Ebook Foundations

Get started in digital publishing. Learn the basics of ebook creation and discover how to choose the right format and tools for any project.

Introduction

• Welcome
• How to use the exercise files

1. What Is an Ebook, Exactly?

• Different types of ebooks
• Where can you get ebooks?
• Open and read ebooks
• Make an ebook
• Distribute and sell ebooks
• Choose the right format

2. Reflowable EPUBs

• Common features of reflowable EPUBs
• What's inside an EPUB?
• EPUB 2 vs. EPUB 3
• Make an EPUB on your own
• Validate and edit the EPUB

3. Fixed-Layout EPUBs

• What is a fixed-layout EPUB?
• Reflowable vs. Fixed-layout EPUBs
• What's inside a fixed-layout EPUB?
• Make a fixed-layout EPUB
• Add interactivity and animations

4. Ebooks for the Amazon Kindle

• What makes a Kindle ebook different?
• Creating a Kindle ebook from Microsoft Word
• Convert an EPUB to a Kindle ebook
• Create FXL ebooks for the Kindle
• Distribute and sell your Kindle ebook

5. PDF Ebooks

• Pros and cons of PDF ebooks
• Create a PDF ebook from Microsoft Word
• Create a PDF ebook from Adobe InDesign
• Use Adobe Acrobat Pro to modify the ebook
• Distribute and sell your PDF ebook

6. Ebooks with iBooks Author

• What makes the iBooks format special?
• Pros and cons of the iBooks format
• Create an ebook with iBooks Author
• Add interactivity to iBooks
• Publish and distribute iBooks

7. Tools and Services

• Pages
• Sigil, Calibre, and Jutoh
• Services that convert your file to EPUB

8. Business Matters

• How to get an ISBN number
• Kindle Store and iBooks Store accounts

Conclusion

• Resources and next steps