I keep hearing questions from people who want to create an e-book from their print edition’s files…and get it done cheaply (or, more often, free). Usually, they’re looking to produce Kindle or EPUB books.
Can either format be produced cheap (or even free)?
Yes, of course.
Will the result look and feel anything like the print edition?
Probably not.
At Five Rainbows Services, we have experimented with every e-book conversion tool we can find in an attempt to produce ready-for-print-time Kindle and EPUB books .
We have yet to be satisfied with the results.
I have also purchased numerous e-books in various formats that have, apparently, been done on the cheap.
Most look like it.
For some converters, the quality and format of the source file will dramatically affect the quality of the resulting e-book. If you use Microsoft Word, you will get a very different result than if your source file is a PDF.
Also, the amount of formatting required in your book will affect the results. The more formatting, the more it will likely need some TLC from somebody who knows what they’re doing. To tweak and improve Kindle formatting, you need to know basic HTML, which tags are supported by the Kindle (and which are not), the Kindle-specific tags not included in basic HTML, and the inherent limitations of the Kindle reader itself.
For EPUB format, one of the most common flaws created by auto-converter services or software is the a screwed-up table of contents. Usually, that could have been prevented by properly designing the source file. Even exporting EPUB (developed with help from Adobe) from Adobe’s own InDesign won’t solve problems that were designed-in.
So, here’s my bottom-line analysis:
- If all you care about is getting the information content of your book out there in the wilds of the marketplace, most any conversion tool can do that.
- If the quality of the resulting file matters to you, you’re either going to have to learn how to massage those various formats…or pay somebody who already knows how.
As with most things in life, there are shortcuts, but many of them produce less than optimal results.
It’s your book. The decision is yours.
