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Powerful eBook Publishing Options

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The great thing about eBooks versus traditional paper publishing is the options that the format provides. You can publish via PDF on your blog or website. Converting your book to Kindle format allows you to reach millions through Amazon.com. Formatting for ePub opens the door to the iPad and Barnes and Noble Nook.

But wait… there’s more.

Now you can publish in an interactive textbook format on the Ipad with iBooks Author. You can write your eBook in manifesto format and submit it for review at ChangeThis.com. When you are done you can take your electronic document, reformat it, and self publish it in printed form through a publish-on-demand company.

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While all of these publishing options are great, you’ll soon find that the formatting differences will drive you absolutely nuts. Each format has it’s idiosyncrasies and numerous options. You can literally spend days fine tuning your document for one particular application only to find that it completely changes when viewed on a different device. Your book will look completely different on the small screen of a cell phone, than it does on the larger screen of an iPad or other tablet.

I spent the last month formatting my printed book, The Path of Consequence, for Kindle, iPad and Nook. It seemed easy at first, but as I viewed my document in the different formats I was horrified at the results. Through trial and error I found some solutions and came to some conclusions. Here are the three common formats and some workarounds.

Ebook Publishing Options

1. PDF format. If you have a blog or website and want to format your book for your readers, saving it in PDF format is a good start. You can save it in a landscape format for screen reading, or a portrait format for cell phones and printing. If you want to create a good looking landscape document for the screen, try creating your PDF document in Powerpoint or Keynote. For portrait use, MS Word is a good option. Later versions of Word allow you to save in PDF format right from the program. To give you an idea of how this format looks, here are three creative examples.

Landscape Mode: The Tower by Chris Guillebeau

Portrait Mode: Lycopolis by Ali Luke

Keynote Format: Michael Hyatt has a tutorial on his blog about how he created his Life Plan eBook in seven steps. You’ll find some great tips here if you will be using Keynote (on the Mac) for your creation software.

2. Kindle Format: If you want to make your book available for Amazon’s Kindle e-reader, you’ll need to save it in their MOBI proprietary format. This is best done using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service. You’ll need an Amazon account to get started. Once you sign in to their service, you’ll want to look at their simplified formatting guide. Amazon recommends that you save your document in .doc format. This is the older Microsoft Word format. Both MS Word and Apple Pages software will save in this format.

What I found when formatting for the Kindle was to keep my document simple. Kindle automatically indents the first line of each paragraph by default. If you use Word, try uploading your basic document and see how it looks and make changes from there. After the end of each chapter, add a page break to keep your chapters from running together.

Publishing on the Kindle was relatively easy using MS Word. You’ll need to experiment and tweak your document to get it the way you want it. For advanced users you can download their full formatting guide, but this is overkill for most people.

3. ePub Format: If you want to publish for the iPad or Barnes and Noble’s Nook, you’ll need to save your document in ePub format. If you have a Mac and Apple’s Pages program you can save in this format natively. Unfortunately, to get your ebook listed on the iPad you’ll need to go through an intermediary company. For most people this will be Smashwords.

To save you hours of time and frustration, sign up for a free Smashwords account and then look at their free style guide. Smashwords will save your book in multiple formats using their meatgrinder conversion software. Their formatting guide is very helpful and offers once very powerful suggestion… nuke your document. I spent almost two days trying to get my pre formatted book to go through their conversion software. I finally had to use the nuclear option. I took my document, made a copy, and opened it in notepad on my PC. This removed all extraneous formatting. Once I saved it in notepad, I reopened it in Word and added chapter headings and indentation. Once I did this, the conversion worked like a charm. Within a week, my eBook appeared in the iBooks store and on Barnes and Nobles site.

Overall: eBook publishing can be a challenge. It requires patience and a lot of trail and error. The current ePub and Kindle formats are in their early stages and the published output is rather simple to work with multiple devices. It lacks the polish of traditional books. If you are a perfectionist, this may drive you nuts.

If you are in a hurry to get published, there are many professionals that can help. Amazon has a list of conversion services that may help. If you are a blogger or small business professional and want to get an eBook out to your readers or customers, I would suggest that you pick up Ali Luke’s easy to follow guide, Irresistible eBooks. This easy to follow book includes two MS Word templates that will get you up to speed quickly. I used her guide and templates to create my first book. Her guide is straightforward and will help you focus and get your book out in no time at all.

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Question: Which ebook publishing options have you used before?

One Powerful Reason to Buy a Kindle

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I’ve been using the e-book reading Kindle app on my computer and smart phone for quite a while now. The cloud nature of the app lets me share my books between devices while the whisper-sync technology allows me to synchronize what page I’m on no matter what device I open it on.

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Given the lower cost of most Kindle books, the synchronizing feature, and the instant availability of thousands of titles, there is a compelling argument for buying one of the new Kindle devices. Priced from $79 to $200, the new crop of Kindle e-readers is compelling. I personally think the 6 ounce, basic Kindle at $79 will really take off this holiday season, while the $200 Kindle Fire is sure to sell out quickly. (Pre-order now to make sure you get one)

However, there is a hidden feature, that makes Kindle reading even more efficient, that most people don’t know about. It’s actually available with the flick of the mouse in the Kindle app or a quick click selection on the Kindle itself ( this varies depending on the model).

All you do is highlight the text in your Kindle reader (software or device)

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Log into your unique Amazon Kindle page. If you have purchased a Kindle book you’ll have one. Most people don’t have any idea they have a Kindle page.

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Click on the “Your Books” tab to select the book that you highlighted.

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This will open the book’s page where you can see information on the book along with highlights and notes you may have made. The cool thing is, you can cut and paste the highlights and notes from this page into a word processor, blog editor, or Evernote. This makes reviewing your new book and including excerpts and quotations in your documents fast and easy.

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Since cut and paste is not available in the reader itself, this technique can save you a huge amount of time retyping excerpts and quotes from your books.

If you haven’t tried the Kindle app yet, you can download one free for your PC, Mac, iPad, Android, or iPhone here.

Question: Have you used the highlight feature before?

Is There a New Kindle In Your Future?

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Many of us are used to the amazing product launches at Apple computer. We wait for months for the latest i-thing to come out and stand in line for hours to purchase one.

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A few weeks ago, Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com took the stage in a similar fashion and revealed a new line of Kindle e-readers. While not quite Steve Jobs, Jeff did a great job showing off the next generation of electronic devices from Amazon, the largest retailer of books in the world.

The question is… do you need one?

Will you buy one?

Will you give one as a gift?

I took a look at the line up and was impressed. While the units are very functional, the price points are almost unbelievable. Here is a short list of the new units and their price points.

1. Kindle

  • $79 with ads, $99 without
  • Weight: 6 ounces
  • Screen Size: 6 inches
  • Display: Advanced E-Ink
  • Network: WiFi
  • Controls: Basic 4-way controller.

2. Kindle Touch

  • $99 WiFi w/ads, $139 WiFi no ads, $149 3G w/ads, $189 3G no ads
  • Weight: 6 ounces
  • Screen Size: 6 inches
  • Display: Advanced E-Ink
  • Network: WiFi and 3G available
  • Controls: Touch Screen

3. Kindle Keyboard

  • $99 WiFi w/ads, $139 3G w/ads
  • Weight: 8.7 ounces
  • Screen Size: 6 inches
  • Display: Advanced E-Ink
  • Network: WiFi and 3G available
  • Controls: Keyboard

    4. Kindle Fire

    • $199 WiFi
    • Weight: 14.6 ounces
    • Screen Size: 7 inches
    • Display: 1024 x 600 color
    • Network: WiFi
    • Controls: Touch Screen

    These are the basic specs. We’ll take a look at each one in the coming days. While the Kindle Fire stole the show, the real story here might be a basic Kindle reader for $79. At 6 ounces it weighs less than a standard paperback and with e-ink it can be read outdoors or indoors. Holding hundreds of books, this may just be the gift for Christmas 2011.

    Question: What Kindle Model Do You Like?

    iPad 2 vs Kindle: Airplane Usability Test

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    As I was flying back from Miami last week, I was on a very full second leg flight from Houston to San Diego. I ended up in a center seat on a 737, with two lawyers on either side. (There is probably a joke here somewhere!) The guy to the right of me had a new Kindle with a deluxe case and night light. The guy to my left was reading a paperback book and had an iPhone. I had my trusty new iPad 2 on my lap.

    That’s when the comparisons started.

    I started up a conversation with the guy with the Kindle. He showed me how the e-ink screen worked and showed me the pop out night light. The case was leather and was about the size of a 6×9 inch book. When I took a look at the unit, the side window of the airplane was open, and the black and white screen was easy to read. It looked like a great alternative to a standard book.

    After looking at the Kindle, he asked me about my iPad 2. I showed him how the smart cover worked, and folded it back so it formed a prop for typing. I then showed him a Kindle book and an iBook. He was impressed with the bright screen and the reading layout.

    The plane was then ready for takeoff so we had to close our devices. As we reached cruising altitude, the captain announced that we could turn our electronic devices back on. I pulled down the tray table in front of me and folded the smart cover back. I started on a blog post with the onscreen keyboard. The sun was really bright coming in the side window, so the young guy to my left closed the port hole window. This is when the comparison really got interesting.

    I looked over at the guy with the Kindle and his screen had turned to a grey mush. It was very hard to read from where I was sitting. What looked great in the sun was now much harder on the eyes. He held the Kindle with one hand on his tray table and tried to get comfortable reading it. He then did something very interesting. He put the Kindle flat on the tray table and then leaned forward and propped his head up with his left hand on the tray table. He stayed this way for quite a while.

    I finished my blog post up, and then started reading an iBook. The smart cover propped the iPad up at a great angle for reading and it worked well for using a finger swipe to turn pages. While I was comfortably back in my seat, the guy with the Kindle was scrunched forward. While he kept reading, I loaded up Angry Birds and started playing. He looked over and asked about the game. I showed him how it worked. He said that his Kindle was just for reading, so he leaned forward and started a new chapter.

    After a few new levels of Angry Birds Rio, I turned the iPad over and used the smart cover in easel mode to watch a movie. I clicked in my headphone and enjoyed a stored TV show. Both of the guys beside me were watching the show for a while and then went back to their activities.

    The young guy by the window pulled out his iPhone and started playing Angry Birds on it. He quipped that the game play was much better on the iPad than the phone since everything was larger. He then went back to reading his book.

    As the flight started to descend, we had to turn everything off again. The guy with the book now had the advantage, and he was able to finish up a chapter on the way down.

    Overall, my impression was that the iPad was the more usable and comfortable device to use on a plane. The screen was easy to read, the smart cover made it easy to type and the easel function made it easy to watch movies. Having a paper book had it’s advantages as it was usable the whole flight. The Kindle seemed great at first, but the subdued light of the plane and a flat case made for an uncomfortable reading experience.

    The advantage of both the iPad and Kindle is they go through security well. Compared to a standard laptop, which requires that you remove it from it’s case, these smaller devices are much more convenient. You can easily stow them on a standard carry-on.

    Bottom line... If you want to get work done on a plane with a minimum of hassle and also have a plethora of entertainment options, the iPad 2 is for you. If you want the simplicity of a book, bring along the real thing. The Kindle seems best for good lighting conditions or reading by a window seat. If you have specific PC programs you need to use, you’ll need to drag the laptop along.

    Question: Which electronic device do you prefer on a plane?

    Have You Read a Kindle Book Yet?

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    With the advent of the Kindle, iPad, and other e-book readers, a lot of published content is now available electronically. While dedicated book readers are nice, you can also download the Kindle book reading app on your PC, laptop, or smart phone. This simple app has really opened the door to discovering new content that I never had access to before.

    Here are six things I like about the Kindle app.

    1. It’s a Free Download: The app doesn’t cost anything and it is available for a wide variety of devices. There is a Mac version as well as one for the PC. You can download a version for your iPhone, Android phone, or Blackberry. You can even get a version for the iPad, iPod Touch and of course the dedicated Kindle itself. The app is lightweight and installs quickly.

    2. It’s tied to the Kindle Store: Amazon has most of it’s content available on the Kindle now. There are thousands of books and magazines available at a click of a button. No more standing in line at the book store. With most devices, the books download quickly and are ready to go in just minutes.

    3. Free Samples: You can download free samples of most books to see if you like them before you buy them. This is a big plus for me, especially for fiction. You can tell if you like a book before shelling out the full price for the item. It’s also a way to discover new authors. I’ve personally discovered three new authors in the past month that write in a style that I really enjoy. I would never have found them by just picking up a book in a bookstore.

    4. Whispersync: With Whispersync, you can have your Kindle books available across platforms. I can have my Kindle book at home on my PC and also have it available to read at lunch on my smart phone. This simple feature synchronizes the bookmarks and furthest page read among devices registered to the same account. Awesome!

    5. Prices: The prices for Kindle books are generally lower than buying the published version. Given the fact that you can share your book across devices, this app gives you added flexibility that regular books don’t offer. You can also save gas and time by not having to go to the bookstore.

    6. Type Font: This is the best of all. So many new books have a small and hard to read font. I have given up on numerous books that have great content, but are hard on the eyes. With the Kindle app you can choose the font and the font size. This is really a big deal if you wear glasses or have trouble with different lighting situations. With just one click you can make the font larger or change the font from Serif to Sans-Serif. Your eyes will certainly thank you for this one.

    While the individual Kindle Apps are great, you might want to pick up a dedicated Kindle 3 at Amazon. Publisher Michael Hyatt has a great hands-on review on his blog that will help you decide if the Kindle is right for you.