There are a lot of conversations regarding how to publish digitally. We’re seeing more and more authors take the plunge, and more and more authors are choosing to go it alone. Completely alone. While we find the team approach to be part of our success, it isn’t impossible to self-publish and do all the work yourself. In earlier posts we’ve discussed the importance of good covers. We’ve also discussed marketing, promotion, pricing and other topics important to all authors, regardless of path of publication. In this post I’d like to discuss the actual making of an eBook. The file that will get uploaded to various platforms. Today we will focus on the 4 main ones. Smashwords, B&N, Kindle and iBooks.
Lets start with Smashwords.
Smashwords uses a Word doc as a source file. As you will find out later, I’m not a fan of Word, but for Smashwords it’s your only choice. The key to using Smashwords effectively is to follow the Style Guide. Any short cuts in formatting will cause either the file format to fail when it tries to convert, or the file will not pass inspection for the Premium Catalog. This is important for two reasons. First, simple things like proper indentation for a paragraph is important to the reading experience. Try reading a document that doesn’t follow standard practice. It’s annoying. Or maybe a diagram that doesn’t convert during the process because you used Word’s Table function. You could lose a reader with something like that. Second, if there are any glitches in formatting you won’t make into the Premium Catalog and depending on where you want your eBook distributed, if your book fails, you won’t be accepted into those stores. So, follow the Style Guide. Mark Coker has done a bang up job making it as simple as possible.
PubIt! (Barnes and Noble)
PubIt! allows you to use Word, HTML or ePub as a source file. I don’t recommend using Word, although I’ve seen decent results. HTML works well, if you have a really clean file (see below in Kindle on why I don’t recommend the .htm in Word). Your best bet here is the ePub file. I don’t recommend using something like Calibre (a free download) to generate an ePub file to upload on PubIt. I’ve used Calibre for a variety of file options and have uploaded files generated from it. Some of our PubIt eBooks currently are created from this program, but I have found a better way of creating this file and am redoing all our books. It will take some time, but well worth it. So what do I use you ask? I started with InDesign (a very expensive program) but have found that Pages (iWorks on Mac) makes a really nice ePub file. I still have to check the code and make sure it’s clean, but I find it easier to work with. I have to say PubIt is probably my favorite uploading experience.
Kindle is a Mobi file and you can upload a Word doc, HTML, mobi file or an ePub file. Again, I don’t recommend Word and frankly, Kindle is the worst place to upload a word doc. I’ve mentioned HTML and a lot of writers will use the “save as .htm” function in word. That is the worse thing you can do if you want to create an HTML file to upload on Kindle. I’m not going to get into the details, but here is a video that explains why and offers a solution if you are bent on using Word and or HTML.
We use the ePub file I created from Pages for the source document for Kindle. Then I run it through Calibre to make the Mobi file. This is the one time I will say use Calibre to upload. Make sure you understand Calibre and use the right settings. This is key in creating a quality eBook.
Finally lets talk iBooks
iBooks is very simple, yet, if you don’t have a Mac, you have to use something like Smashwords. While I can’t say enough good things about Mark Coker and Smashwords in general, we don’t use them. We have a Mac, so we can create the ePub file that passes all the requirements for iBooks. It’s the same process. I use Pages, convert to ePub with a TOC, check the code, and then save the file as an .epub. You have to download iTunes Producer and you upload through that, but the process is much like all the others when it comes to the actual upload.
While technology makes things easier, it also complicates things. A basic understanding of the technology helps us to make educated decisions regarding our careers.
Bob and I will be teaching a 6 week long on-line course on Publishing Options where we will take a much closer look at all these platforms. The course is only $30.00.
Write It Forward!
In the name of keeping up with technology, you need to know that Word *isn’t* your only choice for Smashwords. Open Office, a free clone of Word, is only one of many programs that can save your text as a Word .doc file that is perfectly acceptable to Smashwords’ Meatgrinder. I use the same file for uploading to Pubit.
Word and Open Office are essentially the same thing. They have the same file extension and pretty much work identically, though they are different in many ways. The key with Smashwords is the style-guide. As far as PubIt goes, like I said, Word or it’s Clone Open Office does a decent job. It’s just not what I would recommend if you have the ability to do create an ePub file.
As an addendum: The free application, “MobiPocket Creator” available from the Amazon KDP site will do a good job of converting a book for the Kindle.
If your book is properly formatted for the Premium Catalog on Smashwords, it will properly convert to Kindle using the application. Just save the Word document as “Web Page, Filtered”, import the resulting HTML file into the creator, convert it, and enter the meta-data into the application. You’ll get a perfect MOBI file.
But watch out for “hidden bookmarks”. Word has a tendency of putting these tags in any document without notifying the user and it’s easy to miss them. If they’re included in your document they will screw up your TOC, your book won’t make the Premium Catalog, and you’ll get weird hyper-links in your MOBI file.
Ah yes, MobiPocket Creator. Back in my PC days, that is what I used. But I am no longer a PC user.
Interestingly enough, it is not available to Mac users. And I have a Mac, but you are correct, it is a good program for PC users. However, a little caveat about that “Web page, Filtered” or .htm file that words creates–make sure you go through the file page by page on the viewer inside Kindle. MobiPocket Creator doesn’t dislike Word HTML as much as Kindle does, but it can cause problems.
I JUST discovered mobi pocket creator and I am so happy! I’ve been paying someone to convert the word documents for me because when I uploaded a word document to Kindle (as Bob said, BAD idea), I got indents in the wrong places. I learned to use the program in about 15 minutes and voila!
Don’t forget Scrivener, which can compile for ebooks in ePub and Mobi format. I use Scrivener, which is Mac native but I believe at least in beta for PC, for all my ebooks and Smashwords is the only thing I have to do any special work with. And at $45, it’s a bargain piece of software. And I don’t work for them, just love the product!
Hi Jen,
As usual your posts are both smart and generous, two wonderful qualities to build a loyal fan base and also to give others inspiration to do the same. What a wonderful world it would be if we all tried to build our reputations by pleasing and informing each other. The course in November sounds perfect. Maybe I missed it but I couldn’t find information about how the course works, when it meets, etc.
Jerry
Memory Writers Network
All this technical mumbo jumbo gives me a headache. That’s why Jen and I formed Who Dares Wins Publishing.
It takes a team to succeed. My Green Beret A-Team taught me that.
John–I’ve used Scrivener, but never for making an ePub file, so I really can’t speak to its quality when it comes to the final output. With technology there is always good news/bad news. Good news is you can do it, the bad news is the technology is always changing and growing.
Jerry– Here is the link for the course. It is an on-line workshop done through Yahoo Groups. We will post lessons a few times a week and you can ask questions and we’ll answer. It’s informal and you can participate when it works for you. Any questions, feel free to email me. Good to see you here! Hope our paths cross again soon. I enjoyed meeting you at the Philly writers Conference. https://whodareswinspublishing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=36&product_id=113
Jen,
Thanks for this info. I’ve had it up to here with Smashwords and their finicky meatgrinder. Glad to know about iTunes Producer. I’ll definitely be looking into that.
This is why I outsource — these tech headaches would make me crazy. I use eBook Architects to format my books and convert into Mobi and ePub files. I distribute to the iBookstore through Lulu, which accepts ePub. I avoid Smashwords b/c of the Meatgrinder…I really wish Smashwords would accept ePub.
For the record, I have nothing against Smashwords. I think they do bang up job for many authors and it’s an option. I gave a workshop today where my main goal was to give enough information about all this so authors could make informed decisions about how to best go about getting their books into readers hands.
I guess I hand out a lot of headaches with my techie stuff….LOL.
I had no idea about the iBook part! So if you have a Mac, you can just submit straight through iTunes? How does that work? I thought someone said you had to be something like Smashwords (which I think affiliates with iBooks) to get in their system?
If you have a Mac, you can download iTunes Producer. You have to sign up for a iTunes Connect account. You have to have the ability to create an ePub file that will past their quality assurance test. Things like Calibre won’t work. I have only found two programs that do it, and do it well, and that is InDesign and Pages. While Pages is easy to use, its important that you do a little research on how to make the ebook so that it looks right on the reading devices. Most authors will contract out to have the file made, which I recommend if you don’t have the techno skills.
Thank you so much for that information! I planned on hiring someone to format my ebooks because I am really, really not good with that side of technology. So basically when hiring out I just need to make sure whomever I hire can pass the quality test?
Elisa–Yes. Ask the contractor for references. Ask other authors who they have used. There are a lot of start up businesses that are doing this, and some are better than others. I think its important that authors educate themselves on the basics and shop around.
None of my conversion attempts using Word files have ever come up to standard and Word’s Save as HTML produces horrible code.
What does work pretty well is opening your Word file in Open (or Libre) Office and using its Save as HTML – the code is pretty clean, assuming you’ve strictly formatted your document using Styles and Formatting. It needs a bit of manual cleanup in Notepad++ using Find & Replace, but it’s the best compromise I’ve found.
With a clean HTML file, I’ve had very good results converting to .mobi (with Calibre and Mobipocket Creator) and ePub (using Calibre). It’s also the only feasible option if you want advanced formatting such as drop capitals, non-indented first paragraphs and images as chapter headings (that also appear in the TOC).
There’s some instructions and tips on my website.
ePub technology reminds me of the early days of desktop publishing. Anyone remember the struggles with Pagemaker and the early versions of Quark, especially on the PC? I still have nightmares about trying to print out some of those files. Well, epubbing can only get better, and in the meantime we have people like you to shepherd us. I look forward to your course.
Never used Pagemaker or Quark. Wasn’t that for the very first Windows Based system? I don’t think made the move from DOS until Windows 95 came out. I remember I was teaching computer software and information systems and had to abruptly switch for WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 and learn Word and Excel. It was interesting.
I just tried the Scrivener for Windows, I’ll have to try all these suggestions.
Great info Jenni!
You might want to look at http://www.jutoh.com/ which is a simple epublishing toolkit written by my husband when we were loading my ebooks onto Kindle, Smashwords etc. Designed to be uber-simple and flexible, we’ve already had some great feedback. There’s a demo version to download and play with to see if it is your sort of thing.
Advertisment over. Love your blog Bob, I often dip into it and find it very upbeat and inspiring! Thanks.
In this post he explains how he uses to help prepare his e-books for publication on and . Have you ever thought how nice it would be to see your e-book as an e-book before you upload to Smashwords or Kindle? Then take a look at .If you check the KDP guidelines they say you should prepare and upload your book as a .prc file and these can be prepared using a free program called . Add your filtered HTML file and then click on Convert Books.The first option is to convert from ZIP the upload to EPUB and Calibre recommend this as a starting point.
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This is my first time visiting here and I’m very impressed with the “Perfect Storm” analogy. Extremely well done, sir.
Imagine my surprise, however, when I read that everything I’ve done to publish my eBooks is all wrong: scrub the DOC file completely of all “troublemakers,” save it as HTM with “Save only display information into HTML” selected, convert with Calibre to EPUB and MOBI, check both with Kindle for Mac, Adobe Digital Editions, the Nook and Kindle emulators, a Kindle, a Nook, and an iPad, and upload successfully to PubIt and Kindle Direct Publishing. The fact that in all cases the final products are free of any formatting errors must be a figment of my imagination.
My only conclusion at this point is that I’m in for a perfect storm of my own, apparently. It may arrive when I finally press the “Publish” button after proofing the print edition from CreateSpace so that the book is available in all formats at once. If that happens, then I’ll have learned another valuable lesson in this rapidly changing sea of indie publishing. I only hope I can find a lifeboat that remains afloat long enough to do all this again the right way.
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