FrameMaker to RoboHelp ebook Kindle format

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

I am a Framemaker book developer. I have a customer that wants to convert his book from Word to FrameMaker and export to Amazon Mobi format. My understanding it that Fthe rameMaker book can convert to RoboHelp and RoboHelp can covert the book to Kindle (Mobi) ebook.

I have no experience with RoboHelp, so my question is whether there are explicit instructions to do the conversion from FrameMaker to RoboHelp ebook, OR what it might generally cost me to do the RoboHelp Kindle ebook coversion of the FrameMaker book. The book is about 250 pages and five chapters.

Thanks!

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

Just read one of the other threads about Amazon not supporting ePub. Therefore, I guess I am stuck with publishing to PDF and then having Amazon publish to Mobi format. True?

[Jeff_Coatsworth · Accepted solution]

You should be able to publish to ePub directly from FM (it's been supported since FM12 I believe) & then you can use the free Calibre program to convert to MOBI.

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

Thanks, Jeff. I wasn't aware that FrameMaker saved to ePub, because I never have used it. lol I did read a little something about Calibre, yesterday, but nothing more than it existed for Mobi conversions. Didn't know from what app outputs (ePub, etc.)

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

FM doesn't really "save" to output formats (other than the old Save as PDF mechanism) - it's a publishing to outputs that's done now (even PDF has a new engine when created this way). The Publish "engine" is RoboHelp "under the hood" (that might be where your confusion came in about that) but it doesn't expose any of the controls that the more traditional FM to RH workflow has.

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

You are confusing me. That's all I should need is Kindle or ePub published document. I realise it does not save to those formats. Didn't need controls. Just creating in FM and publishing to Kindle.

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

What is the Mobile App? Mobi? Or is it something else?

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

Moli is the old file format for Amazon ebooks. They use a proprietary conversion tool that used to be Mobi file format, but they are doing the eBook converions now with seveal different formats. Kindle, ePub, PDF, etc.

[defaultcbj1p6qywajq]

Moile App is one of the Publishing ouputs from FrameMaker. It's in the Publish tab.

[StudioSm]

FrameMaker has this option in the Publish Panel where you are supposed to be able to publish to Kindle, but it relies on installing a script, which Amazon has abandoned. Amazon is no longer using the MOBI format since about half a year ago. While you can use the script and publish MOBI it is - in my experience at least - not a very satisfying experience. Error logs are a-plenty and meaningless.

Publishing to Epub works much better, I think. And then you can "tidy up"  in Calibre.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Thanks @StudioSm - I was not aware that Kindle had dropped the .mobi format (I only deal with ePUB in my ebook reading life).

[StudioSm]

Hi @Jeff_Coatsworth There as small article about it here:

https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2022/05/03/amazon-dropping-mobi-support-on-send-to-kindle-apps/