Category: Tools

Kindle Create Pitfalls: Navigating the E-Book Publishing Labyrinth

29 February 2024
Kindle Create simplifies the process of publishing eBooks on the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. It offers several useful features, including:
- Publishing for both eBook and print formats using a single tool.
- The ability to preview eBooks on various platforms and devices before submitting to KDP.
- A fast and consistent submission process, that avoids file format conversion.
- Support for interactive content and graphic books.
Kindle Create is designed for ease of use and comes with four (4) high-quality themes to choose from. For text-heavy eBooks, it’s a great tool. However, when pushing the boundaries, there are some disadvantages:
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Ebooks, EPUB, Publishing, Tools, Tutorials

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Amazon, Calibre, eBook, ePub, KDP, Kindle, Kindle Create, Tutorial, Tutorials
Using Inkscape for Cover Design: An Overview

15 February 2024
Cover design is a crucial aspect of book publishing, but can challenge independent authors who manage every step of the process. While outsourcing to a professional is an option, the cost is not always recoverable through book sales. Alternatively, getting all the tools to create a cover design yourself can be expensive.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and Canva offer tools to help you create usable covers, but lack features needed for a truly unique design. Limitations include:
- Limited font support.
- Limited placement control.
- Limited support in end-products. E.g., Ebook, paperback, laminate hardcover, Hardcover with a sleeve.
Figure No. 1. Inkscape workspace of The Grand in paperback.

Inkscape is Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) that supports multiple platforms. While it’s primarily designed to support the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), the capability exists to import bitmap images and overlay text, objects, filters, and effects.
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Ebooks, Image Manipulation, Tools, Tutorials

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Amazon, Cover Design, eBook, Hardcover, InkScape, Paperback, Publishing, Tutorial, Tutorials
Create Templates for Kindle Paperbacks and Hardcovers with Inkscape

15 February 2024
The Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) calculator is a helpful tool for designing book covers. However, Inkscape requires specific page sizes for exporting to print, and the KDP templates exceeds the limits.

While the KDP calculator provides dimensions for visual elements, adding front and back covers separately requires precise dimensions and coordinates. Misplacing these elements may get the cover rejected for publishing.

This tutorial shows a cover creator how to create visible templates in Inkscape for both paperbacks and hardcovers. Cover creators need to create four (4) centred rectangles to achieve the desired result.
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Ebooks, Publishing, Tools, Tutorials

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Create Clean EPUBs using Calibre

3 August 2023
There are several reasons to generate a clean EPUB.
- Consistency. Consistent styles to maintain the same look and feel across platforms.
- Simplicity. With fewer interactions between CSS styles, changes are easier to implement and track.
- Human readable. Easy to find chapters, sections and styles.
- Convertible. Simple styles lend to consistent conversions between formats. Creates Microsoft Word documents with fewer embedded Styles.
Of course, there are disadvantages.
- Investment. Generating documents requires time and effort. However, since the the styles are reusable, the level of effort for future releases is reduced.
- Technical knowledge. This requires more than a passing familiarity with Markdown, XHTML, CSS, and Calibre. However, there is pleny of documentation available online to help.
While the disadvantages can dissuade people from experimenting with this capability, I found it simplified my eBook submission process. I can target Draft2Digital, Google Play, and Amazon Kindle, using one EPUB, and maintain advanced formatting like realistic text messaging throughout.

This tutorial focuses on features Calibre offers to make EPUB management easier. These tips and tricks may prove invaluable for debugging an eBook in the future.
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Ebooks, EPUB, Tools, Tutorials

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Calibre, Convert, CSS, eBook, ePub, Markdown, Portable, Styles, Tutorial, XHTML
Free Your Diagrams From the Clutches of Microsoft Office

4 February 2023
Microsoft Office can be used to make charts and diagrams in their office suite. While useful, it’s been traditionally difficult to free them from the clutches of Office. Your creations often end up being converted to images, leading to a drop in quality.

So, what do you do if you want to use your Charts and SmartArt in your EPUB or website? Fortunately, there’s a solution that promotes portability and flexibility in the final design.

Solution?

Inkscape, is an open-source vector image editor that saves images as SVG. An image format that:
- Is supported by 98.9% of all browsers.
- Sees wide application support, including Microsoft Office.
- Supported by EPUB Version 3.
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Microsoft Word, Publishing, Tools, Tutorials

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Charts, Diagrams, ePub, Flexible, InkScape, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word, Office, PNG, Portable, SmartArt, SVG, Transfer, Webpage, Word
Mobile Manuscripts

21 October 2017
Authors are as varied as the stories they tell. Some write by hand, channeling the spirit of monks and scribes. Others prefer the feel of a typewriter, which is often portrayed in movies and novels.

Technology has allowed writers to venture into the digital realm. While authors like George R.R. Martin remain stubbornly entrenched to the technology they adopt; others look towards the horizon for technologies to aid their journey.

Many of us own phones that have more processing power than what was available to NASA during the Apollo program. However, this technology has not been widely adopted for content creation.
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