Kindle Format 8 Overview

Kindle Publisher Tools with KF8
Available for download now

HTML5 support	Drop caps
CSS3 support	Kindle Text Pop Up
Fixed layouts	Kindle Panel View
Embedded fonts	And many more!

We’re pleased to announce that Kindle Publisher Tools - KindleGen and Kindle Previewer with Kindle Format 8 (KF8) support are now available for download. Kindle Format 8 is Amazon’s next generation file format offering a wide range of new features and enhancements – including HTML5 and CSS3 support that publishers can use to create all types of books. KF8 adds over 150 new formatting capabilities, including drop caps, numbered lists, fixed layouts, nested tables, callouts, sidebars and Scalable Vector Graphics - opening up more opportunities to create Kindle books that readers will love. Kindle Fire is the first Kindle device to support KF8 - in the coming months KF8 will be rolled out to our latest generation Kindle e-ink devices as well as our free Kindle reading apps.

Publishers have created thousands of KF8 titles already and customers are enjoying the improved formatting and reading features across all types of books. Additionally, KF8 features such as Kindle Panel Views and Kindle Text Pop Up enable great fixed layout books including graphic novels, comics and children’s books.

Children's books

Children's picture books come to life with brilliant images, fixed layouts and Kindle Text Pop Up.

Fiction

Fiction looks well formatted with embedded fonts, line spacing, alignment, and justification.

Technical and engineering

Technical and engineering books are created more efficiently with Cascading Style Sheet 3 formatting, nested tables, boxed elements and Scalable Vector Graphics.

Comics and graphic novels

Comics and graphic novels are presented in high resolution color with Kindle Panel Views.

The list of new capabilities in Kindle Format 8 can be found here.

Please download the new versions of KindleGen and Kindle Previewer and get started today. KindleGen 2 creates KF8 content from a wide variety of input sources including HTML, XHTML, and EPUB. Kindle Previewer 2 provides an easy way to preview how titles will look on Kindle devices and apps. We’ve also updated the Kindle Publishing Guidelines to help publishers get started with Kindle Format 8.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Kindle Format 8?

A: Kindle Format 8 powers the book reader on Kindle Fire. KF8 replaces the Mobi format and adds over 150 new formatting capabilities including support for HTML5 and CSS3. In the coming months, we will roll out KF8 to our latest generation Kindle e-ink devices as well as our free Kindle reading apps.

Q: What are the new capabilities that are supported? Where can I read a list of all the new capabilities?

A: KF8 has over 150 new formatting capabilities including support for HTML5 and CSS3. This includes embedded fonts, drop caps and CSS selectors such as line spacing, alignment, justification, margin, color, style and border. A list of KF8 capabilities is available here.

Q: Can I publish Kindle Format 8 books via Kindle Direct Publishing?

A: Yes, books created using the new Kindle Publishing Guidelines and taking advantage of the new features offered by KF8 can be published via KDP. To learn more about publishing KF8 books via KDP, click here.

Q: What do I have to do to take advantage of Kindle Format 8 for my titles?

A: Information on how to take advantage of the new capabilities in KF8 is contained in the new Kindle Publishing Guidelines.

Q: Will KF8 capabilities be available on all Kindle devices?

A: Kindle Fire is the first Kindle device to support KF8 - in the coming months we will roll out KF8 to our latest generation Kindle e-ink devices as well as our free Kindle reading apps.

Q: Will my existing Mobi files still work on Kindle e-ink devices and apps?

A: Yes. All currently supported content will continue to work. Information on how to update your existing titles to take advantage of new capabilities in KF8 is in the new Kindle Publishing Guidelines.

Q: Will my book be available on Kindle Fire?

A: All Kindle books currently available in the Kindle Store will be available on Kindle Fire. Information on how to update your existing titles to take advantage of new capabilities in KF8 is in the new Kindle Publishing Guidelines.

Q: Will I have to provide two versions of my titles going forward?

A: No. The upcoming updates to our Kindle Publishing Tools will take care of this for you. KindleGen 2 will convert your content to both Mobi and KF8 formats so that it works on all Kindle devices and apps. You will be able to preview how your title will look on the range of Kindle devices and apps using Kindle Previewer 2.

Q: How do I ensure my books look great across all Kindle devices and apps?

A: The best practice among publishers is to use the Kindle Previewer to review books. Based on your review if you determine you need finer grained control over the Mobi 7 experience than provided by the standard conversions from KindleGen we recommend you use media queries. More details on using media queries is available in the new Kindle Publishing Guidelines.

KindleGen Examples

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