TheBasics of Formatting an E-book
Leave a question or comment for the panel.
TODAY's PANEL
1. Pat Simmons
2. Lyn Cote
3. Rae Lori
4. Terri J. Haynes
5. TL James
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Creating an eBook is not a short cut to telling a great story. The writer still needs a beginning, middle and a satisfying ending. An eBook could be anywhere from 75-150 pages for a novella. Keep in mind before you start an eBook that readers like series and will devour the story and be ready for the next one.
ReplyDeleteIt can be challenging to keep a steady pace, but I suggest publishing an eBook every 3 to 4 months.
More tidbits coming...
I completely agree with Pat Simmons. You still need a great story. Creating eBooks are a great and economical way to build a following.
ReplyDeleteI concur. Not only do you need to have a great story, but also great editing, proofreaading and formatting. Only put up your best!
ReplyDeleteAmen Sister Lyn. Writers shouldn't try to skimp on the project just because it's electronic. Agents and publisher house editors read eBooks too. You may never know how you may land your book deal.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way the you can format your book into an eBook yourself for free or do you have to pay someone to do it?
ReplyDeleteLakeyshuh,
ReplyDeleteYou can do either. Most platforms have step by step instructions on how to correctly format an ebook. If you are comfortable with formatting a Word document, you shouldn't find creating an ebook too difficult to do it yourself.
If, however, you don't feel comfortable, you can pay someone to do it. Most authors chose to format it themselves because it is more cost efficient than paying someone. But if you have to pay someone to do it correctly, great formatting is a great investment.
Is there a specific program available for formatting eBooks or is a Word document sufficient?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteWord wil do. Also, some novel plotting software like Scrivener has the option to turn your manuscript into an ebook. The program is fairly inexpensive but it's basically a word processing software program like Word, so there's no need to buy anything else.
As for Adobe InDesign, the learning curve and price are too high unless you are a graphic designer. No need to invest in that right off the bat.
Again I would counsel that this is an investment in your writing career. Cutting corners by doing the formatting yourself could result in an ebook that's full of code errors that doesn't transfer to all the devices on which people read ebooks.
ReplyDeleteI formatted my first ebook using the free Smashwords Style Guide and it about drove me insane. I AM NOT A DETAIL person!
So try it but again only put out the BEST PRODUCT possible. I still have a few negative reviews on that books citing format errors. I went with a professional after that.
I agree with Lyn. I post to Amazon & Barnes & Noble first and save Smashwords for last. Smashwords can be a headache (considering you have to remove the publisher name, the ISBN info) and remove all of the formatting.
ReplyDeleteThe latter is simply taking your word document, copy it and paste it into notepad (that clears the formatting), then bounce it back to word and save.
Amazon is actually the easiest to format versus the Barnes & Noble. Terri is right, for me it's easier to do it myself. If you want to add table of contents to your e-book, bookmark it to the respective chapter.
Pat hit it on the nail!
I love what Pat said. It's so true and definitely something to keep in mind!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other panelists (including about Smashwords which is a huge headache!) regarding formatting. Another program for formatting into epub format is Sigil. It can take some time and patience as it has a bit of a learning curve and is very detailed. Now that Smashwords and Nook Press takes epubs, if you want to create yours to upload you can do an online epub check for errors online.
Otherwise, I love Maynetre's technique by using Notepad to strip Word of all the extra junk that crowds the document which you don't need. Either way, make sure once you make your ebook file to check it on a device first before putting it up for sale. Looking at it through a reader's eyes will help you see what you need to fix and if it will interrupt the reading flow for you.
I may have to check out Sigil (thanks Rae). Oh, I'm Tremayne Moore :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know you, Tremayne! :-D Hope Sigil is helpful to ya.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone used create space tis it good
ReplyDeleteDoes Smashwords work for you , is it worth using. I guess that's the wrong word to use. Do you see good connections using Smashwords?
ReplyDeleteBarbara
Bookloverbarb@yahoo.com
Excuses errors on iPad
Regarding editing, formatting and publishing... when it comes to quality you get what you pay for. So if you want to format it yourself, be educate yourself very well.
ReplyDeleteBarb: I have seen some sales via Smashwords (mostly through Apple). I wholeheartedly agree with TL James.
ReplyDeleteI only use Createspace for the paperback and go through the KDP Amazon website to put my book on Kindle (just using a word document). Hope this helps.