CONTENTS
How to self-publish an ebook
EBook Creator Guide
eBooks
Retail Distribution –
What Do I Need to “Sell Everywhere?”
Is My Content Ready to be an eBook?
Show-stoppers and Must Haves
Example of a Perfect Word Document
Supported Source Files and Formatting Overview
Getting Started: Configuring Settings in Word
Preparing Your Document for Formatting
Setting Up Your EPUB Table of Contents
The Front Matters (Title, Copyright, etc.)
Making Pretty Paragraphs
Bel s and Whistles – Fonts, Images, Hyperlinks, etc.
Troubleshooting
A Final Check
What’s next?
Need Extra Help? Glossary
EBOOK CREATOR GUIDE
What are eBooks?
EBooks are electronic, downloadable books that can
easily be accessed on a wide range of e-readers, like the
iPad or Barnes & Noble’s NOOK, and your home computer.
Millions of readers purchase and read eBooks each day. By
publishing an eBook of your own, you are empowering
yourself to share your remarkable knowledge and ideas with
these readers all over the world.
Editors eBook Distribution Options
• Sel on Editors
You have the option of sel ing your titles to the mil ions
customers who make up the Editors Marketplace. If you
choose to sell on Amazon.com, you can sell your title as an
eBook in either EPUB or PDF formats with Editors. If your
manuscript is not available in either of these formats, you
can upload your file in one of our many supported formats.
• Sel Everywhere
Sel ing everywhere requires your title to be in EPUB
format. By using the Editors EPUB Converter, you can
upload properly formatted PDF files and I’l convert them into
EPUB format. This document will help you prepare your file
for conversion to EPUB and for distribution to our retail
partners.
Fast Facts:
• Sel on Editors using PDF formats or .txt.
• Sel everywhere requires an EPUB.
• Editors EPUB Converter accepts PDF files for
conversion to EPUB format.
Chapter 2: Retail Distribution – What Do I Need to “Sell
Everywhere?”
An EPUB
Though you can sell your title as a PDF on the Editors
Marketplace, our retail distribution partners only accept
books in EPUB format. If you don’t have an EPUB, you can
create one yourself with the Editors EPUB Converter.
Remember that fol owing all the guidelines in this document
aids in proper conversion.
An ISBN
Editors supports three (3) ISBN options:
• Editors -owned ISBN – You can get an ISBN from
Editors for free in the Editors Publishing Wizard and
Amazon.com will be listed as the publisher of your work.
• Bring Your Own ISBN – Assign an ISBN you already own
to your title. The imprint (publisher name and information)
attached to your ISBN will remain the same and
Amazon.com will not be listed as the publisher. You must be
the owner of the ISBN and may not use this ISBN with any
other Editors.
• Your ISBN* – This option is a service for Editors to
obtain an ISBN for you from the US ISBN agency using your
registered details as a publisher.
*Only available to US, Guam & Puerto Rico residents
Cover Art / Marketing Image
The cover of your eBook is like a first impression or I
coming handshake. An eye-catching cover can often be just
the thing to turn a casual observer into your biggest fan.
Luckily, Editors makes cover design a snap. With our cover
tools, you can upload an RGB (red, green, blue) cover
designed by yourself or one of our skil ed cover design
artists, or you can pick from one of our stock marketing
images. I’ve made sure to provide plenty of options to make
your work really stand out.
Complete and Accurate Metadata
Simply put, metadata is the who, what, when, and where
of your eBook. Items such as your title, author name(s),
description, etc. are all types of metadata and are what most
retailers use to appropriately list and categorize your
content. Inconsistent metadata is also one of the main
reasons eBooks get rejected for distribution. It is crucial you
provide consistent information in the metadata and
description entered using the eBook Wizard that matches
any details provided in your book or on your cover.
Fast Facts:
• Sel everywhere requires an EPUB and ISBN.
• A well designed cover helps sell your book.
• Consistent metadata is critical.
Chapter 3: Is My Content Ready to be an eBook?
It is important to note that eBooks are quite different from
their print counterparts, particularly when it comes to
formatting. EBook technology is still evolving and each
device and platform displays eBooks differently. KEEP
FORMATTING SIMPLE.
Below are our best practices to create a great eBook. I’l
go into further details later in this guide.
Crisp, High-Quality Images & Cover Art
I want to ensure that your images look great on any e-
reader, computer or digital device. If you decide to include
images in your eBook, I require three color, RGB (red, green,
blue) formatted images. Four-color CMYK (cyan, magenta,
yellow, key black) images are not accepted. EPUBs with
blurry images may not qualify for retail distribution.
Refrain from using images that are too large. If the image
is greater than 250 KB or takes up a ful screen, it increases
the time to successfully display on the device. Statistics
show that readers lose interest if content takes too long to
load.
It is important to find a balance between en a high-quality
image and the size limitations.
Fonts and Special Characters
Not al devices can display all fonts the same way. Stick
with one of the standard fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, or
Garamond) to ensure that your text is conveyed clearly
across formats, devices and applications. If you use another
font, your eBook’s text will automatically be converted to
Times New Roman. Characters like copyright symbols,
registered trademarks, or arrows should be avoided. The
general rule to write by is if it’s not on your keyboard then it
may not convert properly.
Text Boxes, Tables, and Charts – Oh My!
Complex content does not display correctly on e-readers.
Some examples are:
• Charts
• Text boxes
• Scientific or mathematical formulas
• Other embedded objects (HTML, Smart Art, etc.)
If you would like to include any of the above, I recommend
replacing it with a high-quality JPEG image.
Multimedia Files
The Editors EPUB Converter does not currently support
converting audio and video files embedded in your
document. Please remove these before uploading.
Columns
Multiple columns are best left for the Greeks and Romans.
Multiple columns within your working files will be converted
to a single column of reflow able text.
Page-Based Formatting
EPUBs are made up of reflow able text that adjusts based
on the screen or device the reader is using. Unlike their print
counterparts, eBooks do not use page-based formatting.
Page numbers, page breaks, headers, and footers do not
exist in eBooks. If you leave them in your document, the
Editors EPUB Converter will remove them.
TIP: Even though the Editors EPUB Converter removes
page breaks, I automatical y create a break in the EPUB
when you use a Heading style to indicate the start of a new
Article or section. On an e-reader, this will make the new
Article start at the top of the screen. Keep in mind this will
also create a new entry in the EPUB Table of Contents that
links to the Article or section.
Hard Returns
The best practice is to avoid more than two (2) hard
returns at the end of a paragraph. The Editors EPUB
Converter will remove additional hard returns for you.
Paragraph Separation
Proper paragraph breaks are essential for a great eBook,
otherwise paragraphs will bump into each other and your