.  (That way they wouldn't have to save the .mobi file to their hard drive, and then upload them to their Kindles with a USB connection!)

Moved this to the Cafe -- the authors there will likely have the best insight, especially if you do eventually want to publish it 'for real'.

2epub.com also converts to .mobi

1.  You don't need a special tool to convert.  You can save as an HTML file straight from Word.

2.  You can't publish it "privately" on Amazon.  If you put it out there, it's out there for everyone, not just you and friends and family.

3.  You're going to have trouble publishing it on Amazon because it is difficult, maybe even impossible, to create unique recipes that are not already "freely available on the web".  It will be refused initially by their bots, then you'll have to appeal and make a case on why your combination is original and special.

4.  You will go through that every time you update.

5.  Although you can make updates, it really isn't intended to be a work in progress.  It sounds like a blog or something is more suited to your needs.

AndreSanThomas said:

1. You don't need a special tool to convert. You can save as an HTML file straight from Word.

2. You can't publish it "privately" on Amazon. If you put it out there, it's out there for everyone, not just you and friends and family.

3. You're going to have trouble publishing it on Amazon because it is difficult, maybe even impossible, to create unique recipes that are not already "freely available on the web". It will be refused initially by their bots, then you'll have to appeal and make a case on why your combination is original and special.

4. You will go through that every time you update.

5. Although you can make updates, it really isn't intended to be a work in progress. It sounds like a blog or something is more suited to your needs.

Click to expand...

My post says I already generated the htm (I did it from Word). Can't publish a book for private use on Amazon... thanks, that's what I needed to know. I'm not looking to make this public, it's for my use and selected distribution only. I don't want another blog or web tool, I want to carry my Kindle in the kitchen and look up my recipes from my "book".

HansCummings, thanks very much ! Calibre did exactly what I needed (except fix my format errors)

pmcadams said:

My post says I already generated the htm (I did it from Word). Can't publish a book for private use on Amazon... thanks, that's what I needed to know. I'm not looking to make this public, it's for my use and selected distribution only. I don't want another blog or web tool, I want to carry my Kindle in the kitchen and look up my recipes from my "book".

HansCummings, thanks very much ! Calibre did exactly what I needed (except fix my format errors)

Click to expand...

You're welcome. I always have to fix formatting errors. I never seem to catch them until I've already created the final versions. Inevitably, I have to do it 2-3 times before I get it right!

You can upload .doc files to KDP if that's the way you'll be publishing

I would be wary as others have said about publishing a cookbook, unless it is very unique there's a good chance that Amazon will block it based on many reasons.  There was a big crackdown on cookbooks a few years ago, it's just amazon's way

Good luck though and I hope everything works out how you want to!