Forum: Author Hangout

Creating ebooks

Mushroom 🚫

I am now seriously considering ebooks of some of my writings, and would like some advice about the software.

What I am looking for is something reasonably simple to use (am not a noob, but do not want to spend days learning how to do simple things like add footnotes at the end). Also, which works off-line, and is entirely stored and worked on from my local computer. Not an online tool like many seem to be.

And, as my income is limited, free.

I have tried looking, and there are so many of so many different qualities. So I thought I would ask in here for what others use before I give it a try again.

Replies: Ernest Bywater Switch Blayde

Quasirandom 🚫

I use Sigil. This may not be helpful for you, though, as I'm a hard-core HTML coder (I write drafts using HTML codes) and know enough about the structure of ePub to know what I'm doing. IOW, this may not be the best tool for a beginner.

Replies: Mushroom

Mushroom 🚫

@Quasirandom

I use Sigil. This may not be helpful for you, though, as I'm a hard-core HTML coder (I write drafts using HTML codes) and know enough about the structure of ePub to know what I'm doing. IOW, this may not be the best tool for a beginner.

Actually, I am starting to play with Sigil now. And I can tell there is going to be a bit of a learning curve, the fact that it natively uses HTML is not an issue.

On the site there is a plug-in called Page Edit, a WYSIWYG editor that plugs in seamlessly. I have been playing with it for the last few hours, and it seems the best intermediate step is to save my DOC as an RTF file and then import that through Page Edit. Then to simply edit any further text in Page Edit and it will import that directly into Sigil.

Apparently the earlier versions of Sigil had an editor built in, but it was removed so somebody made one.

Ernest Bywater 🚫
Updated:

@Mushroom

Calibre is a free stand-alone program that creates r-pubs from many source files. I know people who simply import their .docx files or their .odt files or their .html files or their .pdf files to create epubs and mobi files.

I have found I get a better finished epub if I convert the .odt file to .html and clean out the excess format code. However, if you aren't up to doing that you can still get a fair epub from the imported base file from the word processor software.

However, you should be using paragraph styles in your document for the chapter headings so the software (which ever program you use) will know where the chapter headings are and can create the table of contents for the epub.

https://calibre-ebook.com/

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@Mushroom

I use Calibre.

It's free. It's easy. It accepts multiple types of inputs (I input docx). It produces multiple formats of ebooks. It runs on your computer offline. I have the Mac version but there's a PC version too.

It's also an ebook manager and reader.

There are things to know about, like defining your chapter headings as H1 for Calibre to build the Table of Contents. I do my formatting in Word so anything I want in the ToC I define as "Heading 1."

I do all my formatting in Word. Indenting, centering, italics, line spacing, paragraph spacing, extra right/left margins when needed (like blockquote), etc. and Calibre builds the HTML to do it.

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I use Calibre.

Sadly, Calibre is a document conversion tool, not an eBook creation tool. They've improved it over the years, so it will accept source documents, but between WORD and Calibre's kludgy coding, basic html knowledge is helpful to eliminate the more obvious inefficiencies. Though, you'll also need to test the resulting file, to ensure it passes validation and they try to figure out what's wrong with the underlying code, as the error reporting isn't the most useful.

Switch, Ernest and I have been creating professional eBooks using Calibre for years, so if you have any troubles, send one of us a note and we'll help you figure it out.

CB 🚫

Calibre. Half hour learning curve and you can get your file. About the only setting that I have to finagle is how to treat paragraphs.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@CB

About the only setting that I have to finagle is how to treat paragraphs.

Just curious. What do you do in Calibre for paragraphs (I do the formatting in Word)?

Replies: CB richardshagrin

CB 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

I set up a small indent and a 1.5 line spacing. It overrides my word file setting for both. I keep my formatting fairly simple to match what SOL allows otherwise.

I don't worry about the look of the Ebook too much as everyone's reader formats the file as to their preferences. The same for the kindle versions I set up on the 'Zon. Their publish software works sorta like Calibre. The hardest of all I've found is setting up the paperback versions. Those, I just pay my daughter to do it. ;-)

richardshagrin 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Calibre

"What is Calibre?
In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre in British English) is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether or not the finished bore matches that specification. ... Barrel diameters can also be expressed using metric dimensions."

Replies: CB

CB 🚫

@richardshagrin

https://calibre-ebook.com/

Free software for managing and creating your ebooks

Replies: bk69

bk69 🚫
Updated:

@CB

The grinning dick isn't actually a drooling idiot (although he very convincingly plays one online), he knew what the discussion was about, but it's his shtick.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@bk69

The grinning dick isn't actually a drooling idiot

Are you sure?

Replies: bk69

bk69 🚫

@Dominions Son

Well, I wouldn't mortgage the house to put money on it...

Ernest Bywater 🚫

Whatever you use to prepare your source document and whatever software you use to create your e-pub is to have the chapter headings using a 'Heading 1' style so you can easily create a Table of Contents.

For those using Calibre, or intending to use it, one item to keep in mind is the identification of the chapter headings within Calibre when converting the file to an e-pub. This is done in the preferences. It can be set as in the Preference setting or during the file conversion. With both you start with the main Calibre page.

Via the Preferences: Click on the Preferences icon of a screwdriver and spanner. This opens a sub-window where you open the Common Options of a brown book icon in the middle of the second row of options labelled Conversion to open a new sub-window. The fifth option in the list on the left is Table of Contents which you click on and the right side of the sub-window changed. About the middle of the window are three long windows with a magic wand beside them. This is where you set how the system identifies the chapter headings to use in creating the Table of Contents. the format of the code to enter in the panels is (spaces added to ensure it isn't seen as code by the system) / / h : h x where x is the heading level in the table of contents. I use chapter headings and sub-chapter headings so for the Level 1 TOC I have / / h: h 1 and for the Level 2 TOC I have / / h : h 2 - I use Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles in my source document settings.

Via the Convert books: Click on the Convert books brown book icon in the menu bar to open a sub-window. The fifth option in the list on the left is Table of Contents which you click on and the right side of the sub-window changed. About the middle of the window are three long windows with a magic wand beside them. This is where you set how the system identifies the chapter headings to use in creating the Table of Contents. the format of the code to enter in the panels is (spaces added to ensure it isn't seen as code by the system) / / h : h x where x is the heading level in the table of contents. I use chapter headings and sub-chapter headings so for the Level 1 TOC I have / / h: h 1 and for the Level 2 TOC I have / / h : h 2 - I use Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles in my source document settings.

If you don't set these Table of Contents levels no Table of Contents is created.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

If you don't set these Table of Contents levels no Table of Contents is created.

I never set them and I get a ToC. My guess is the default is H1 so defining the chapter heading in Word as "Heading 1" does it.

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I never set them and I get a ToC. My guess is the default is H1 so defining the chapter heading in Word as "Heading 1" does it.

As usual, my frustrated artistic designer likes to play, so mine gets fairly extravagant (images, section breaks, epigraphs, etc.). I usually use both H1 and H2 settings for Sections and Chapters within Sections, and H3 for my 'Box Set' versions, to properly display each individual book. But then, it's fairly easy to misidentify individual chapters, so it pays to ask Calibre to display the document structure.

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Forum: Author Hangout

Creating ebooks

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