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Compiling & Publishing Your e-Book
Once your e-book has been written, it must be converted into a form that can be published and electronically transmitted across the web.
This page will help you learn how to do this.
If you would like a FREE SUMMARY REPORT on writing, compiling, selling and storing e-books, please send a blank e-mail (you can use the following link) to ebooksummary@tools4webs.com
On this page you learn about ...
Introduction to
compiling Your e-Book
e-Book Compilers
Free
Compilers
e-Book
Covers
Click on a link and go straight to your section of interest, or simply scroll down the page.
INTRODUCTION
Once a paper book has been written, the individual pages and chapters must be put together or 'compiled' into the finished volume. The process is no different for e-books, which need special compiler software to produce the finished article.
It is important to decide whether your e-book will be given away as a free gift or sold on your own (or another) web site.
The answers to these questions will help you choose the best software for your task:
If you intend to give your book away, security will probably be less of an issue (although you should always copyright your book).
If you aim to sell your book and make money, then security is very important. You don't want people reproducing your book without your knowledge (or your permission) and then either selling it on for themselves or giving it away free!
Commercial quality compilers are available from as little as $30 up to several hundred dollars. There are many to choose from, BUT BEWARE ... price is not necessarily related to quality!
You also need to know that the vendors of some of the more expensive compilers will also charge YOU a royalty (fee) for each book you sell! So THEY benefit from YOUR success, which seems neither ethical, nor necessary!
Compilers roughly divide into a) those which use HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the main programming language used for writing web sites, and b) those that use another format, usually 'PDF'.
Here are a few technical and non-technical facts:
HTML Compilers
HTML compilers convert HTML files into an
easy-to-distribute format and are excellent if you a) wish to use
the 'interactivity' available with web sites, and
b) expect them to be viewed/read on the computer screen.
However, they do require an understanding of HTML programming.
HTML compilers either use the existing browsers (particularly Internet Explorer™) or they use their own 'browser' or 'display engine'. Both types of compiler ensure that your e-Book is relatively secure and accessible to 85-95% of web users.
Compilers which use the existing web browsers mean that your e-books are totally compatible with the pages seen on your web site. However, compilers using their own browser do NOT have the full HTML capabilities. This may limit which 'effects' can be used in your book.
PDF Compilers
PDF (Portable Document Format) is the proprietary format created by Adobe Systems Incorporated. PDF files have been likened to 'electronic paper' and require Adobe's FREE download Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® to read them. PDF is an excellent e-book format if;
- you have written your e-book on your favourite software package
- you expect your e-Book to be printed-out
- you want to specify the exact appearance of your e-book
- interactivity is NOT a key feature.
BUT BE Warned ... creating PDF files can be expensive! The best PDF authoring tool is still Adobe® Acrobat® which will give you very little change out of $400.
Publishers who use Adobe Acrobat should visit http://www.pdfzone.com. This site is packed with PDF hints and tips.
Below you will find key facts on a small range of highly recommended compilers to suit different needs, budgets and levels of expertise.
By clicking on the relevant, highlighted text, you will be linked to a more comprehensive review on that compiler.
Free e-book marketing is a very simple but VERY powerful tool. Package free information in the form of an e-book. Add in links to your product's sales letter then give a copy of the book to everyone you know. As more people read your book, more visitors come to your site to buy your product. Your sales increase. Once you release it onto the web it cannot be stopped; it spreads like a virus. Hence the term 'Viral Marketing'. EBookPaper allows you to do all of this and more! The package includes important features which include protection of what you've written (it can't be copied and pasted by others!). Other features included are:
- Forward and back buttons allow easy e-book creation
- Password protection
- Built-in e-book expiry
- Specification of a registration key before the book can be opened
- Prevention of both copying and extraction of information into 'temp' folders
- Four different levels of compression to
ensure that your e-book can be
downloaded quickly.
EBookPaper uses the HTML 4 platform so you can use JavaScript, Flash, and other multimedia in your e-book to create stunning presentations!
The tutorial e-book supplied with the software enables you to be up-and running quickly and easily. This software currently retailing at $47 represents great value for money. Find out more about EBookPaper; 'Viral Marketing Magic'.
eBookPro is probably THE most secure compiler out there which accepts files written in HTML, Flash, Shockwave, DHTML, JavaScript, Real Audio and Real Video.
As author, you can use the software to track EVERY e-Book you produce. This enables you to STOP people buying a copy of your book and then duplicating it and either selling it on, or distributing it free-of-charge without you knowing. YOU retain COMPLETE control over EACH e-Book you sell or distribute. eBookPro is currently priced at $197 and is targeted at those who wish to keep tight control of the sales and distribution of their e-books. Find out more about eBookPro.
At the current price of $29.95, Activ E-Book Compiler is a BARGAIN. All file types supported by Internet Explorer® (including HTML, GIF, JPEG and plug-ins) are accepted. Each e-book is a self-contained Windows program, so you can distribute them as downloads on the internet, by e-mail, CD-ROMs, floppy disk or ZIP disks.
Password protection of specific pages or the whole e-book with up to 1,000 passwords stops recipients from sharing their passwords with others. The program also contains a host of unique features which allow you to produce numbered copies of your e-book, keep track of new versions of your e-books, run external programs or perform internal searches within your e-book. It even allows you to assign a unique ISBN number to each e-book you write.
Another innovative feature of Activ E-Book Compiler is that the password-locked pages can link directly to the order form specific to that password. This enables you to monitor which pages are the most popular.
The 'README' file distributed with the software also gives lots of extra clear guidance and helpful advice, including how you can accept credit cards online and sell your e-books through ClickBank (Find out more about ClickBank on our 'Selling Your e-Book' page).
We highly recommend this excellent package, which is worth much more than its current price tag. Click here for your FREE trial of Activ E-Book Compiler.
Adobe® Acrobat® is the extremely powerful and sophisticated 'flagship' of Portable Document Format ('PDF') compilers, produced by Adobe Systems Incorporated. You can write your e-book using your favourite word-processing software, and then convert it into a PDF file. Adobe® Acrobat® is expensive but packed with features. Find out more about Adobe®Acrobat®.
PDF files are already widely used in industry and across the web, and can be read using the FREE download Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®.
There is a host of e-book compiling software on the internet which is available with FREE access or as FREE downloads.
Click on the following links to go straight to some excellent pages packed with FREE software downloads:
As you will see from this section, the careful design of an eye-catching, professional-looking e-book cover can make all the difference between sales and no-sales!
Use the following facts and hints to help you complete an effective, attractive and in-demand e-book.
Your information may be 100% accurate and in-demand, your sentence construction and grammar may be perfect, your friends may be raving about the content, presentation and value of your book, BUT statistics show that if it doesn't look good, the chances are it won't sell!
A carefully or professionally-designed, 3-dimensional 'virtual cover' with high quality graphics can enhance sales of your book by more than 300% over the 'flat' or 2-dimensional equivalent!
Therefore, it is worth investing time, effort and money in this frequently overlooked finishing touch.
If you are artistic, or at least willing to 'have-a-go' there are many design packages available which will help you to create the cover for your book. There are the 'industry standard' graphic design packages for the professional Graphic Designer, although for most of us, these are too sophisticated, and extremely expensive.
Alternatively, a range of software produced specifically for e-book cover design have been developed. Check out the following:
Auction eBooks - Offers very reasonably priced cover design software.
The eBook Cover Tutorial Kit - Software, tutorial and e-book. Excellent value!
3D Covers - Software, tutorial, free templates, e-book and lifetime access to more templates designed by an expert in the field. Great value. Worth checking-out.
Ebook Starter - Again, excellent value and excellent quality. e-Book, software box, CD and Ezine covers, open-book pages and more. VERY reasonably priced.
If you are totally 'artistically-challenged' or can't be bothered with the hassle of designing your own covers AND are prepared to spend some money, you can let someone else do it for you!
There are a number of excellent e-book cover design services available. Each produces very high quality graphics for use on your web site, usually at a very reasonable cost. Check out the following highly recommended services:
eBook Cover Art - Vaughn Davidson has designed stunning covers for top selling e-books, ezines and software box covers. Check out his web site.
Virtual eBooks - Laurie Duncan also provides an excellent, high quality and very reasonable e-book cover design service. Check out her 'Design Services' page on http://www.virtual-ebooks.com/.
eBooks N'Bytes - Eva Almeida at EBooks N'Bytes.com sets out an extremely comprehensive review, with links to a wide range of designers specialising in different types of e-book and other 'virtual' covers. Check out her 'eBook Cover Artists' page on her web site.
Remember, you can get your own copy of a FREE SUMMARY REPORT on writing, compiling, selling and storing e-books, by sending a blank e-mail (you can use this link) to ebooksummary@tools4webs.com
SPECIAL OFFER! ... Don't forget that we offer a range of e-Books written by experts on a range of different subjects. We are pleased to offer you a FREE BONUS package (worth more than $134) with EVERY order from our range of e-Books, each written by experts in their field. CLICK HERE to find out more!
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