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M
Mike24743490uli6
Participant
June 10, 2022
Answered

EPUB: What would cause this difference?

  • June 10, 2022
  • 1 reply
  • 1577 views

Attaching screenshots of a given chapter of a book; one in the Kindle app and one in the Apple Books app. In the Kindle, it shows both "Twenty-Two" above the title and then the number 22 prior to the chapter title. In Apple books, the numerical 22 isn't shown. Why would this be?

 

I'm trying to have the chapter numbers spelled out above the chapter title, but then in the TOC have the chapters numbered like:

 

1. [Chapter 1 title]

2. [Chapter 2 title]

 

This is a reflowable epub.

Correct answer James Gifford—NitroPress

Can I control the "space after" the chapter number if it needs to be different than the space after the chapter name that way (with just a soft return), though?

 

(Also: I'd thought I'd had that pull quote after the chapter number [as I'd mentioned in my first message here], but it's actually after the chapter name.)

 

 


All four iterations need to be styled and managed separately, and then in concert. No small trick.

 

If you want a lot of control over the printed page, the two paragraph approach might be best. It gives you unlimited control on the print page but limits you to the two-line TOC display.

 

The single-Para Style, soft-return plus Char Style method means you have to juggle line spacing and then spacing below on the print page, which should be do-able. Leading is controlled, more or less, by the following paragraph, so if you have 36pt leading to separate the number and title, then 14pt Body text following will be as close as any bottom/top spacing allows.

 

This is 24/48 for the auto-numbered heading, with a following em space and 1pc space below, and 12/14 with 6pt bottom spacing for the Body:

 

Seems like that should get you where you want... or did I miss something?

1 reply

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
June 10, 2022

Are these from the same EPUB, or separate exports?

 

Don't auto-number the chapter headings in any way. Use auto-numbered TOC styles.

 

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    M
    Mike24743490uli6Author
    Participant
    June 10, 2022

    Same epub file, different reading apps.

     

    I've tried setting the TOC style to auto-number, but the TOC on the readers seems to ignore it. 

      A
      aliciap22522224
      Participating Frequently
      February 15, 2025

      There are a couple of ways to achieve the goal, then.

       

      Try using a soft return between the number and title, with a hard space after the number. I am not sure how the TOC will process the soft return unless you check the box to strip them from the result (which is generally the right option anyway.)

       

      You could also put an invisible chapter number in front of the chapter title — use 1pt type and [None]  coloration with a 1pt hard space following; optionally, squish the number horizontally to minimize its effect on layout; adjust the paragraph left spacing as needed. (ETA: a hint here: use a character style you can switch from [None] to magenta or some such, for easier editing and review.)

       

      I have many reasons for objecting to editing EPUBs, but the first and foremost is that, especially when exporting from ID, you have to repeat the edits — flawlessly — every single time you update. Setting up the ID doc and export to do the work for you so that the EPUB is final as exported is... simply the modern, correct way to do it.

       

      The other method is to get authors to accept that e-books cannot be exact replicas of print, nor usually should be — sometimes because it involves ridiculous amounts of work for trivial results, and sometimes because it just can't be done. But (as a writer, editor and publisher myself) I know most authors, especially those in the current DIY spectrum, have their own ideas about esthetics and practicality. After all, they read it somewhere. 😛


      Yep -- almost all of my authors are first-time self-publishing, and although I try to break some news gently, it can result in some people being pretty frustrated with me when I tell them they cannot use italicized and bolded French Script in their ebooks, just because they "were able to do it in Word" [sad face]. Le sigh. But this chapter numbering thing comes up again and again. And yes, having to go in and (flawlessly) add 51 chapter numbers to the code several times over (every time I need to change something in another part of the book, and need to re-export) would be delightful to avoid. . . .

      I'm going to try putting the invisible chapter number in at 1pt with "none" coloring (as mentioned, I tried assigning it paper or none or transparent color before, and Kindle Previewer kept defaulting to a readable gray) -- but I didn't try making it super-duper tiny. Will report back, and thank you so much.

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