How to create an ebook

File types and formats

To create an ebook it's actually no different to creating any other computer file. The difference lies in the file type which allows it to be read onscreen (that is on a computer, pda, mobile phone or handheld 'ebook reader').

There are various file formats, but by far the most versatile and popular is the Adobe Reader (formerly Acrobat) 'pdf' or portable document format¹.
The format has been around for some time but has only recently caught on in a big way. I'm not sure why, but one reason may be the earlier difficulties of creating a pdf, which required 'distilling' a file. A cumbersome process and a concept which was hard to grasp even for the computer savvy, let alone the less computer literate².

How to create  a 'standalone' ebook

There are other formats including 'exe' (Microsoft executable files). They are not so versatile as they can only be managed and viewed on PC's. One reason that you may choose to go this route is that you can create 'stand alone' ebooks that can be independently re-branded for resale by it's new owner. Different compilers have varying feature sets for re-branding, security and file output types. (e.g. a html version for viewing with an internet browser or one that creates a Powerpoint presentation). To create one of these you will need a 'compiler'. Check out the 'free' open source ones.

How to create an ebook for handheld devices.

There are new formats to consider, namely the new breed of digital ebook readers as well as pda's, mobile phones or other handheld devices. When considering how to create an ebook you need to consider your target market and the possible range of computers, platforms and devices that they will be used on. (I'll talk about how to create an ebook for these devices when discussing them in detail, see mobile devices).

The Adobe 'creative suite'

One of the best and easiest ways to create an ebook, is of course, to use Adobes own InDesign software. InDesign is the newest incarnation of one of the original DTP (Desk top publishing) packages 'Pagemaker'. Part of the suite is Acrobat Pro which manages and creates pdf's and has some amazing features, such as OCR (Optical character recognition) and batch processing.

(see Adobe Creative Suite for more).

¹ a pdf is, in fact, a postscript file. postscript being a simple language comprising of basic instructions for a print machine to follow when printing out text and graphics.

² if you 'print to file' you are also creating a 'postscript' file to be printed at a later time.

create an ebook - electronic book publishing