Expert: An expert [is] a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. — Wikipedia
With the explosion of e-books there are about as many e-book “formatting” services as there are writers. But are all these new businesses really “formatting experts?” In a word – no.
I have a bone to pick. I have evaluated several formatting businesses that have cropped up over the last year. Many offer examples of their work and the majority of them are not doing the work – really. They are using free conversion tools to convert manuscripts into e-books.
That isn’t what is annoying. It’s their claim to being a formatting expert that is clearly false advertising. Conversion is NOT formatting – they are completely different animals.
What is an ebook?
An e-book (epub and mobi) are essentially HTML pages and images packaged together and displayed on various devices and apps. And HTML, essentially, is the backbone of a web page.
So, it would seem logical that a formatting expert would have some knowledge of HTML. But that is not the case. Many have found a system that works for them, but it is mediocre at best. It gets the job done, and many authors are happy with the results.
For me, however, I am a professional graphic designer and, in some cases, spend more time on formatting a project than I need to (at no cost to the client) because I want to provide my clients with the highest-quality output possible.
I am not knocking the conversion tools nor the people who have established a career in ebook formatting. I just have a problem people who claim an expert status when they clearly do not.
Conversion
To convert a file the top two free programs are Mobipocket Creator (PC only) and Calibre. Both do a decent job in converting a file. However, unless you understand HTML you may not know how to correct it. And in ths case of Calibre, for example, the program does not allow you to work within the HTML at all.
From my experience, both products produce a decent output, but still lack high-quality standards an expert formatter would desire. (they also can make horrendous, messy code that can be a bear to work with.)
Formatting
Formatting, to me, means taking a manuscript and converting it into a workable format (HTML or clean text). Then taking the raw file and professionally designing the piece using styles, colors and imagery (whether print or digital.)
Formatting Experts
- An expert understands the underlying language of the book – HTML and could code your book from scratch if necessary.
- An expert will use tools that help in the formatting process, but will not rely on them as the final answer.
- An expert will work in the HTML code, checking to make sure it is clean and meets the standards for e-book formatting.
- An expert will test files on the top digital devices (iPad, Kindle, Kindle Fire, Computer readers apps, etc) and adjust the files to fit each platform.
- An expert knows how to decipher and fix errors in formatting to ensure the files pass epubcheck validation standards. (a requirement of Apple iBookstore)
- An expert knows their limitations, and would not presume to format a project beyond their capabilities.
- An expert is always learning and improving their craft.
In Summary
An expert has years of experience and does not rely on applications or tools to do all the work. When it comes to book and ebook design, creativity and HTML do come into play at some point.
I am not against using free conversion programs if it fits what you need. My main point is to make you aware of what to expect when hiring someone to create your ebook file — are they actually formatting your project or merely converting it?
I’ve been building e-books since 2000, and “building” is how I refer to the process of beginning with a source file and ending with an e-book. I didn’t realize before reading this that there were people out there “converting” and calling it “formatting.” It’s a many-layered process, as you’ve described. It can be learned, and there are real experts who will do a fine job if you’d rather not.
It pains me to see writers paying money to phony services. Thanks for the heads-up.
Bridget, I agree with you on the frustration of authors paying for phony services. As a 30+ year graphic designer, each decade seems to present new “experts” — first came the “desktop publishers” claiming to be graphic designers, then the web “designers”, “ebook formatting experts” and now there are “publishing experts”, where many simply use a software program or online service to do the work. A software program does not make anyone an expert. Expertise is something that comes with time (called experience.) — thanks for your comments — Suzanne