Quote:
Originally Posted by Notjohn
If you follow the Kindle (KDP) forums, you will find that the most common complaints are:
1) PDF made a mess of my e-book
2) InDesign made a mess of my e-book
3) Createspace made a mess of my e-book
4) Word made a mess of my e-book
While there are still a few who swear by uploading Word docs to the KDP, they each (there are two of them!) have developed such elaborate workarounds that it would be a whole lot easier IMHO to start from the beginning.
My workaround is to run the Word doc through word2cleanhtml.com online, then fix it up with a style sheet and a template. I understand that Toxaris has a macro that does much the same, but I confess I don't understand the forum thread on how to get this into action.
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there's not one damn thing wrong with Word. What is wrong with Word is that nobody who writes seems to know how to use it. If a Word file is formatted correctly, using headers and Word's built-in styles, it can make a pretty damn good book at the KDP. (Not, mind you, with lists and tables--but those won't work well with Smashwords or Calibre, either). Most folks cannot get their heads around the idea that Word is nothing more than a GUI for HTML and CSS.
That being the case, a correctly-formatted Word file, eschewing ad hoc styles, should format about 95% or more of the way to a perfectly fine ePUB file. The problem is, nobody ever takes the time to learn how to use Word properly; thus, they get cruft. But if someone takes a shortcut like, say, BookCreator, cleans the file, sets it all to Normal, then uses 5-6 styles (or what have you) and exports the end product to html, you can have a damn clean book. Nuke the nine bajillion extra fonts, etc.,that MS exports into the HTML CSS, put in your own SS, and Bob's yer uncle, as they say.
Just my $.02. To the OP: use HTML, you'll be happier.
Hitch