so you can make sure your book looks professional in all formats of the kindle app, including kindle, android, and iphone/ipad, before you publish your book.
the difference between epub and mobi/azw3
but why does amazon use its own file format? what is the difference between epub and mobi/azw3?
You are reading: How to self publish books on amazon
for one thing, amazon owns the mobi/azw3 format. no other retail system can read it.
amazon was also one of the first to implement digital rights management (drm), which helps protect copyrights.
Lastly, amazon likes to add unique kindle features like x-ray, text to speech, and whisper sync, which is why it’s so important to convert your epub correctly to kindle’s native format.
Although the amazon kindle publishing system (kdp) allows you to upload an epub directly to the system, I recommend using the kindle preview tool first.
the preview:
- run the conversion process
- flag any issues that could get your ebook off amazon
- allow you to preview the ebook on all apps and devices kindle
what about the pdf?
you may have seen other posts that talk about epub, mobi and pdf.
We do not recommend pdf for e-books.
The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) was developed specifically for printing.
print books are formatted for the specific size of the physical book the reader will be holding.
Everything is designed with that fixed layout, from the font size of the text to the position of the graphics and the specific indentation of each title and subtitle.
From a design standpoint, e-books are the exact opposite of print books.
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eBooks use reflowable text, which allows readers to view your book on any screen size, with any font size, against a light or dark background.
This is the main challenge of e-book publishing.
This is also why the pdf format is the best format for printing and the worst format for e-books.
pdf files are designed for fixed media. the epub format was designed specifically for reflowable text in e-books.
how to check amazon format
If you’re familiar with amazon’s kdp system, you’ll know that it offers the option to upload an epub file and download a converted file so you can view it on your own kindle device.
While it’s worth doing, it’s not enough to view your book on a device.
Not all readers read the same way. Your eBook should look professional on all smartphones, iPads, Android tablets, and Kindle devices. that’s what the kindle preview app was designed for.
will also tell you if your epub is formatted properly for some of amazon’s proprietary options, like enhanced typesetting. the converted kdp file will not do that.
step 1. create your epub file
Creating an epub file is much easier than formatting a printed book, but it’s not trivial.
If you don’t know how to convert your manuscript to an epub file, start with my post on the book format.
step 2. download kindle previewer
kindle preview is free, with versions for windows and mac/apple.
scroll past the 3 large images and look for the orange download buttons. click the one next to your own computer system to download the installation file.
step 3. install the preview
find the downloaded file and double-click it to install the preview. the file will guide you through the installation process.
step 4. run preview/convert epub
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Once it’s installed, go ahead and launch the app.
Drag and drop your ebook into the app or select “open book”. the preview will let you know that you are preparing your book for conversion and then enhancing it and optimizing the images.
This may take more than a few seconds, so please be patient with the process.
step 5. fix any problems
if the preview can’t convert your book, that’s a problem that would prevent your book from being published on amazon.
Resolve any issues you find, and then run the preview again. repeat steps 4 and 5 until the book loads successfully.
step 6. check the format of your book
scan each page
The system allows you to scan all your pages quickly and easily. if you see something you want to take a closer look at, click on that page to bring it up in the page viewer.
check different font sizes
preview allows you to switch between font sizes via the “size” dropdown box.
This is especially important if you use custom capital letters or any other special font formatting. make sure your chapters, especially headings, look good in all font sizes.
check the table of contents
the preview provides the table of contents at the bottom left of the application. click on each link to make sure you go to the right place and scan the chapter headings to make sure they are correct and nothing is missing.
check your book on all devices
in the dropdown box on the top left, the preview allows you to choose the type of device:
- tablet
- phone
- kindle e-reader
make sure every page looks good on all screen sizes and on all kindle devices. the black and white version is designed to show you how the book will look on a kindle paperwhite.
remember to change the orientation from portrait to landscape, which is especially important for books with advanced formatting like tables, charts, or nested headers.
It takes a long time to execute each of these steps on all devices. don’t rush.
Editing and proofreading are among the most tedious and difficult steps in the publishing process, but they are extremely necessary if you want to end up with a professional looking book.
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