The challenge in designing eBooks are the unknowns. It’s impossible to know what devices your readers will use and these uncertainties stack up. Some of these elements are:
Fonts can be embedded into an EPUB to control the look and feel. However, there is no guarantee that Amazon, Apple, Google, or Kobo will not strip them out in favour of their own. E.g., Bookerly on Kindle platforms.
It’s important that an EPUB reflow its content to adjust to changes in any of the above elements. A book that reflows ensures a quality reading experience for the reader.
“I understand this will create delays,” Clara said. “I caution you not to speak to anyone. You may find that your myths drop by wanting to know where you caught wind of this.”
“You-you’re serious?” Zachary asked.
Clara’s eyes flashed blue for a moment. It was enough for him to realise that he was already dealing with the supernatural.
“Unlike me,” Clara said. “They’re not known for their sense of humour. Good day.”
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.
“Doesn’t shock you at all?” Zachary finally asked.
“Not for anything of Georgian origin,” Clara answered.
“They are a myth,” Zachary countered.
“And yet you are looking at something that shouldn’t work,” Clara replied. “So, suspend the disbelief for a moment and wow me.”
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
Out of immediate ideas, he removed a damaged tube and brought it under something that looked like a microscope without an ocular fitting. A screen to his size brought up a picture of the surface.
“What do we have here,” Zachary said after looking over the image for a minute. “Take a look.”
Clara did as asked. It had a similar appearance to the innards of a phone she smashed beyond repair. Little bumps and cylinders, all linked with a metallic pathway over a green surface.
“Let me guess,” Clara said. “Not something you would find in use a century ago?”
“Discounting the size,” Zachary said. “Not something you’d find until the eighties. In this form factor, I’m not sure you’d find something like this commercially today.”
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
Zachary stood up from his throne and grabbed a cane. Despite being a young man, his movements were rough, hobbled by pain. Without that cane, she doubted he would have had the balance to walk unassisted.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.
She pushed open the door, causing a tiny silver bell to ring. The place appeared to be empty, there was even a buildup of dust on the counter. Her body tensed, and her senses sharpened, but there was nothing obviously threatening.
Are you Clara?
The male voice appeared to originate from every direction. Either she was faced with a god, or it was going out over loudspeakers. The latter was confirmed, when she spotted several sources throughout the room.
“I am,” Clara replied.
When not booming out questions they generated white noise that hindered her ability to detect anything beyond the walls.
Who sent you?
Speaking had an effect on the noise generated. From her perspective the message was said twice, with the first wave being faint and distant. She closed her eyes and focused until the noise became a series of distinct tones.
“Alice Liddell,” Clara said carefully to sound normal.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.
“I really hate you right now,” Clara said before kissing Evelyn on the forehead. “I don’t like leaving friends to rot, even if it’s for the greater good.”
Evelyn smiled meekly, while pressing her ear against Clara’s chest.
“You’ve never sent people to their deaths?” Evelyn asked.
“I’ve failed to save some,” Clara replied.
“See, that’s not the same,” Evelyn said. “Failure drives you. You will make sure you never make the same mistake. That’s why half of you hunters were martyrs in disguise.”
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
“I could be there within the fucking day!” Clara swore.
They had been going around the buoy for the better part of an hour. Clara pushed for immediate action, while Evelyn tried to temper the response until they knew more. Meanwhile Julia was in trouble and nothing was getting done.
This time Evelyn backed away, the rising anger led her eyes to glow an electric blue. She may not have seen that particular talent put to practice, but she knew well enough to try to diffuse this bomb.
“And then what?” Evelyn asked.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.
To start the process, add the following CSS style to your EPUB‘s stylesheet. This document is normally named stylesheet.css in a Calibre generated eBook.
Instead of using pt, or px to define the dimensions, we use em. This type of measurement is relative, enabling the document to adjust automatically when the user changes fonts or size.
The next step is to go through every chapter and find the first paragraph. While the converted document’s formatting will differ from this example, it will look similar to this:
Default Code
<body>
<h1 class="blockFirstTop">THE VAN HELSING INCURSION</h1>
<h2 class="blockFirstChapter">CHAPTER 1</h2>
<p class="blockSubtitle">THEY’RE MAGICALLY DELICIOUS</p>
<p>Clara had been lying flat against the snow-covered ground
since the witching hour. The sky was taking on red hues,
and the moon would soon secede its dominion over the
celestial plain.</p>
<p>She maintained a low heart rate while her movements were
kept to an absolute minimum. Freshly fallen snow had
accumulated during the night, all of which helped to
conceal her position.</p>
Output
Screenshot of an EBook with no drop character
For a drop character the first letter of the paragraph must be wrapped in a SPAN with the class defined. Once the changes are made, the preview panel will update the look and feel.
For a consistent display of drop characters, consider:
Remove the first quotation mark prior to wrapping the character; and
Remove additional formatting like bold or italics.
Adjusted Code
<body>
<h1 class="blockFirstTop">THE VAN HELSING INCURSION</h1>
<h2 class="blockFirstChapter">CHAPTER 1</h2>
<p class="blockSubtitle">THEY’RE MAGICALLY DELICIOUS</p>
<p><span class="dropCharacter">C</span>lara had been
lying flat against the snow-covered ground since the
witching hour. The sky was taking on red hues, and the
moon would soon secede its dominion over the celestial
plain.</p>
<p>She maintained a low heart rate while her movements were
kept to an absolute minimum. Freshly fallen snow had
accumulated during the night, all of which helped to
conceal her position.</p>
Output
Screenshot of an EBook with a visible drop character
That’s it!
Note
The look and feel may change based on the rendering engine. Viewing it on Google Play Books may have a a different reading experience Apple iBooks, or Rakuten Kobo.
Once past the Bassicilica’s neighbourhood, the styles varied. This city had seen many renewal periods over its lifetime, some more successful than others. It was not uncommon to find early twentieth-century brick structures surrounded by towers of glass and steel. While discombobulated, she enjoyed the chaos, wondering how this all came to be.
She passed a coffee shop at the corner, which brought back memories of Elizabeth introducing her to the modern variations. She slowed to a stop, making sure that no one was behind her, lingering over that sign as that memory washed over her.
“I miss her,” Clara whispered.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.
