This quick guide does not presume to explain how to write a book from start to finish; rather, it delves into some technical aspects that often get overlooked during the writing and publishing process. This guide takes into account the new publishing landscape that focuses on the importance of online retailers and POD (Print-on-Demand). We hope that it is useful for you.
Finding a good word processing program that you are comfortable with is critical for any author. Most authors are not overly concerned with the formatting during writing, since writing is a creative process rather than a technical one. Most manuscripts BB eBooks receives are totally unformatted, even New York Times best sellers, which is just fine. Microsoft Word is still ubiquitous in office culture and often a tool of choice for writing a book since most people are familiar with it. However, there are other options, including free ones. For those looking for a good word processing program to start their manuscript, here are some suggestions:
Microsoft Word developed the .docx format in 2007, and this is a very common format for manuscripts. Prior to 2007, Microsoft Word used the .doc format. Many word-processing programs support exporting to these formats. If not, the older format developed by Microsoft in the 1980s, .rtf, works well too and is common. We do not recommend that your manuscript use the .txt format, as it does not support italics, bold, underline, and other in-line formatting.
Prior to sending your manuscript for formatting, it is recommended that you lay out your manuscript in a logical fashion. During the writing and editing process, thinking of the book in technical terms as one cohesive document often gets overlooked. Additionally, your book is the perfect place to speak to your readers about your other work. Do not pass up the opportunity to add promotional content in the front and/or back matter.
Please do not forget to peruse our Best Practices Guide for Authors: Front Matter, Back Matter, and Metadata for an in-depth discussion of this topic.
Below is a recommended structure for fiction books:
Some writers may find it strange that there is a Table of Contents in an eBook. But, it is important because it allows the reader to easily navigate through the eBook. A Table of Contents is also required at all major online retailers. For BB eBooks’ clients, we create a Table of Contents at no-cost if you do not have one. For print editions, it is generally recommended not to have a Table of Contents for novels because it is unnecessary and may seem too scholarly for an enjoyable read. Also, you should load up extra material at the end of your manuscript for the eBook. The reason for this is that the sampling process at most eBook stores only allows the potential reader to see the first 10% of the eBook. If all the reader can see is a bunch of front matter in the sample, they may not be interested in purchasing your book.
Below is a recommended structure for non-fiction eBooks:
The logic of putting promotional material in the back of the eBook is once again due to the sampling constraints at most eBook stores. You will also notice that footnotes have their own section, which may seem unusual for authors of print books. This is actually due to technical considerations. It is best to have a separate section that can provide cross-references between the content and the Notes section. Putting footnotes at the bottom of an eBook page is not possible at this time, since there really isn’t a fixed bottom of the page. Please note that a Table of Contents is critical for both eBooks and print editions, since people generally read non-fiction for work- or academic-related reasons rather than casually.
The old adage that a book is “judged” by its cover continues to hold true in the modern world—especially when there are several million books in circulation on Amazon. Please note that your cover will show up as tiny thumbnail, among other tiny thumbnails, on the online retailer’s page. Therefore, it is critical to have the proper design to make your cover unique:
Hire a professional cover designer for your book. BB eBooks is happy to refer some to you. However, cover designers are in very high demand at the moment, so it may be challenging to get a slot. If you would like to make your own cover, or even if you would like to make graphics for the interior of your book or for promotional purposes, the following programs are recommended:
eBook covers should be in the RGB color space. The dimensions of the eBook cover vary by retailer (see below), but if you have a cover that is 2400px in height and between 1.3:1–1.6:1 height/width ratio, that will work great at all retailers. eBook covers should be in the JPG format and 300 dpi. The online retailers specify the following specs for uploading the cover. Please note that even though the cover must be embedded in the eBook, the “marketing” cover must be uploaded separately at all online retailers.
Print covers can be in either the RGB or CMYK color spaces for KDP Print, but must be in the CMYK color space for Lightning Source / Ingram Spark. Print covers should be in the PDF format at 300 dpi. It is advised to use the cover template generators to make the back cover / spine / front cover for the print edition. You can access the cover template generators at the following links. Please note the trim, page count, and paper type:
If you need stock photos or vectors, there are a wide variety of websites that supply these for graphic designers. Please make sure you review all legalities and that the images are licensed to use for commercial works. Here are some great sites (both free and paid) for images:
Well-selected fonts are crucial to the design of the cover and promotional graphics. They also work great for the interior of your eBook and print edition, particularly for chapter headings and dingbats. Some fonts falls under the SIL Open Font License [OFL], and you may use those for eBooks and print at no charge. However, commercial fonts require a license that may be expensive. Please note that the font licenses for eBooks and the licenses for print/graphics are often different, since eBooks must have the font actually embedded within the EPUB package. BB eBooks generally recommends using open-license fonts for eBooks due to the complex legalities. Below are some great resources for both open-license and commercial fonts:
Please note that it is strongly advised not to use fonts that are common to Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, etc.) for novels. People read novels to escape from reality, and generally do not want to see the same font that’s used for an office memo.
This is primarily the reason BB eBooks exists, but we’re happy to share some information if you are interested in DIY formatting. eBook formatting is done with XHTML, CSS, and XML. There is some software on the market that can help with the process of packaging an eBook correctly. BB eBooks has more information on how all the coding works at our Developers page. We recommend that you learn how to code if you are interested in making your own eBooks. The basic format is EPUB2. EPUB3 was supposed to be the new format; unfortunately, there is very poor adoption by reading systems of this specification. Here is some software that is both free and paid:
For print formatting, everything is still done in the PDF format, which was originally developed by Adobe but later open sourced. The current standard for Desktop Publishing (DTP) Software is Adobe’s InDesign, which is expensive and complex. There is an open-source alternative called Scribus. Many indie authors still use Microsoft Word to make print editions, and it does work okay for novels without complex formatting. Joel Friedlander’s Book Design Templates are good to use in conjunction with Microsoft Word and not expensive.
There are many options to review EPUB eBooks, but we recommend using Adobe Digital Editions for EPUB. The reason being is that Adobe played a large part in crafting the EPUB specification and many EPUB reading systems are based on their software. If you have an EPUB3, the Readium plugin for Chrome was developed by the same organization that created the EPUB3 specification, and it is good for testing purposes. For the EPUB for Kindle, Amazon provides a program to preview how the eBook will look on a wide variety of reading devices and apps related to the Amazon ecosystem. We recommend not using the online Kindle previewer when you publish at KDP, because it has numerous bugs, especially with embedded fonts and images. The following software is all free and available for PC and Mac:
If you would like to read your EPUB on your device or app, we typically do not recommend this for publishing purposes. Additionally, the retailers make it difficult to load EPUB eBooks onto your device since they only want you buying these books from within their ecosystem. However, it is possible to copy EPUB eBooks onto your device (a.k.a. “sideloading”). Below is a quick step-by-step walkthrough for the major devices:
Please note: there is additional information for Kindle Fire and Kindle eReaders at the Amazon website.
Alternatively, you can copy the EPUB file through iTunes onto your device.
Please note: additional information is available at the Kobo website.
Alternatively, you can copy your EPUB to the root directory of your Kobo via the USB cable.
Signing up as a publisher at the eBook and Print-on-Demand retailers is a breeze if you have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or Social Security Number. For non-American citizens, it is important to apply early for an ITIN if you do not have one because it can take a few months to process. Not having an ITIN may prevent you from establishing publishing accounts at the retailers—almost all are US-based and are governed by complex tax requirements. Some online retailers like the iBookstore require that you own a Mac. Nook Press requires you to have an American bank account. As a workaround, you can consider using an aggregator service that distributes your eBooks to the iBookstore, Nook, and elsewhere. Below are the major online retailers for eBooks, print, and the two most popular aggregators:
Below are step-by-step tutorials for how to publish your eBook or print book for a large number of online retailers:
Please note, when you publish your eBook, you will need to upload a cover separately (referred to as the “Marketing Cover”). This is what is shown on your product page, even though BB eBooks already embeds a cover in your eBooks. For the specs on covers, please consult here.
There is a lot of debate on how you should price your eBook and you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment with different price points to see what works for you. Dean Wesley Smith has some good advice on how to price your book, and he advises to not go too low. The $0.99 price for a self-published novel was popular for some time in 2010 and 2011, but the novelty has worn off (with the exception of box sets, which still do well at $0.99).
For small presses and indie authors, BB eBooks suggests the following prices: