![]() A “Save As” button click from an InDesign or Word file intended for the print version always makes for a terrible eBook-but they try to get away with it. They spend very little time learning the varying technical requirements of each platform and just try to slap something on the market with very little quality control. Most big publishers with a few notable exceptions still think of eBooks as lame replicas of print books. For $12.99, you’d think the publisher would have spent a bit more time making everything look nice, especially the first two pages the reader sees after the purchase. Also, on the right side you will notice there is a gigantic wad of whitespace in between each paragraph of front matter. Not only does this look tacky and hideous, but it does not scale well on smaller devices like smartphones. When I cracked open the eBook on my Kindle for iPad this is what I saw:įor some reason the publisher decided to use an image as a page for the title rather than proper text. She’s only 20 months old, but you can never start thinking about this sort of thing too early. Recently, I shelled out a whopping $12.99 for Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In at Amazon so I could learn more about the career options for my little girl. ![]() So without further ado, take it away Paul… He’s going to talk to you about three important things to understand about designing ebooks, so that we can raise the standard–reflowability of content, HTML and CSS, and what tools to use to make our own ebooks. I first learned about Paul Salvette at Lindsay Buroker’s excellent website and spent more hours that I want to admit to reading the resources he provides at BB eBooks. I’m not an ebook designer, so I wanted to bring you a post by someone who was. And for indies, well, the importance is obvious. You might be able to avoid that fate if you can talk intelligently to your editor and agent about ebook formatting. Your name is on the product, and people will give you poor reviews if your traditionally published book is badly formatted. While those of you heading down a traditional path might not think you need to know about designing ebooks, I disagree. For that reason, I try to bring you posts that will apply equally well to traditional, hybrid, and indie authors. I like to think my blog is a safe place where we can meet as writers regardless of the publishing path we choose. Tags: BB ebooks, Calibre, EPUB, formatting ebooks, Marcy Kennedy, mobi/KF8, Paul Salvette.Three Things Writers Need to Understand About Designing Ebooks
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |