Quote:
Originally Posted by carandol
But I'm not starting with an epub file -- I'm trying to end up with epub file from a .doc file. So without knowing exactly how the "bunch of flat files" is put together (like bananas? like grapes?  ) none of these programs would be much use, even if I *had* any HTML coding wisdom, which I don't. |
Well, if the intention is to avoid exposure to the complexities of the format, then you need automated and pre-packaged solution for conversion(calibre), not "decent ePub
editor".
IMHO, dedicated ePub tools (like Sigil) can help in the beginning by automating some of the steps, but sooner or later you will have to understand (x)HTML code and the structure of ePub publication. It is easy,
this tutorial (or one of the others found on the net) covers the basic of the creation of ePub, XHTML we share with the Web designers and is covered in excellent "w3school" courses, offering not only a guidance, but also a chance to practise.
IDPF specs,
Adobe's own "EPUB Best practices Guide, combine that with a capability to copy elements from already existing ePub's, or use results of Calibre's processing as a start point... Just dive in.
Except for Adobe's Indesign, I am unaware of any other ePub tool that exists on Windows or Mac, but not on Linux.