There is nothing difficult about publishing an ebook.
(Other than writing it in the first place, of course. And editing it.)
Once you have your perfect copy – and assuming you have no pictures or awkward extras to add – an ebook is straightforward. It is simply text, in one long, long, long line that the clever piece of technology displays in rolling pages in a variety of text sizes.
For you, the preparer of this masterpiece, all you have to do is convert your Word document into the format that Kindle requires. (I know: there are other publishers, and I know: they require slightly different formats. But start with the one that has the largest reach and highest sales. The others will be a breeze after that.)
In brief, you need to take all your writing (Select All) and convert it to ‘normal’ text. Then remove all excess line breaks – there shouldn’t be more than 2-3 in succession. Use the ‘styles’ options in your Word package to give each section the style you require – left aligned, font Times New Roman, size 10 etc. Include the first line indent in your style. Create extra styles for different indents, or if centralising text, or for chapter headings. Re-insert page breaks and any bold/italicised words or phrases. Look at it again, lose the plot and then upload via kdp.
Easy peasy.
No, really it is. It’s just tedious. And requires an extra stock of chocolate/caffeine/gin. I’ve given you an overview, not a step-by-step guide, but it gives you an idea of what needs to be done. It is important to sit on your chair in front of the computer and just keep going. Be methodical. Be thorough. Be prepared to upload it, see it looking seew and strange, and go through the procedure to double-check once more.
That has been this week’s joy.
And yes, I am only part way through, so it could all go horridly wrong.
But I’m optimistic! Anticipate the ebook of Beware the Falling Avocados being ready on 18 June 2016. This is the date of my official book launch, when I shall be signing books in the pub (where else?) I can’t sign ebooks (well, I could scratch my name across your kindle, but I suspect you wouldn’t like that much…) and they’ll be available to download that weekend.
Assuming I have enough chocolate, gin and T/tea to sustain me that long…
Leave a Reply