NCX File issues

[jt47000]

Hi guys,

This is my first post to this forum. I've been trying to get my two books on the Smashwords premium catalog for months now and it's always something new.

Here's the issue that drove me to the forums...

Current status
The current status of GUITAR MADE EASY: A Complete Step By Step Guide To Learning Guitar is
Needs modification
Problems were found in review

In the EPUB version of your book, most of the text is displaying as bold; this indicates a formatting issue in Word. Please correct this issue. ||| None of the chapters appear in the NCX; please refer to Step 20 of the Style Guide to resolve this issue. ||| When you're finished correcting your book, go to Dashboard: 'upload new version' to upload the manuscript. Thanks.


Well here's the issue... Smashwords only will let me upload my book in docx or Word format. It is my understanding that the NCX is a separate file that is embedded or has to do with the EPUB file of my book. I paid someone to convert my docx into an EPUB and Smashwords wont even let me upload it. It stricly wants a Word docx. Chicken or the Egg?.... And Smashwords only lets you upload one file under the "Upload new version" link. Why can't this be as easy as Amazon Kindle?

Please help if you can

Thanks

Justin

[Ted]

Hi Justin. Both Amazon and Smashwords have Style Guides for formatting works acceptable to both companies. Please take a moment and read the Smashwords Style Guide, paying particular attention to the Formatting sections. In it you will find that 1) .doc file format and not .docx is the format you want to use, so perform a Save As and save your file as a MSWord 97-2003 doc format; 2) Bold text is fine for Headings or other important areas so check your formatting to ensure the Bold text ends where it should; 3) there is only one file allowed when using "Upload new version" as authors only upload one version of a work at a time to ensure retailers have only one version of a work.

Hope this helps,
Ted

[jt47000]

Hi Ted,

Thanks for the info, but what about the NCX file? How am I supposed to upload multiple files onto smashwords? Can you specify what I am supposed to do about the NCX file issue?

I take it that if there's an NCX file involved, then that means I need to upload an EPUB file instead of doc. Smashwords doesnt accept EPUB files....


Chicken or the Egg?

See my point?

Thanks for the help!

Justin

[Ted]

The NCX file is generated by Smashwords, it's not a file you have to generate yourself or upload yourself.

Just upload a corrected MSWord .doc to Smashwords and their meatgrinder converts the .doc file to the various formats for you.

[andersenedith]

I have a picture book for young children. I'm thinking that the NCX error is because I don't have chapters or table of contents. I've been through 20b several times and not coming up with the answer for my book. Should I add something like, "Go to beginning of book." and link that to the first paragraph? Can you please help me with this? Thank you.

Look at the EPUB's formatting. Is the NCX file complete? The NCX is the table of contents that sits outside your EPUB on the left side of the Adobe Digital Editions screen. To learn more about the NCX (and see a good screenshot), see Step 20 in the Style Guide.

[Ted]

I'd follow the Style Guide suggestions for creating a TOC manually. It works for me.

[andersene]

Thank you, Ted. Back to it.

[sully]

Hi All, I have a minor NCX problem. I followed the steps faithfully in Mark's Style Guide in creating a ToC using bookmarks and hyperlinks. I compared my NCX with that of the NCX in Mark's guide. Everything was good right down the line except for one thing. In Mark's NCX there was a "Back to Top," and I'm wondering what Mark did to get that in his NCX. I did as Mark suggests in having several "Back to Top's" throughout my book, all linked to the ToC. But I couldn't get a Back to Top to show up in my NCX. I think that this would help a reader in navigating through the book.
Anyone have any ideas what I might have done wrong? Many thanks.

[sully]

After giving it further thought, I don't think a "Back to top" would really help. As it is now, readers can navigate around the site fairly easily.

Sully