Ah, the eBook revolution. You grab it for free, or for less than $2.00 or for less than $6.00. But the price doesn't always make a difference in what you see. We're talking book layout, here, not the actual read.
Get It Together Productions (GITP) has produced several eBooks, and we know the translation from text to the eBook platform can be—interesting. All the more need to carefully peruse the reproduced product; not just a few pages at the beginning, but study all of it. Even the Smashwords manual’s recommended example of a "good layout" went along fine until about a third of the way through, and then all the words to the end were capitalized. Not good.
Once your manuscript is "published" take a close look to be certain it's the way you want it. All publishing companies recommend this in their manuals, but it seems many authors miss the tip. After multiple re-reads and edits, it probably looms as too much effort to go through the entire book—again.
Often books are without copyright information. Yikes! Even if a book is a "freebie" and not DRM protected, the copyright information should be at the start of the book. A title page, too—please!
GITP creates an eBook layout to look like a print book layout—that is, first line indents and no spaces between paragraphs. Some readers don't mind the block form where the text looks like it was lifted from a Web page, but that's no reason to do it. Make the book look professional.
Since each eBook publisher has a different production process, the results will vary. Just because a book looks good in Smashwords, doesn't mean it will be okay on Kindle. This means checking each format. It might mean four or five proofreads. (Oh, groan!)
Since each eBook publisher has a different production process, the results will vary. Just because a book looks good in Smashwords, doesn't mean it will be okay on Kindle. This means checking each format. It might mean four or five proofreads. (Oh, groan!)
There is a positive to all this. You can always utilize that great advantage of eBook publishing—Republishing—to be certain your final product represents you in the very best way.
3 comments:
Yep, and as somebody who has struggled mightily with Kindle DTP, let me reemphasize that point about going back and fixing it. Do NOT trust that book preview function. Buy your book and get a look at what the finished product REALLY looks like, because that's what other people are going to be seeing and associating with your name.
I agree with you, except that sometimes what looks good one one application, is all wrong on another. I'm talking Amazon's Kindle. I've re-uploaded mine six times in the last five weeks. In the preview, it would look good, and in the sample sent to my pc Kindle, it would look good, on iTouch, it would look good...but then a Kindle owner told me the indents in some places were wrong.
Another Kindle owner told me the formatting was okay. Who to believe? I don't own a Kindle.
To get into the premium catalog on Smashwords, the book has to meet certain requirements. Mine did, so I hope it's good on all the different devices. Until someone tells me there is a problem, I don't have a way of knowing short of buying every device and ever model of every device.
Can you tell this has frustrated me to no end? lol.
Mary,
You should download the Kindle for PC. (It's free!) That's what I use. Then, as Nate said, buy your book and look at it in Kindle to make adjustments and corrections.
I'm glad to know the Smashwords premium service is efficient. I will probably try that this autumn.
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