Kdp Epub

/kdp-epub — Build the Kindle/KDP EPUB

Produce the Amazon KDP edition as a reflowable EPUB 3, compiled from the v5 canonical text and validated to the gates in .claude/rules/16-kdp-epub.md. The EPUB is a derived artifact — fix text in book/chapters-v5/, never in the EPUB.

When to use

• "compile the epub", "build the Kindle edition", "export for KDP", "validate the ebook".
• After any v5 text change that should reach the Kindle edition (rebuild from source).

Prerequisites (the build script enforces all of these — fail-loud)

1. Source clean. dist/manuscript-v6.md is current (re-run pipelines/epub/assemble_v6_manuscript.py if v6 chapters changed) and contains no raw [CITE:] markers and no [EVIDENCE NEEDED]. Resolve cites to endnotes first (Stephen / the source-ledger pipeline). Current state: 3 [CITE:] markers remain (ch08 ×1, ch12 ×2) — these block a non-draft build until resolved.
2. Metadata filled. book/design/epub/metadata.yml has no TODO tokens (author, publisher, identifier). Generate a stable identifier once: python3 -c 'import uuid;print("urn:uuid:"+str(uuid.uuid4()))'.
3. Cover present and conforming. book/design/epub/cover.jpg = 2560×1600 JPEG, 1.6:1, sRGB, title + author composited (rule 16). Current state: the design delivery has no title-composited ≥1600px cover — a conforming cover must be produced first. Use --draft to build a coverless proof in the meantime.

Tooling (all present on this machine)

pandoc 3.9 (build) · epubcheck v5.3.0 (gate 1) · Kindle Previewer 3 CLI + app (gate 2) · sips (cover dimension check) · java.

Procedure

1. Assemble + clean the source

python3 pipelines/epub/assemble_v6_manuscript.py    # refresh the manuscript from v6
# (the build script also runs this automatically when the cache is stale)
grep -rn '\[CITE:' dist/manuscript-v6.md  # must be empty before a real build

Resolve any [CITE:] to endnotes via the source-ledger cards (Stephen locks the anchor, then the cite becomes a numbered note). Do not hand-delete cites.

2. Prepare cover + metadata

• Drop the conforming cover at book/design/epub/cover.jpg (or pass --draft to skip).
• Fill book/design/epub/metadata.yml (author / publisher / identifier).

3. Build

python3 pipelines/epub/build_kdp_epub.py            # full, gated build  -> dist/no-one-did-it.epub
python3 pipelines/epub/build_kdp_epub.py --draft    # coverless text proof for review

What the build does: guards source + metadata + cover; folds the back-of-book # Notes definitions into pandoc popup footnotes (epub:type="noteref"/"footnote") while keeping the Selected Bibliography; runs pandoc --to epub3 --split-level=1 --toc with kdp.css, the metadata, and the cover.

4. Validate (both hard gates must pass before upload)

python3 pipelines/epub/validate_kdp_epub.py dist/no-one-did-it.epub

• Gate 1 — epubcheck: zero fatals/errors (triage warnings).
• Gate 2 — Kindle Previewer 3: converts to KFX/KPF cleanly. Authoritative Kindle gate — a file can pass epubcheck and still break on a Paperwhite. If the CLI isn't on PATH, open dist/no-one-did-it.epub in the Kindle Previewer 3 app and run the convert.
• Structure checks: cover declared, footnote popups present, no leaked [CITE:]/[^N].

5. Pre-flight checklist (manual, in Kindle Previewer)

• Cover renders crisp; title + author legible at thumbnail size.
• TOC navigates to every chapter + the Bibliography; no page numbers in TOC.
• A footnote tap opens a pop-up (not a jump to the back); back-link returns.
• A part-divider image displays with alt text; single-column everywhere.
• Reader font-size changes reflow cleanly (no fixed-px overflow).
• Epigraphs (incl. CJK/Greek/Arabic/Sanskrit) render; no tofu boxes.
• No raw [CITE:], [^N], or ## beat-name text anywhere.

6. Upload

Upload dist/no-one-did-it.epub to KDP as the manuscript; upload the 2560×1600 JPEG as the marketing cover separately. KDP assigns the ASIN.

Guardrails

• The scan-kdp-epub-css.py hook warns at edit time if book/design/epub/*.css introduces KDP-unsupported constructs (position:, fixed pt/px type/margins, height on text, forced black/white backgrounds).
• Never produce .mobi (dead format). Never edit the .epub as the master.
• Reflowable only: the fixed-layout dossier interiors do not survive reflow — a separate fixed-layout edition would be a different pipeline.

Troubleshooting