This InDesign to EPUB, Kindle, and iPad course shows publishers, designers, and production staff how to use the software they already use to create print books—InDesign—for the emerging ebook market. Beginning with an overview of digital publishing for the ebook marketplace, the course demonstrates how to prepare existing InDesign files for optimal EPUB and Kindle conversion. The course covers applying professional text formatting, validating EPUBs, and incorporating search-engine friendly metadata, as well as setting up publisher accounts at the major ebook distribution channels and selling ebooks directly to readers through an e‑commerce site.
What You Will Learn
- Understanding ebooks and ebook publishing
- Examining the EPUB format
- Using layout order, the Articles panel, and XML tags to manage content flow
- Formatting with paragraph and character styles
- Creating a cover image
- Optimizing images
- Exporting InDesign content to an EPUB
- Including drop caps, pull quotes, and text wraps
- Acquiring an ISBN for ebooks
- Converting an EPUB to Kindle, iBookstore, and Nook formats
- Distributing ebooks with resellers and aggregators
Lesson Outline
The following is a list of possible topics for you to use as a guide. Your course will be fully customized to your unique goals, workflow, and learning pace. Because every course we teach is fully customized to each group, the following list of topics to be learned should be considered a guideline, one that will be expanded or altered as required to fit your needs.
The Landscape of eBooks
- What You Can and Cannot Do in eBooks
- eBooks Versus Fixed-Layout eBooks
- eBook Versus PDF
- eBook Versus Digital Replica Format
- eBooks Versus Interactive Tablet Publications
- The Business of eBooks
- EPUB, MOBI, Kindle Format 8, and Other eBook Formats
- eBook-Reading Devices and Their Market Shares
- eJournals, eNewspapers, and Other EPUB Periodicals
Creating a Basic eBook
Creating an eBook from Scratch
- Beginning the Layout
- Writing in InCopy
- Importing from InCopy
- Importing from a Text Document
- Importing from Microsoft Word
Testing Your EPUB
- On the Desktop
- On eReaders
- On Tablets
- On Smartphones
Styling Your eBook
- Paragraph Styles
- Vertical Spacing
Converting a Print Publication to en eBook
- What Doesn’t Work
- Master-Page Items in eBooks
- Removing Fixed-Layout References
- Content Ordering by Placement
- Content Ordering with the Articles Panel
- Content Ordering by Anchoring Objects
- Content Ordering by Tagging
Working with Images and Multimedia in eBooks
Exporting Images to eBooks
- eBook Image Formats
- Automatic Conversion to EPUB Image Formats
- Asserting Control Over Bulk Image Conversion
- Asserting Control Over Individual Image Conversion
Preparing Images for eBooks
- Adding ALT Tag Alternate Text
- Sizing Images for eBooks
- Using Cover Images
- Including Native InDesign Artwork
- Captioning Images
Adding Audio and Video to eBooks
- eBook Audio and Video Formats
- Inserting Audio
- Including Video
- Making Good Video Posters
Adding Vector Graphics to eBooks
- Creating SVG Graphics
- Using SVG in InDesign
Fine-Tuning EPUB
Getting Inside the EPUB
- Unzipping and Zipping an EPUB on Mac
- Unzipping and Zipping an EPUB on Windows
- Editing EPUBs without Unzipping Them
Editing Files Inside an EPUB
- MIME Type
- Container.xml
- Encryption.xml
- XHTML Files
- CSS Files
- NCX Files
- OPF Files
- Image, Audio, Video, and Fonts
- File Naming
Editing eBook Metadata
- Editing Metadata in the OPF
- Required Metadata
- Optional and Special-Case Metadata
- Editing Metadata in InDesign
- Editing Metadata in Calibre
- Editing Metadata in Sigil
Creating Multiple-Chapter eBooks
- Using Multiple InDesign Documents
- Breaking by Paragraph Style
- Breaking by Tags
Creating Tables of Contents
- Building an On-the-Page TOC
- Styling the Table of Contents
- Generating the On-Demand TOC
- Editing the TOC.NCX
Advanced eBook Design
The Role of CSS in eBook Design
- Supported CSS2 Attributes
- Supported CSS3 Attributes
- Utilizing a CSS Reset
- Creating and Using CSS Templates
- Using Media Queries
Advanced Text Formatting
- Basic CSS Text Styling
- Effecting Page Breaks
- TOC <navpoint> Styling
Advanced Image and Multimedia Formatting
- Wrapping Text Around Images
- Adding Captions and Photo Credits to Images
- Adding Sidebars and Callouts
Publishing Your eBook
Preparing Your EPUB for Distribution
- Fixing InDesign’s EPUB Export Errors
- A Checklist for Final Preparation
- Converting an EPUB for Kindle
- Using the Kindle InDesign Plugin
- Preparing an EPUB for Apple iBook Store
The eBook Stores
- The Pros and Cons of the Amazon Kindle Store
- The Pros and Cons of the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store
- The Pros and Cons of the Barnes & Noble NOOKKids Store
- The Pros and Cons of the Apple iBook Store
- The Pros and Cons of the Rest of the Market (Kobo, Sony, etc.)
- eBook Distribution Services
How to Publish to the eBook Stores
- How to Publish to the Amazon Kindle Store
- How to Publish to the Barnes & Noble NOOK Stores
- How to Publish to the Apple iBook Store
- How to Publish to the Rest of the eBook Stores (Kobo, Sony, etc.)
Selling Your eBook on Your Own Website
- Techniques and Systems for Sales
- Payment Processor Gateways
- Fulfillment Services
- Security Concerns
- Do You Need Digital Rights Management?
Selling Your eBook in Print
- The Pros and Cons of Print Publication
- Vanity Press
- Licensing Print Rights
- Using Print-on-Demand
- Comparing Print-on-Demand Services