How Does
Making an E-book
By Jade B.
eHow Contributing Writer
Complete the Manuscript
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The first, and possibly most difficult, step in making an e-book is finishing the manuscript in your word-processing software. Most e-books are shorter than printed books, so they can be churned out fairly quickly. Many Internet sellers and marketers choose to hire writers to write quick, short topical e-books that will be presented for sale online. The best e-books are informative, direct and easy to read.
Format the E-Book
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Once the manuscript is finished, the e-book author will then have it formatted to be viewed online. Every e-book formatting choice is based on optimal online readability. The typical e-book is 6 by 9 inches or 5 by 7 inches. (Tip: It's easiest to size your Microsoft Word or Works document to the exact size of your e-book before proceeding. So instead of the standard 8½-by-11-inch size, bring your manuscript pages down to 6 by 9 or 5 by 7.) The margins are 1 to 1½ inches all around, and the line spacing is wider than what you would find in a regular book, usually 1.5 or double spaced, because these pages will need to be viewed on a computer screen. The last important detail to the e-book formatting formula is the font choice. The best e-book fonts for readability are serifed fonts like Times Roman, Palatino Linotype or Garamond (serifed fonts have accents at the tips of each letter). A sans serif font---like Arial, Verdana or Tahoma---is best for your headers and titles.
Rip the E-Book to a PDF
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The final step in making an e-book is transferring it from your Word or Works document into an Adobe PDF file. PDF is the preferred format for e-books because PDF files can be downloaded and read easily on just about any browser on any type of computer, but there is also Microsoft Reader, Adobe eBook, Mobipocket and other lesser-known formats. You need to have Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Distiller or an online Adobe PDF Creator account to convert your manuscript to PDF format. When you have the full Adobe Acrobat software, you can add clickable links to the e-book to direct your readers to other websites for reference purposes.
Many e-book authors are concerned about the security of their e-books. No author or publisher wants his or her e-book to be forwarded, printed and copied. Adobe provides a number of security options, including an option to prevent people from saving your e-book. You can also add a password protection to the e-book.
eHow Article: Making an E-book
