Have you always wanted to write and publish your own book? You no longer have to join forces with a publisher for this. We tell you how you can make your own e-book and then distribute/sell it yourself, so that you also have some pocket money left over.
Not so long ago you were dependent on a publisher for the publication of a book. This ensured, among other things, the production of the book and its distribution to locations where the potential readers are located (read: the bookstore). If you now have a good idea for a book, you have more options than ever at your disposal.
By offering the book as an e-book, you decide how you distribute it. Plus, you can make your own book from scratch. We do not go into the writing process, but assume that the story is in principle already 'on paper'. It is, however, extra important for e-books that you provide a good table of contents, so we will first discuss that.
Create table of contents in Word
You are not bound by any restrictions when formatting the document in Word. However, provide a clear table of contents so that the reader can quickly jump to the correct chapter. Select the chapter titles and choose from the toolbar Start Bee Styles in front of Cup 1, Cup 2 or Cup 3. Open the page on which you want to include the table of contents and choose the tab References. Press the button Table of contents. Now choose which type of table of contents you want to insert.
You can update the table of contents at any time later, for example if you have added additional chapters and expanded the text. To do this, right-click on the table of contents and select Update field.
Convert word document to epub
An e-book is often a file in a PDF or EPUB format. While a PDF file is a general file format that has been around for quite some time, EPUB was specifically developed for e-books. Other file formats that e-books also use are azw and odf.
The advantage of epub is the flexibility it offers in displaying the text. For example, the content of the file can be adapted to the screen size of an e-reader and the reader can adjust the font and font size themselves.
Unfortunately, in Word you cannot directly save your book in the epub format. We therefore enlist the help of an external service, namely online-convert.com.
At the top of the window you can see the different conversion options: we choose Ebook Converter. Choose Convert to epub. Press the button Choose Files and point to the file you want to convert to the format. Incidentally, you are not limited to a Word document, but you can also select a PDF file. The file is uploaded.
Take a look next Optional settings. Here you can specify additional settings. For example, if you make the e-book for a specific e-reader, you can add it to Target ebook reader specify. You can also adjust things like the title of the e-book and the author information here. Finished? Then click Start conversion. After that you can download and share the book.
Sell eBook on Amazon with Kindle Create
If you want to distribute your e-book via Amazon, you can also use a Kindle Create. With this free program you can format your e-book in a neat way. After installation click on New project from file. On the left you indicate which type of book you want to make. Click on both options and view in the right-hand window which characteristics belong to the type of book.
So don't focus on the book types, but see which elements you need. For example, the second option (Study books, travel guides, cookbooks, music books) is better suited to using videos and audio. Your source file also determines which book type you are making. For example, you can import a Word file (doc or docx) or a formatted PDF file.
Select the file: it will be imported by Create and automatically provided with chapters. You will see the book in the main window. View the window now Suggested chapter titles: remove the check marks next to the chapters that have not been recognized correctly and confirm with a click on Accept selection. If you don't agree with the layout at all, click reject all.
Would you like to subdivide an existing chapter into several chapters? Place the cursor on the part you want to split and choose BEdit, Insert, Split the chapter here.
On the left side of the window you will find the table of contents, which is divided into three main parts: Preliminary work, Main text and rump. Click on the plus sign next to Preliminary work. Here you can add elements such as title page, preface and copyright information. The plus sign next to main text lets you add new chapters.
Finally, rump access to elements such as the epilogue and information about the author. On the right side of the window you will find the text properties. This allows you to determine the appearance of an element on the page (for example a chapter title, subheading or paragraph).
Create also offers a limited set of themes, with which you determine the design of the book. Press the button themes, top right of the window. Select a theme and view the result. Finally click Selecting. After that you can add different types of elements to your book. You can find the options for this via Edit, Insert.
First go to the position in your book where you want to add the element and then choose Edit, Insert. To insert a video, choose Movie from file and select the source. You can also insert a sound or picture: choose Audio from file or Image from file.
Review and publish
To check the final result, click on the button preview. This view shows the presentation of the book on different devices, such as tablet and phone. In the window Control function choose you at Device for the desired preview device and use the buttons next to it to switch between horizontal and vertical display.
In addition, you can switch between different fonts and sizes via the box below. At the very bottom of the Review Tool window, you can go directly to the table of contents, so you can quickly browse the results.
Are you satisfied with the end result? Time to publish. Click on the button of the same name, which you will find at the top right of the window. After the book pack is created, you can publish it through Amazon. Click the link Upload and publish on KDP and follow the steps of the wizard.
Publishing for Kobo
The way you distribute your eBook depends on the target audience and subject. To have your book available through the Kobo catalog (also a widely used service), visit the Kobo Writing Life site.
As an author, you remain the owner of the rights within this platform and you can determine the price of the e-book yourself. It is also nice that you can schedule offers and promotions for the book yourself, for example around the holidays or on special occasions. Within the Kobo environment you can also have your book converted to the epub format.
After all, in addition to the aforementioned, more 'traditional' publishing channels, you can also experiment with platforms that focus on a wider range. For example, Payhip is a platform that focuses on selling e-books and other digital products.
The makers work on the basis of a subscription model with a commission per item sold. With the Pro subscription you pay a fixed amount and no commission is charged.
Hopefully, the above solutions have helped you on your way to publishing your own eBook. In any case, there are plenty of options!
