Well here we are in 2012. I hope you all had a fantastic break and are ready to make 2012 YOUR year.
Following on from my previous post
Compiling Your Ebook
Once you have written your ebook in HTML or Word, you will need to compile it. The two most common formats are .pdf and .exe and by far the most popular is .pdf. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and is a distribution format developed by Adobe Corporation to allow electronic information to be transferred between various types of computers. Adobe Acrobat is a full-feature PDF maker although it is very expensive. If you want to read and print a PDF file you will need to have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available as a free download.
The biggest advantage of .pdf books is that you can read them on any computer, including Macintosh computers. On the other hand, ebooks in .exe format can only be read by Windows users. However, the software that creates these kinds of ebooks can be handy if you want to customise your ebook.
Free PDF Makers
If you don’t want to spend so much money on Adobe Acrobat there are numerous free and very reliable PDF makers available although they may have limited functionality such as; some free PDF makers don’t hyperlink text and some may limit the size of the document that can be converted into a PDF.
I have listed several examples below. Just choose the one that works best for you: copy some of your ebook into a sample document and use this to test how different PDF converters will present your ebook.
2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS
This download allows you to export and save to the PDF and XPS formats if you have Microsoft Office Word 2007. This is what I tend to use as it is quick and easy.
PrimoPDF – Totally Free PDF Creation
Another free download, although the free version does not hyperlink text.
You can download this pdf maker for free and is generally pretty good.
If you create a document on google docs it gives you the option of downloading the document as a PDF although there is a limit to how large the file can be.
Open Office is a freeware alternative to Microsoft Office. You can create your document using Open Office and then convert it into a PDF.
Ebook Compilers
If you don’t want to use a PDF Maker, the alternative is to use an ebook compiler. Most ebook compilers work by compiling an HTML page as an .EXE file. Your choice of compiler will depend on what features you want and how professional you want the product to look. There are not many truly free ebook compilers so if you want to use this option try to make the most of the demos and free trials before making your decision.
Ebooks can also be created as web pages using HTML. You can set up an ebook as a collection of web pages which a customer can view after receiving a password and login code. What this does is turn your ebook into a password protected website.
Now you have written and compiled your ebook. Well done!
I hope you have found these articles interesting and informative and would value any comments.
Next time we will look at marketing your ebook…
