Help with creating ebook

[ClairePMR]

I'm using the ebook creation tool for the first time and I'm stumped on the first task! I have about 30 doc files that are the individual chapters of the book, and I was able to import them into a new epub, but they aren't showing up in the Text section for editing. Do I have to convert them to another file type first, ie.e html? Does the epub creator do that? I've searched for answers and it seems that my question is too broad (or basic??) to find an answer. Any help to get started would be greatly appreciated!

[JSWolf]

Take the various parts of the eBook and put them together in one Word file. Make sure you've used styles only. No highlighting and applying some code. Then save as DocX. Load the DocX file into Calibre and convert it to ePub. Then you can load the eBook into the Calibre editor and edit it from there adding the cover and any other edits you need/want to do.

[ClairePMR]

Got it - Thank you so much! I assume I would edit the chapter breaks back in at that point. Thinking out loud... if I wanted to keep the current chapter format, could I create the epub as an anthology, import that to the editor, and manipulate it from there?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ClairePMR

Got it - Thank you so much! I assume I would edit the chapter breaks back in at that point. Thinking out loud... if I wanted to keep the current chapter format, could I create the epub as an anthology, import that to the editor, and manipulate it from there?

In the ePub, each chapter/section should be a separate file. So yes, you can make it an anthology if that's what you want to do.

[ClairePMR]

Again, thank you!! Off to experiment!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ClairePMR

Again, thank you!! Off to experiment!

Hope it goes well.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ClairePMR

Got it - Thank you so much! I assume I would edit the chapter breaks back in at that point. Thinking out loud... if I wanted to keep the current chapter format, could I create the epub as an anthology, import that to the editor, and manipulate it from there?

If you do it correctly, it just happens automatically. Calibre will split the input DOCX up into chapters internally. This is why @JSWolf said "Make sure you've used styles only." If styles are used properly, the conversion will be a lot cleaner.

The alternative would be to convert each of your current documents to epubs and then merge them. The Epub Merge plugin can do that. If there is a good reason to keep them separate, this would work. But, it would be clumsy if you needed to edit any of the chapters and merge them again.

[Quoth]

As JSWolf says *& Davidfor says, put it all in one file (Word or LO Writer) and a final Save As DocX for LO Writer odt, or use docx for Word.
You can even use Level 1 for books and Level 2 for chapters for an anthology.
Put page break before in the heading styles.
It also helps to put an anchor at the start of each book/chapter / heading and make a TOC/Index with no page numbers. I put two or three letter code for book and ch1, ch2 etc all without spaces or punctuation and lower case.
Copy paste the WP inserted Index to a text file, delete in WP doc, paste back the plain text and pick a contents style. Then make each line into a link with name #<anchor-name>, don't need to look them up if you used the suggested code.

Then Calibre will automatically put each chapter in a file and generate a system NCX/TOC with book titles and the chapters then indented. Avoid more than two levels. Make any other headings be text level in the style edit.

Make an epub2 first and then only make old mobi, azw3 (really KF8), dual mobi or kepup, lrf , pdb etc from the epub.

If publishing, only upload the epub to Amazon KDP and Google. Dual Mobi and ePub for Smashwords.

Amazon does their own conversion from epub for all the kindle formats.

If sending to your own Kindle, then USB is best (old or azw3 depending on model), otherwise send an epub renamed as jpg for Email to Your Kindle and Amazon converts it.

[ClairePMR]

Thanks to all for your suggestions and ideas! I tried the conversion of each .doc file to epub, then used epubmerge to make a single document. This worked fine, but was a little clumsy with fixing the "title" pages. Had no problem creating the TOC and working with the editor was easier that I feared it would be. I'll continue to experiment with the other options to see which is least taxing for me! LOL

I've lurked around here for 10 years and I'm always impressed and grateful for how helpful and kind everyone is! Thanks again!!

[BetterRed]

@ClairePMR - if you can find a one-click way to merge the subdocuments within a Word master document into a new single document that maybe preferable, then you could maintain the separate chapter subdocuments as the manuscript form. I've looked and failed to find, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist - maybe in Word itself

A Word master document is not unlike an ePub OPF file, basically a playlist. Unfortunately Calibre cannot convert Word master documents, be good if it could.

BR

[ClairePMR]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@ClairePMR - if you can find a one-click way to merge the subdocuments within a Word master document into a new single document that maybe preferable, then you could maintain the separate chapter subdocuments as the manuscript form. I've looked and failed to find, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist - maybe in Word itself

A Word master document is not unlike an ePub OPF file, basically a playlist. Unfortunately Calibre cannot convert Word master documents, be good if it could.

BR

That would be a neat trick! If I recall correctly, back in the day, Lotus WordPro had that functionality. You could create tabs within a document in the same way that you have tabs on a web browser and each tab could be a doc section, chapter, etc. It was a FAR superior word processor to MS Word, and much more intuitive. In Word, you have to plumb the depths to find what you want. WordPro was a thing of beauty and would have handled that task seamlessly.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll investigate further for the kicks!

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by ClairePMR

That would be a neat trick! If I recall correctly, back in the day, Lotus WordPro had that functionality. You could create tabs within a document in the same way that you have tabs on a web browser and each tab could be a doc section, chapter, etc. It was a FAR superior word processor to MS Word, and much more intuitive. In Word, you have to plumb the depths to find what you want. WordPro was a thing of beauty and would have handled that task seamlessly.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll investigate further for the kicks!

If you want document tabs in Word have a look at ==>> Office Tab

I have been using it for years, IMO definitely worth $29 for a lifetime license.

- extendoffice's Kutools for Word may have a master document merge feature.

BR

[ClairePMR]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

If you want document tabs in Word have a look at ==>> Office Tab

I have been using it for years, IMO definitely worth $29 for a lifetime license.

- extendoffice's Kutools for Word may have a master document merge feature.

BR

OMG - I had no idea this existed!! You may have made my decade with this suggestion!!!!

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

- extendoffice's Kutools for Word may have a master document merge feature.

No luck there. I emailed them and got a negative within a couple of hours.

BR

[ClairePMR]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

No luck there. I emailed them and got a negative within a couple of hours.

BR

Bummer - but I checked out the tab feature and that alone is well worth adding this extension. LOVE that!