How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, NOOK, Smashwords, and Everything Else [Kindle Edition]

Paul Salvette (Author)

Book Description

Online sales of eBooks have exploded recently, and the trend will only continue with the availability of low-cost technology. Unfortunately, guidelines on how to properly format an eBook to sell on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble NOOK, Smashwords, and other distributors are terse and geared toward web developers rather than self-publishers. Templates and third-party programs advertised to quickly convert a manuscript into an eBook often leave the final product in a dismal state of sloppiness that offends readers. This is because eBooks need to be converted to the same code that is seen on websites, not what is in a word processor.

This guide was designed by an indie author for indie authors in the self-publishing community to provide the adequate knowledge to format an eBook in all major formats. It will take you step-by-step from a manuscript on your computer to the perfect eBook formats you need for Amazon, NOOK, Smashwords, and other markets.

In this guide you will learn how to:
•Layout your manuscript for conversion into the major eBook formats (i.e. MOBI, EPUB, PDF) for all the big markets (i.e. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and others)
•Add styles to different types of text in your eBook
•Add hyperlinks, bullets, and images to your eBook
•Create a clickable Table of Contents for your eBook
•Generate eBooks using open source software

No prior knowledge of web programming is needed, because this guide provides detailed instructions and images to improve your level of knowledge from the ground up. The following detailed tutorials are covered in this guide:
•Converting your manuscript from a word processor into a text editor
•Markup tutorial (XHTML)
•Add styles to your eBook (CSS)
•Using Microsoft Word for Smashwords
•Using Calibre to convert XHTML into all eBook formats
•Publishing your eBooks on Kindle, NOOK, and Smashwords
•XHTML/CSS source code

For those interested in the advanced methods and techniques of eBook formatting, this guide also provides the following tutorials:
•Regular Expressions for eBooks
•Creating an EPUB from the ground up
•Using KindleGen to create a MOBI file
•EPUB source code

Buy this 46,000-word (~200-page) guide that comes with over 150 helpful images, and you will soon have a professional eBook.

Product Details

• File Size: 2420 KB
• Print Length: 278 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Paul Salvette (September 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005PG6CNS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,352 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #19 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Design > Books

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, comprehensive and easy. October 10, 2011

By David Barron

Format:Kindle Edition

When I was muddling through learning how to format ebooks on my own, I could have used this! The thing that sets Mr. Salvette's guide apart from other available formatting guides is that I can still find it useful. He's packed enough detail in here that every formatter of any skill level can find something useful in this guide, and benefit from having it all in one place for reference.

Beginner
To test it out, I ignored my own workflow and formatted an ebook using only this guide. Everything you need, start to finish, is in here, laid out step-by-step, often with pictures. Looks great! That pays for the book right there, and he delivers on his early promise that you'll never have to hire someone to format your ebooks again.

Intermediate
The thing is, though, what I'd call `The Basics' is only about half the book. The rest is for when you've gained enough confidence to move past that and learn the details. They're in here. As I said, I'd cobbled together a basic formatting workflow of my own, but I'm refining and adding to it based on this guide. An example would be the "Adding Hyperlinks and Prepping the Table of Contents" section, especially concerning the customized NCX Table of Contents.

I'm giving a special shout-out to the "Formatting for Smashwords" chapter, which contains the most foolproof method I've yet seen for thwarting the Meatgrinder's cruel attempts to mangle my hapless .doc files, while remaining clear and well-organized, and it's integrated into the rest of the book so you can make an efficient workflow.

Advanced
Then, just when I thought it was over, along comes "The EPUB Structure and Using KindleGen", which, for me, is the continuing education portion of this guide. It goes in-depth into EPUB structure, how you can build your ebook EPUB from scratch, then how to use KindleGen to convert that to MOBI. It's labeled Advanced, and it's detailed....but I've followed the steps a few times with a test ebook, and it was all clearly explained. With some more practice, I'll be good to go.

What I consider `bonus features':
Appendix A - Video Tutorials
Links to YouTube videos for many of the sections, including that Advanced part.
Appendix H - Resources
A big pile of useful links.

Review: 5/5
Buy it quick!
(before he realizes it's underpriced.)

-daB

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide to ebook formatting October 17, 2011

By Gary McLaren

Format:Kindle Edition

This is an excellent guide to formatting ebooks and I recommend it for anyone who wants to get their heads around the technical side of ebook formatting, and even be able to build an ebook "from the ground up".

Many authors who have tried converting their own books to Kindle or ePub format, or publishing via Smashwords have discovered that there are some potential pitfalls along the way. Many an author has started out on what they thought was a 2-hour task only to find themselves still struggling to get the format right a few days later.

Paul Salvette begins this guide with a detailed explanation of XHTML and then goes on to show you how to use that knowledge to build ebooks in each of the major ebook formats.

If you hate the technical side of software and formatting then this might not be for you. But if you want to be able to dig into the formatting code and ensure your ebook appears just the way you want it to, this guide explains everything you need to know.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for self-publishers December 13, 2011

By James Granville

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having finished writing my novel I thought the work was done, that the "hard part" was over. Then I hit the wall. I wanted to self publish but knew nothing about formatting. If I posted it as-is my book was going look like scrambled hell. After trying a number of "free" avenues that purported to help the struggling author but were really designed to get him or her to give up and opt for expensive assistance, I stumbled upon this book. Though I knew very little about computers and even less about formatting, following the step by step guide I was able to successfully format my book and publish it error-free. I have to say, I found it hard but without this book it would have been impossible and feel indebted to its writer. Undoubtedly, the best $2.99 I have ever spent.

More About the Author

Paul Salvette is a small businessman and author living in Bangkok, Thailand. He provides eBook design and conversion services for authors and small presses. Paul is also an avid reader and occasionally forays into writing. He grew up in the states and is married to Lisa Salvette from Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeastern Thailand. Paul also served in the US Navy from 2002-2009 with some time in Iraq. He hopes to stay in Thailand until he is deported or dies of natural causes (whichever comes first).