EBook formatting isn’t as simple as most authors believe. What you see in a document isn’t necessarily what’s going to show up on eBook reading devices so best-selling authors turn to eBook formatting services to ensure their book is professional. Authors are responsible for the formatting of their books.
Overlooked formatting mistakes will change the appearance of the document once it’s converted into eBook format. These mistakes leave a bad impression on readers. The fact is that readers want control over their reading experience, so eBooks are expected to be published in a standardized layout known as “reflowable.” This restricts the style but opens the book to a larger audience.
Free EBook Formatting Tips to Help You Publish a High-Quality Book
Here are some free tips to keep in mind while you are formatting an eBook. Following this free eBook formatting advice, it will save you a lot of time and ensures that your book meets the expectations of your audience. If you run into any problems, consider looking at our eBook formatting & design services before publishing a low-quality book.
Free eBook Formatting Tip 1: Less is More
Reflowable formatting is the industry standard for eBooks. This simply means that the book is formatted in a way that allows the reader to customize the book’s appearance. The key to meeting this requirement is to keep the formatting simple. Complex formatting will not transfer well across all reading devices, and as a result, it won’t meet the majority of reader preferences.
Free eBook Formatting Tip 2: Be Careful with Images
First of all, you are allowed to include images in an eBook, but you have to keep delivery costs in mind if you plan to publish through Amazon. They charge you a delivery fee based on the size of the eBook file. Images add up and can potentially cause the file size to get too large. So make sure each image is absolutely necessary before including it in the final formatted version of your book.
Free eBook Formatting Tip 3: Remove All Headers and Footers
Ebook reading devices automatically generate the headers and footers for each book. Page numbers change depending on the preferences set by the reader. In short, readers get a unique view of your book as they read it. Therefore, remove all headers and footers. Otherwise, the conversion process will toss that text onto the page and make the book look awful.
Free eBook Formatting Tip 4: Footnotes are Complex
Footnotes work much differently in an eBook. Readers should be able to click on them within the text to see the note itself. So place them at the end of the book with links to and from the text. That allows readers to effortlessly check the note without disrupting their reading experience.
Note: In some cases, you can use a predesigned eBook format template. These generally work with simple eBooks that don’t require complex formatting.
EBook Formatting is Different for Each Publisher
EBook publishers have a unique list of requirements for submitting files. We’ll take a look at the two most popular eBook publishing platforms and reveal their unique requirements.
Smashwords EBook Formatting Requirements
First and foremost, your book file must be saved as a .doc file rather than a .docx. Furthermore, Microsoft Word automatically adds formatting as you type. The problem is that this formatting will lead to major issues. Turn off this feature when formatting your book for Smashwords.
KDP EBook Formatting Requirements
Ensure that each chapter is separated by using the Insert Page Breaks feature in Microsoft Word. As readers can change the font size when viewing a book, the pages won’t always line up the same way. If you don’t insert a page break, then the chapters will run together.
Also, be sure to use Styles within Word to change the look of the text. For instance, Header1 should be used for chapter titles, while Header2 should be used for subtitles within each chapter. Conversion programs look at the styles files rather than how the text looks on the screen. If you don’t use Styles, then your book could look different on reading devices.
EBook Formatting Services Ensure you Publish a Top-Quality Book
Formatting your own book can be hit or miss depending on its complexity. The conversion process is tricky, and even one tiny formatting mistake can throw off the entire book.
If you are having problems with formatting your eBook, then check out our eBook formatting services. Our eBook formatting & design services leverage an outstanding eBook creator that ensures your book is ready for Kindle and other popular publishers. We can even convert an eBook format to PDF.
Contact us today for top-of-the-line Kindle formatting services, Smashwords formatting, and much more!
