Writing a ebook is one factor, however making ready it for publication is a completely totally different problem. Whereas many achieved authors can produce distinctive written content material, they may lack the experience or instruments wanted to format an book for varied digital publishing platforms.
Formatting an book requires a eager eye for element to make sure that it seems skilled and interesting for all readers and throughout all studying gadgets. Furthermore, correct book formatting could make the distinction between a easy, pleasant studying expertise and a irritating one tormented by overlapping texts or a poor format.
If you end up misplaced and uncertain the right way to format an book, then you may have come to the fitting place! On this article, you’ll discover a step-by-step information with ideas and instruments that will help you rework your manuscript right into a publication-ready book.
Why Ought to You Correctly Format Your E book?
Whilst you may suppose that the entire objective of formatting your book is to make it “look good”, there’s much more {that a} well-formatted book can do. Listed here are a few of the advantages of correctly formatting your book:
- Higher readability: A well-formatted book ensures that your content material flows easily, stopping readers from getting disoriented. It additionally minimizes distractions, permitting readers to soak up info effortlessly.
- Enhanced accessibility: Formatting performs an important function in book accessibility. Parts like clear headlines, correct spacing, and easy-to-read fonts be certain that everybody can comprehend your book content material, together with these with studying issues corresponding to dyslexia.
- Adherence to publishing pointers: Totally different publishing platforms have particular formatting necessities that authors should adhere to. For instance, Kindle has particular pointers for parts corresponding to chapter titles, amongst different issues. So correctly formatting your book ensures that it meets these requirements.
- Model recognition: Whether or not you might be an indie writer or a company, you’ll be able to format your book in a approach that displays your model. This may be performed by rigorously deciding on the font and colours that align along with your model id.
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Tricks to Think about Earlier than Formatting Your E book
There are two necessary ideas to remember while you begin formatting your book. The following pointers will enable you reap all the advantages a well-formatted book has to supply and make your content material look one of the best it may be. Here’s what you must do:
- Preserve it easy: Don’t go overboard along with your formatting by including too many fonts or a number of mismatched colours. Not solely may this trigger your book to develop into cluttered, however it may possibly additionally make it arduous to learn–which defies the entire objective of formatting to start with.
- Preserve it constant: Having constant formatting all through your book may give the ultimate model knowledgeable and cohesive look. For instance, use the identical font and measurement for all your chapter titles.
The best way to Format an E book Utilizing Kotobee Writer
Whereas formatting your book may seem to be loads of work, utilizing the fitting software will make the method a lot simpler. That’s why, for this part, we’ll present you the right way to use Kotobee Writer, the award-winning book creator and editor, in formatting your book and making it look one of the best it may be. The next step-by-step information will make the method a lot simpler for you. So let’s dive proper in.
1. Choose the Proper Structure
While you first open Kotobee Writer, a pop-up window will seem asking you to decide on one of many two out there layouts: reflowable or fastened. That can assist you select the fitting one in your book, let’s first discover the distinction between the 2:
- Fastened format: This format acts like a digital lock that retains your book content material (textual content, picture, and so forth.) in place. Consider it as a conventional PDF the place the pages stay the identical, whatever the display measurement you’re viewing it on. On this case, when a reader zooms in on the textual content, they may need to scroll left and proper to have the ability to view the complete web page. This makes the fastened format good for image-heavy ebooks, corresponding to comics and youngsters’s books.
- Reflowable format: If you would like the position of your book content material to regulate in line with the display measurement and orientation, then the reflowable format is the way in which to go. This format is usually used for fiction and non-fiction genres corresponding to biographies, memoirs, academic books, and enterprise guides. It is very important notice, nevertheless, that because the content material adapts to the display measurement, the variety of pages in your book will probably be dynamic.
Vital learn: Finest E book Structure Format: Reflowable or Fastened?
2. Import Your Manuscript
After deciding on a format, now you can import your manuscript into Kotobee Writer to start formatting. One of many nice options you’ll discover is that you may import content material from varied sources, together with customary Phrase and PDF recordsdata, in addition to EPUB and HTML.
The method of importing itself is fairly easy. Right here’s what it’s good to do:
- From the identical pop-up window, click on on Import from the highest bar, then choose a format from the out there choices.
- Alternatively, you’ll be able to click on on File from the Menu Bar, choose Import from, then select the kind of file you need to import.
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3. Add the Entrance Matter
The very first thing your readers will see after the ebook cowl is what is named the “entrance matter” of your book. This could include many issues, together with the title web page, copyright web page, dedication web page, desk of contents, preface, acknowledgments, and prologue.
Whereas many of those pages are non-compulsory, the copyright web page and the desk of contents are essential so as to add to the start of your book. So let’s discover each of them in additional element.
That is often one of many first pages authors put of their ebooks. It lets readers know that your book shouldn’t be handled as a public area. Whereas it won’t be useful for the common reader, it protects your book from plagiarism and copyright infringement. It additionally supplies technical details about your book (such because the ISBN, yr of publication, and so forth.), which could be useful for librarians, booksellers, distributors, and retailers.
To format this web page in your book, add a brand new chapter from the left panel and edit its identify to “Copyright Web page”. As soon as your web page is created, you’ll be able to add the wanted info, which incorporates:
- Copyright discover
- 12 months of publication
- Rights reserved discover
- ISBN (non-compulsory)
- Disclaimers (non-compulsory)
- Permission discover (non-compulsory)
- Credit (non-compulsory)
- Writer info (non-compulsory)
Alternatively, you’ll be able to copy and paste the ready-made template on this article: E book Copyright Web page: How and Why to Make It (With Templates & Examples)
- Desk of Contents (ToC)
The desk of contents (ToC) serves primarily two functions in ebooks. It reveals the reader what’s contained in the ebook and what to anticipate whereas studying. Furthermore, a ToC makes it simpler for the reader to succeed in particular chapters.
Kotobee Writer means that you can add a ToC in three other ways, and these are:
- An autogenerated ToC: This feature means that you can mechanically replace your ToC each time you edit, add, or take away any of the chapter titles. All you must do is:
- Click on on E book Supervisor within the left panel.
- Choose the Desk of Contents tab.
- Examine the Autogenerate Desk of Contents web page field.
- Click on on the Title field to insert a brand new title.
- Click on OK, and also you’ll have an autogenerated desk of contents.
- A static ToC: This feature means that you can add an editable snapshot of the ToC to a web page of your alternative, with the power to format it as you would like. On this case, your ToC is extra customizable, however you must replace it each time there are any modifications within the chapters of your book.
To insert a static ToC, merely comply with these steps:- Click on on the three dashes subsequent to “+New Chapter” on the left panel in Kotobee Writer.
- A Desk of Contents window will open, from which you’ll customise the title of this web page, font, format, and magnificence.
- Click on OK, and a brand new web page with a customizable desk of contents will seem.
- Manually constructed ToC: The final possibility lets you may have full management over the design and content material of your ToC web page. This may be useful if you wish to characterize every chapter with a clickable picture or have a flowery impact, for instance. Right here is how you are able to do that:
- Select the place you’d prefer to insert the desk of contents; then add a listing with the headings of the chapters in your ebook.
- Hyperlink every heading to its related web page by deciding on the heading.
- Click on on the Hyperlink icon in the fitting panel.
- The Insert/Edit Hyperlink window will seem, from which you’ll select To E book Location.
- Choose the chapter you need to hyperlink to from the Chapter drop-down field.
- Choose the place within the chapter you need the hyperlink to go from the Goal drop-down field.
- One can find that the Starting of Chapter is all the time an possibility, adopted by any Anchors you’ve positioned within the chapter.
- Click on Create, and also you’ll have your desk of contents prepared.
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4. Format Your Physique Textual content
As soon as your entrance matter has been formatted, it’s time to maneuver to the guts of your book. To maintain issues easy, we’ll give attention to the primary parts that require correct formatting to provide your book knowledgeable look and assist your readers simply navigate by means of its content material. These embody chapter titles and textual content font.
It is extremely necessary to appropriately format your chapter titles. Not solely will this make it less complicated in your readers to navigate your book, however it should additionally make it a lot simpler to create an automated desk of contents. Listed here are a number of ideas for formatting your titles:
- At all times guarantee that your chapter title is at first of every chapter.
- Ensure you use heading kinds; your chapter titles ought to be H1.
- Including a prefix corresponding to “Chapter X” earlier than your chapter title is really useful, however not a should. Alternatively, you’ll be able to write the variety of your chapter on the prime of the web page.
- Set the alignment of your chapter title to the heart of the web page.
- Be certain that the chapter title within the left panel matches the one within the content material. You are able to do so by clicking on any of the chapter titles and enhancing them.
The font of your book ought to be acceptable in your style and target market. For instance, in case you are engaged on a kids’s book, utilizing the default Arial font won’t be one of the best. As an alternative, you need to use extra playful fonts, corresponding to Baskerville.
It’s also advisable to restrict the variety of fonts you employ in your book to three or 4 fonts most to take care of consistency and coherence. Utilizing too many fonts can create visible litter and distract your readers from comprehending your book content material.
Whereas Kotobee Writer provides a wide range of fonts that you need to use in your book (which you’ll choose from the drop-down menu on the highest banner), you too can add any font of your alternative. Simply guarantee that any font you employ is licensed for industrial use, to keep away from any copyright infringements.
To study extra about including fonts to your book utilizing Kotobee Writer, try this help article: The best way to Add New Fonts to Your E book. And if you need to get a greater thought of how to decide on your font, try this text: Finest Fonts for Ebooks in 2024.
5. Add Multimedia and Interactive Options
What makes ebooks stand out from printed books is the power to incorporate multimedia parts and interactive options. Including them to your ebook can have interaction your readers and make them immersed in your content material. Fortunately, Kotobee Writer makes it very straightforward to realize this objective. So let’s have a look at how you are able to do it.
Kotobee Writer offers you full management over the photographs of your book. By clicking on the picture icon on the fitting panel, a pop-up window will seem from which you’ll select to add or embed your picture. Furthermore, you’ll have the choice to animate your picture or make it seem in a pop-up window upon clicking on it.
Earlier than you add any picture to your book, it is very important be certain that it’s optimized so it doesn’t enhance your book’s measurement. To know the way you are able to do this, try this text: The best way to Optimize Pictures for Your E book.
Together with movies in your book may also help carry your content material to life. And you may merely add them in Kotobee Writer by clicking on the video icon on the fitting panel. A pop-up window will seem; from this window, you’ll be able to select to add or embed the video of your alternative. You too can customise the format, design, and settings of your video.
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Similar to the photographs and movies, you’ll be able to add audio recordsdata to your book by clicking on the audio icon on the fitting panel. This can open a pop-up window from which you’ll add or embed your file. You too can select the scale of the audio button, and whether or not to autoplay the audio or not.
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One of many helpful options that you may add to your book is questions. They are often particularly useful for those who’re engaged on a non-fiction or a tutorial ebook, as they will preserve your readers engaged and targeted as they undergo your content material.
Kotobee Writer offers you loads of choices on the subject of including inquiries to your book. You possibly can choose from varied query codecs corresponding to A number of alternative questions (MCQs), true or false, or drag and drop. So as to add a query, merely click on on the query icon in the fitting panel and select your most popular forms of questions from the pop-up window.
Vital learn: The Energy of Questions in Interactive Ebooks
Why cease at multimedia content material when you’ll be able to add interactive mini-apps to your book? These apps can lengthen the performance of your book and enrich the studying expertise of your readers.
Utilizing Kotobee Writer, you’ll be able to add various kinds of apps, together with video games and Google Suite apps. So as to add these apps to your book, merely click on Customise on the highest panel, then select Mini apps from the left panel.
6. Preview on Numerous Gadgets
By now, your book is formatted and able to be exported. Nevertheless, earlier than exporting, you must preview it to see the way it will look on the varied gadgets your readers are possible to make use of. This can will let you establish potential formatting points, font readability, picture decision, and another visible parts that will want changes. It additionally offers you an understanding of how your book will seem in several display sizes and side ratios, guaranteeing that it seems to be constant and optimized for every platform.
To do that, merely click on on the Customise tab within the prime panel, then select the machine you need to preview your book on from the dropdown menu within the prime proper nook. After getting chosen the specified machine, your book will probably be displayed in a simulated view that carefully resembles the precise studying expertise on that individual machine. You possibly can then navigate by means of the pages, zoom out and in, and work together with the book as for those who had been studying it on the chosen machine.
7. Export to the File Format of Selection
Right here comes the ultimate step: exporting your book to publish it and share it along with your readers. Choosing the proper format is dependent upon many elements, together with the place you propose to publish your book, the studying gadgets your readers will probably be utilizing, and whether or not your book content material is interactive or static.
For instance, in case your book consists of many interactive options, select a format that helps interactivity, corresponding to HTML or EPUB. Furthermore, sure publishing platforms solely settle for particular book codecs, such within the case of Kotobee Books the place it solely accepts the EPUB format.
Vital learn: The Newbie’s Information to E book Codecs
To export your book on Kotobee Writer, click on on “Export” from the highest panel, then choose the export format of your alternative, and at last, click on on the “Create” button. Now you’ll have your book file able to be shared along with your readers.
Get Skilled Steerage
Should you really feel overwhelmed by the data we talked about on this article, we’re right here to assist! In actual fact, there are a number of methods we will make this course of a lot simpler for you, and these are:
- A FREE session in your book challenge: Select a handy time and schedule a gathering with one in every of our book specialists. They may also help you navigate the above-mentioned steps, and reply any questions you’ll have. All you must do is head to our web site and schedule your free reside demo.
- Enlist the assistance of our service groups: Should you want any additional help along with your book, you’ll be able to all the time enlist the assistance of our skilled book providers staff. Not solely can they format your book for you, however they will additionally add any designs you require and assist with publishing it to your platform of alternative.
Conclusion
Formatting your book correctly is the ultimate step earlier than sharing it with the world. With the fitting instruments and steering, this course of can develop into manageable and easy. By following the steps outlined on this information, you’ll be well-equipped to create a refined, skilled book that gives an attractive studying expertise on any machine. So get began at present, and watch your manuscript rework right into a fantastically formatted book that captivates readers in every single place.
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