Every day I get questions from customers asking about formatting their ebook. This is not unusual as that is what I do, but what is difficult to understand is why they do not understand the medium they are trying to “advertise on.”
“I am viewing my book and there aren’t any spaces between the paragraphs.”
“Why won’t my font display. I have it embedded properly.”
It all comes down to this… readers (people) will read your ebook on a variety of devices and Apps: and every App and Device will display your book DIFFERENTLY — every one.
These ‘concerns’ are valid — but in the first instance, there were spaces between paragraphs — just NOT on the App she was using. This was a flaw with the App itself. Additionally, the font was embedded properly; Adobe Digital Editions refused to display it, while Kindle Fire and the iPad were fine.
Know what you are up against
Digital eBooks. Understand the technology you are considering. eReaders vary, and while you may want your book to appear like a printed book on every device, that just isn’t possible (yet).
Digital books stem from HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). The latest is HTML5. Not all ereaders or Apps utilize HTML5, so you are having to adjust your layout for various e-readers.
Example:
Fixed Layouts. Many Childrens books are fixed layouts. Full page color images with text overlaid. Beautiful on the iPad and Kindle Fire. but this type of format does NOT display on the Kindle. You can only upload ONE file format to Amazon for publishing, so be aware how it will look for BOTH the Fire and basic Kindle.
In Addition IBooks and KIndle have their own twist on the code for fixed layouts — so you have to create two separate files.
This is just one of the frustrations authors and formatters are up against in the ebook formatting world.
Buy a Device
Amazon is the most prominent source of e-books. So, spend a little $ and get the cheapest reader they have. If you are going to sell your wares you want to be able to see how it looks.
Example: If you were to place a classified ad in a newspaper, you would probably buy a newspaper to make sure it is correct, right? Not a preview of the ad, but the actual ad itself.
TV or Radio? You wouldn’t create a radio spot and then not listen to it live on the radio. A lot can happen between the final master tape and the actual airing.
So when you consider publishing in digital form, consider buying an ‘actual’ e-reader device. It not only will help you become more familiar on how digital devices work but will give you a better understanding of what to expect.
Side Note
I realize that it isn’t possible to purchase every e-reader device. And you may think that the reader Apps for your computer or phone would be fine. Well they are… and they aren’t.
For Example:
- Not ALL e-readers will display embedded fonts
- Not ALL e-readers will understand the HTML5 or EPUB 3 standards
- Some Apps fail to display the non breaking space between paragraphs (Kindle for PC).
- As of today (3/22/2012) only the Kindle Fire is utlizing HTML5 full capabilities: the older Kindles and the Kindle Apps (ie for iPad and iPhone) are lagging behind.)
There is a slew of other issues when comparing e-readers and Reader Apps. Your best bet is to have an actual device and then use Kindle for PC/Mac; Sony or NOOK Reader for PC/Mac, as well as the most recent Kindle Previewer.
CONCLUSION
Purchase a device of your own and find “friends” or colleagues who would be willing to view your book on their devices.
And above all — purchase your own book to make sure the product delivered is flawless.
Another Note: what you see in the Kindle Previewer is not “exactly” how it displays on the Kindle Fire, Kinde, or the Kindle APPS — it’s close but not exact.
You must ask: What devices do your readers use?
My ebooks are how-to books aimed at small business owners. These people are my clients and I have watched them in many different settings. They all have iPads or iPhones. I’ve never seen a single one use a Kindle to read business ebooks.
Of course my sample is limited and biased. But I’m making the assumption that the people I most want to reach have more sophisticated devices.
Years ago when I was having my website redesigned, my designer insisted that I design it so that it would display properly for people with smaller monitors. Big mistake! In short order I had an obsolete website that looked really weird on the ubiquitous wide monitors.
The same thing is happening with readers. I think I’ve got to design for the latest devices.
I’ve already seen the effect of the differing approaches. A man who reviewed two of my ebooks on Amazon commented that one looked very nice and well-formatted and the other was plain and non-descript. These two were formatted just a few months apart–one for general e-readers and the other for ones that can display more formatting. Not sure what device he was using, but he’s the one I’m going for.
Excellent point, Mike. KNOW your target audience AND the devices they use.
Thanks, Suzanne
Hello. Not yet an e-published writer, but facinated with its newness.
A Mac-user friend said Apple’s iTunes store would epublish my book – just like Amazon.
Any experiences with Apple’s ePub format?
Thank you.
Nee
Née. I format in epub and mobi (Kindle) format. My Kit also allows you to format your own book yourself. It has step-by-step guide on formatting for Amazon, B&N, and Apple iBookstore.
Details on Kit Here: http://www.firststepspublishing.com/diy_ebook_formatting_kit_for_kindle_and_epub.php
Suzanne
I have been polishing up on my formatting using your kit. Cleaning the html was new to me, even though I don’t think I had too many problems with what I have done in the past. I love the idea of cleaning it up! I figured in your experience you might have a list of the most problematic code? Even when cleaning it up I get some strange looking code in places, and I would like to keep an eye out for some of the problematic ones. Thanks very much!
Joel, It would be hard to list all the issues, but the main ones to look for are:
• Not using the built in style such as Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.
• Improper indents (only use the First Line indent feature under Format > Paragraph)
• Using spaces or tabs for alignment or indents (A no-no).
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A good resource for formatting Word files is Smashwords Style Guide http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52 (though it is intended for their “Meat Grinder” system, it is a great source of information)
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OTHER ISSUES TO WATCH FOR
• Sometimes bullet / numbered lists do not pull in correctly.
• Endnotes are sometimes given the same linking location.
• eBooks cannot use the “align” or “name” attribute, it must be set in the CSS. (such as align=”center” must be class=”center” and then the appropriate CSS created; or name=”myID” has to be id=”myID”)
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The key is to remember you are PREPARING your file for conversion — NOT designing it. Think Typewriter – limit the styles that you add and don’t worry about how the text looks in your Word file — the magic of design comes when formatting and applying the styles you want in the CSS.
.
Suzanne
If you are writing a short story on Amazon.com for Kindle readers, would you leave out the page numbers in your manuscript?
I read something which says “page numbers don’t really apply.”
Yes. remove all pages numbers and any header and footer information. Smashwords has a great free guide on preparing your Word file for publishing (http://www.amazon.com/Smashwords-Style-Guide-Format-ebook/dp/B004XWJ7UK). There aren’t really “pages” on a digital device. — suz