.FLYINGHEAD ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
.TITLE Learn the steps for creating an ebook easily
.AUTHOR Jessica McCurdy Crooks
.SUMMARY Do you want to create an ebook, whether for sale or free distribution, but have no idea where to start? If you answered yes, after reading this article you should be able to make your very own ebook.
.OTHER
Do you want to create an ebook, whether for sale or free distribution, but have no idea where to start? If you answered yes, after reading this article you should be able to make an ebook if you have the content (the material that goes inside the book).
.H1 Steps in making an ebook
The first step in creating an ebook is to have something to say, whether it is how to plan a wedding or about your trip to Vegas. I’ll leave this up to you. Consider it a mere matter of writing.
.H1 Types of ebook formats
Next you will need to decide what format or formats you intend to make your ebook available in. There are many ways to make an ebook, and this article looks at three. However, there are many other ebook formats, including formats for display on your Palm or iPhone handheld and even the Amazon Kindle ebook reader.
.H2 PDF
The most popular ebook format is PDF (Portable Document File) because ebooks created in PDF format can be read on any type of computer as long as Acrobat Reader is installed. Best of all Adobe Acrobat Reader is available free for download from Adobe. Also worth considering when making a decision is the fact that PDF is a universal standard and can be downloaded from third party sites as well. ZATZ distributes its ebooks in PDF format, for example.
Unlike other ebook formats, PDF books can be read on both PCs and Macs, which is a big plus.
To be able to make an ebook in PDF format, you will need the professional version of the Acrobat software as the reader alone cannot do this. Although there are other PDF makers on the market, they are not always the best choice as people trying to read your ebook may encounter problems such as links not working properly or format irregularities. However, Acrobat Professional is a bit pricey, so you might need to go with a free or cheap alternative if you can’t raise the cash.
Once you have completed writing and editing your ebook and have the finished product ready, you will need to convert it to PDF. If you have Adobe Acrobat Professional installed on your computer, converting a Word document to PDF is relatively easy. The process may be slightly different depending on the version of Acrobat you have:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Locate the document (the soon-to-be ebook) you want to convert to PDF
.BULLET Right-click the name and in the drop down menu within Word select Convert to PDF
.BULLET Wait a little while while Acrobat churns
.BULLET Your ebook is now converted to PDF
.END_LIST
When created with Acrobat Professional, you can include hyperlinks in your ebook, which can be useful when you include lots of URLS.
.H2 HTML
Ebooks can be created in HTML format by using a Web page editor or an HTML ebook generator. Once you have created the Web page, you will need an ebook compiler to get it into an acceptable format. Luckily most such compilers are free and can be found online. However, deciding which to use will depend on many factors such as:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET How do you plan on distributing the ebook? If it is for sale you may want a compiler that makes it difficult for anyone to be able to modify the book.
.BULLET Your intended audience
.BULLET Price of the book if it is for sale
.END_LIST
How to create an HTML ebook:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Create the pages just as you would a Web page, being sure to connect the various pages using relative hyperlinks
.BULLET Name your first page, index.html as you would with a regular webpage
.BULLET Keep all your ebook pages in one folder
.BULLET Once you have created all the pages and included images or tables and so on, you will need to have an ebook creator to do the rest
.BULLET Use the ebook creator, also called an HTML compiler, to compile your ebook
.END_LIST
Now you have an HTML ebook ready to go.
.H2 Executable (.EXE)
Ebooks in executable format are also common. They are normally built using an ebook software program. The main issue most persons have with these types of ebooks is the fact that executable files can be a means of transmitting viruses.
This is a bit more technical and not the best option, but if you really want to know how, there are lots of sources on the Internet, just do a search for "How to create an executable ebook". Be prepared for a lot of garbage, though.
Sadly, because .EXE ebooks are also often used to carry viruses and other nasty payloads, so they’re going more and more out of favor. Computing Unplugged does not recommend this format.
.H1 Formatting
Once you have completed writing your ebook using the word processing or other software application of your choice, you need to format the book. Many different applications can be used to create the content for an ebook such as Microsoft Publisher or Adobe InDesign. The formatting process also means including any pictures or graphics you want to add.
Because ebooks are designed to be read on a computer screen, it is vital to ensure that the font used and the layout of the text is easy on the eyes.
Also, pay special attention to editing and proofreading, and most importantly do include an index. A second pair of eyes will pick up spelling and grammatical errors that you may have missed. If you include an index, whether the book is for sale or a major part of your marketing blitz, try to get a professional indexer to write the index to ensure that it is properly done.
Another alternative is an excellent indexing program called [[http://www.virginiasystems.com/products.html|Sonar Bookends Professional]], which can do most of your indexing for you, at a fraction of the cost of a professional indexer.
No matter what your subject is and whether or not the ebook will be free, you should make it look and read as professional as possible.
The cover of the ebook should be appealing and as professional-looking as possible. Also, try to select titles that are SEO (Search Engine Optimization) friendly. This is important so that search engines will find and index the titles and their download links. If this doesn’t happen, no one will find your book.
.H1 General tips
Some general tips that should be considered when creating an ebook regardless of format are:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Page size should ideally be either 5 by 7 inches (5×7) or 6 by 9 inches (6×9).
.BULLET Ideal fonts for readability are Century, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino and Times New Roman.
.BULLET Recommended font size for headings and subheadings are 12 to 14 points, while text should be around 12 points.
.END_LIST
Now that you have completed your masterpiece you will need to market it. You can choose to give away your ebook for free to promote your services or your website or blog.
Well, there you have it, all the information you need to write and publish an ebook.
Note: Your ebook doesn’t have to be large, it can be any size you want, but do bear in mind that download size is important for ebooks created in any format.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/|Acrobat Professional]].
Learn more about [[http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/|Adobe InDesign]].
Learn more about [[http://www.virginiasystems.com/products.html|Sonar Bookends Professional]].
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
