Creating EPUBs from a Word Document

Turn your Word document into richly formatted HTML, which can then be converted into an EPUB and a variety of other ereader-friendly formats.

Many authors compose their manuscripts in Word. But did you know that if you're planning to publish to EPUB or Kindle formats, there's a lot you can do in Word to make the conversion smoother? In this course, Tony Harmer shows how to take your lovingly crafted text and turn your Word document into HTML, which can be transformed into an EPUB via a variety of free software and services. The course takes you through the whole process and identifies the common pitfalls, so you can avoid them. You'll learn how to format documents and add the features—such as media, bookmarks, and links—that make for more engaging and dynamic ebooks. The final chapters cover the troubleshooting and export processes, and then Tony provides direction on where to go next to finish off your EPUB. (Hint: Most of this is covered in his companion course, Creating Ebooks for the Kindle.) Start watching and learn how to turn your "words" into EPUBs everyone can enjoy.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Exercise files

1. EPUB Overview

• EPUB basics
• Beyond EPUB, to Kindle

2. Formatting Overview

• Introduction to Word
• Why less is more (and why that's a good thing)
• Step away from the spacebar and rein in carriage returns
• What not to include
• Copy and Paste

3. Using Word

• Which flavor of Word?
• Word for Mac
• Starting with a new document
• Starting with an existing document
• Nonprinting characters
• Adding a cover
• Front matter

4. Images and Media

• Comparing image formats
• Images, colors, and Kindles
• Adding images
• Adding audio and video in post-production
• Adding bookmarks
• Adding hyperlinks

5. Things to Watch Out for

• Footnotes and endnotes
• The trouble with tables
• Generating a table of contents (TOC) on a PC and on a Mac
• Exporting to HTML on Windows
• Exporting to HTML on Mac

6. What's Next

• Next steps
• Goodbye