I can expertly indesign and format your manuscript into a stunning ebook in createspace, amazon kindle, pdf, paperback, epub, mobi and many other formats. One of the main benefits of the epub format for readers is that it allows a book s text to automatically adjust or reflow for different screen sizes, such as those for smartphones, netbooks and ereader devices. The team at formatted books were so helpful and easy to work with. Ebook formatting, kindle or epub, createspace or paperback. But as with so many tasks within selfpublishing, there is more than one way to achieve it. More recently, sony has converted its books from bbeb to epub. If your book is a novel or other textheavy book, you ll format your ebook as a standard, reflowable. Vellum is the single best investment any author can make. As defined by the international digital publishing forum idpf. The most significant advantage of the ebook formats epub and.
Its similar to printed book interior design and formatting, but focuses solely on your book in the digital space. If youre doing this yourself, youll likely use the free, open source calibre program. It can be very frustrating when all your poetry book formatting. How to format picture books for kindle and epub3 fiction. It is a proprietary format, but some reader software for generalpurpose computers, particularly under gnulinux for example, calibres internal viewer, have the capability to read it. Request an ebook formatting quote by clicking the button below. The epub format suits books with lots of images like comics, graphic novels and recipe books.
Dec 07, 2010 henkels zen of ebook formatting an expansion of his 2010 blog series take pride in your ebook formatting is an easytofollow guide to converting a document file to html and from there to various. Follow this stepbystep guide to format your manuscript for ebook conversion. Most publishing platforms automatically remove unwanted space and create flowing text in an ebook file, which is perfect for fiction. How to format a book for both epub and print within the editor step 1. If youre planning to format your own ebooks to distribute anywhere other than on amazons kdp platform, youll need to master the industrystandard. Most ebook stores use a file format called epub but amazonkindle uses a slightly modified file format called mobi. Mar 16, 2017 if youre planning to format your own ebooks to distribute anywhere other than on amazons kdp platform, youll need to master the industrystandard. If you want to publish one of these kinds of books, fixed layout may be the better solution, since it preserves the qualities of the printed page.
You need to see the formatting marks, so turn them on, as well as the navigation pane and the ruler, by clicking the backtofront p sign the paragraph symbol used by proofreaders. What is the best software to use to format a book for. This is why i recommend downloading a free book formatting template from. They dont resize or alter when swapping from one device to another.
Idpfs epub format is a free and open e book standard used by most ebook readers. That means i receive a small % of the sale for the referral, but with no extra cost to you. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading zen of ebook formatting. Most bookstore chains have their own ereader device and their own bookstore. Before you submit your book to kdp, you need to format it so it meets our quality standards. If you want to select one specific file, click add books from a single directory, then find the. Ms word is a pretty decent word processor, but it should not be used for book formatting. The epub format is perfect for reading on smaller screens, because the lines of text reflow and adjust to accommodate varying font sizes and screen sizes.
Unlike epub and azw formats, pdfs are not reflowable. How to read epub books on your kindle digital trends. Build your book format a paperback manuscript word for windows. The ebook market is a battlefield, and having jesse in my corner helps to ensure that my books look as professional as those released by the traditional publishers. Turn your completed manuscript into a formatted ebook with kindle create design an eyecatching cover with cover creator see how your ebook. This format is ideal for textbased books and books with small images embedded amongst the text which essentially creates paragraph breaks. Fast, professional ebook formatting service epub, mobi, pdf.
Okay, this is probably the one frustrating step left in the process. However, some files with complex formatting may not convert as well. Above is a video explaining the basics of ebook publishing, formatting and conversion. Hello, my name is zshan and im a professional graphic designer and an ebook publisher with over 5 years experience working in this field. A stepbystep guide to format ebooks for kindle and epub kindle edition by henkel, guido. Jane dixon smith jane does my own interior book design for print.
If you want help formatting the other parts, see our stepbystep guides for preparing your manuscript in word for windows and. The blank templates have the page size and margins set. All ebooks are provided without drm protection and can be read on any device. Still, this hasnt stopped it from becoming one of the most commonly used tools in selfpublishing and the reason why a lot of indie books look terrible.
It converts to and from most other ebook formats, including ones compatible with the amazon kindle. Book formatting for ebook and print books the creative penn. External hyperlinks to websites, social media, andor email. For a book on formatting, this is the worst formatted book ive ever loaded onto my kindle devices. An ebook format should offer a good reading experience, be an open standard format or at least openly licensed, have the support of both publishers and hardware vendors. We transform your manuscript into kindle, epub and smashwords files, which will get your book into the hands of any reader, regardless of what retailer or device they use. Formatting ebook and book cover design and formatting. Headings to enhance the display of the epub file you can add headings to the appropriate places within the text. How to format your book for amazon kindle using microsoft. What you need to know about formatting your own ebook. The digital book format originally used by sony corporation. Because epub is reflowable, customers can read files that are formatted in epub. Importing your book to the editor requires you to copyandpaste your book a chapter at a time. They dont play nice with any devices except a printer.
It does involve jumping a few hurdles, though, and those hurdles are the reason that so many selfpublished authors dont have print versions of their books. Selfpublishing fiction is as easy as having a word document and then uploading. Depending on your ebook, some steps may be unnecessary e. I am an affiliate of the services above because they are excellent quality and have been recommended by readers of this blog.
Great customer service and i would and will use them again in a heartbeat. Within ebooks, hyperlinks, with a touch of a finger or the click of the mouse, will take your readers to where you want them to be. Register now to get free access to our books, which are available in both epub and kindle ebook format. Apr 22, 2020 download the epub file to your computer and then click on the button labeled add books in calibre. Word doesnt export epub files the most common ebook format, but most digital publishers will. Formatting experts book publishing services for independent. The epub format is the most widely supported ebook format, supported by most ebook readers except by amazon kindle. For the stylesheet to work properly and your book s formatting to be consistent, you will have to format using general styles instead of using local formatting. A free and open ebook standard by the international digital publishing forum idpf. Now, with a new, clean and pristine word document copy of your manuscript, you are ready to format your book for electronic publishing.
Turnaround time for your custom book within 7 days 3 days for rush jobs. In a few clicks, it can help you format your title page, table of contents, and individual paragraphs and change your book. Kindle ereaders, fire tablets, nook, kobo, ipad, iphone, android devices, laptops and desktop computers. In order to turn your book into a functional ebook, your manuscript document. The term is short for electronic publication and is sometimes styled epub. How to put free ebooks on your amazon kindle pcmag. Ebook formatting is the preparation of a digital file, to ensure that it meets the publishers requirements and is an enjoyable reading experience. As a first time author, i had many questions and there was a huge learning curve involved w publishing an ebook. Aug 23, 2017 before i go into more detail about formatting, its worth pointing out that several online retailers insist that writers submitting their ebooks follow their style guides when it comes to formatting. Top tips for ebook formatting in word learn to view your document correctly. Mobi the mobipocket ebook format is based on the open ebook standard using xhtml. The video below will show you how to convert from word.
Word doesnt export epub files the most common ebook format. The information we give is specific to the 2016 version of word, but the steps are similar in most versions. How to format an ebook for kindle in this free detailed guide, im going to show you how to format a book for kindle for fiction and nonfiction yes, there is a difference when it comes to formatting. A stepbystep guide to format ebooks for kindle and epub. Mobi format, which is the preferred kindle file format. Choose the type of book youre making and click choose file. If you have a fire tablet or a smartphone, you can download other ereading apps to beef up your library, but. How to format a word document for ebook selfpublishing.
It is very easy to convert your word document to mobi and epub. As you prepare your ebook, consider whether your content should have a fixed or reflowable format. Formatting a print book for kdp can be learned quite quickly, and you can do everything in microsoft word, or indesign if you want to make it extra professional. Set a new paragraph style for nonindents on the first chapter. Readers can choose to view kindle books in different font sizes, so page numbers, font sizes and margins dont apply. Mar 23, 2017 there is good anecdotal evidence that books without drm sell better than books that are protected. Epub is an openstandard file format for digital books developed by the international digital publishing forum idpf. Since epub files are structured like zip files, you can rename an epub ebook, replacing. Below is the list of different type of book formats that we offer to our clients. After you format your manuscript in word, add finishing touches with kindle create. How to convert a word document to epub or mobi for kindle. As you can see in the image below, there are a number of builtin styles in use in my example document. How to quickly create an epub file from word jane friedman.
Importing your book to the editor requires you to copyandpaste your book. A few simple filtering string will do the trick in search of pdf files or any file extension you specified. Test your book after each format conversion to ensure that it behaves as it should. To format your plain text word document and be ready for uploading to an online ebook publisher, refer to our article on how to format an ebook and how you use styles to make your book. That means that the files you prepare using amazons tools will not work at other retailer or distribution sites, which almost always ask for epub format ebook files. You can upload and convert your ebook manuscript file from several supported formats. Alexandra amor my virtual assistant also does formatting for ebook, paperback and hardback. Ebook launch professional ebook and print book formatting please note. You can also use the styles gallery to make a quick style change. Use the heading1 style for all chapter titles, and check that a toc is being made automatically. Epub is supported by many ereaders, and compatible software is available for most smartphones, tablets, and computers. To add a heading select the appropriate text and from the styles and formatting drop down menu. For the best results, we recommend a microsoft word docdocx or a kpf file created with kindle create. Nook sells digital content that is in the epub format.
Ebook formatting services will usually create an epub. Ebook conversion secrets to help you format your book for kindle, smashwords and other online bookstores. Calibre is the premier program for converting an epub file to another format. Because epub is reflowable, customers can read files that are formatted in epub on the nook dedicated ereading devices and on android, ipad, iphone, ipod, windows 8, and pc and mac via nooks free nook ereading software. How to format your ebook for epub conversion bookbaby blog. Some of the supported conversions include epub to fb2, html, lit, lrf, mobi, pdf, pdb, rtf, txt, and snb. How to format a manuscript for ebook conversion publishdrive. The lrx file extension represents a drm encrypted ebook. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. They produced beautiful and professional work, and did so both quickly and efficiently. Common ebook formats epub short for electronic publication. The easiest way to make an ebook is to start by setting up your word file the right way. The problem, of course, is that kindle is a proprietary format and you cant upload. The stepbystep guide to formatting your print book for kdp.
Apr 20, 2020 the amazon kindle is a great ebook reader, but its tightly tied to amazons ecosystem. A fixed layout ebook is ideal for books that rely heavily on design elements or large illustrationsphotos cookbooks, childrens books, comics, etc. Please follow these steps to learn how to format a manuscript for ebook conversion. For the stylesheet to work properly and your books formatting to be consistent, you will have to format using general styles instead of using local formatting. This can make pdf files extremely awkward to read on an ereader, tablet, or phone. How to format a poetry book for ebook selfpublishing. But the mobi ebook format, or kindle book format, is the only file type that can be added and read on kindle devices and kindle apps. This page would be the first page of a chapter file. Depending on your version of microsoft word, this may be a popup or a sidebar. Open kindle create and click new project from file. How to make an ebook kindle and epub conversion diy book. For easy conversion to several other ebook formats, download a free copy of ebook management program calibre and use its conversion tools with your rtf version. How to use reedsys book editor to format ebooks and print. Creating and formatting documents for ereaders using epub.