New to ebook publishing - advice needed please

[donkeymusic]

Hello,

My wife has written a book and we are looking down the route of ebooks and selling via the kindle store initially.

We have ordered an ISBN number and the book is pretty much ready to go, its been created in Sigial and we have the epub file.


Could someone advise as to what is the best method to convert for sale on the Amazon Kindle store? i had read that it was a .dtp file? but also reading about a mobi file, so not quite sure.

If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[wannabee]

Welcome to mobile read donkeymusic. You have come to the right place.

There are quite a few people around here that will help you and point you in the right direction. Most of them will find you first if you post in the " introduce yourself " area as well. Good luck in your wife's adventure.

[amoroso]

Originally Posted by donkeymusic

Hello,
We have ordered an ISBN number and the book is pretty much ready to go, its been created in Sigial and we have the epub file.

Sigil?

Originally Posted by donkeymusic

Could someone advise as to what is the best method to convert for sale on the Amazon Kindle store?

Amazon supports direct import of ePub files, conversion may not be required on your part.

[DMSmillie]

Hi donkeymusic

There's no ".dtp" file. What you're thinking of, I think, is Amazon's "Digital Text Platform" (DTP) - that's their web-based interface for self-publishing ebooks for the Kindle.

Ebooks for the Kindle use the MOBI file format. However as Amoroso already indicated, Amazon's DTP interface will accept various types of input files, including EPUB files, and will convert them to the required MOBI format. When you set up the book details on the DTP website and upload the file, you will have an option to preview the converted file - the preview is a good indication of what the book will look like on a Kindle. How well the conversion works will depend on a range of issues, including how the book is formatted - there are things you can do in EPUB format that simply won't work in MOBI format.

The Community forums on the DTP website are a great source of advice and information on publishing with Amazon's DTP interface, if you run into any problems, donkeymusic.

[ProfCrash]

Do yourself a favor and check, double check, and triple check your file before you put it up for sale. Look for words that have been run together, weird spacing, sudden spelling errors. It sounds like common sense but plenty of folks don't do this and their books end up looking awful.

[DArenson]

DTP accepts multiple formats for upload -- DOC, PRC, HTML, and others. Just make sure you test everything carefully and view it on a real Kindle. Good luck!

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by amoroso

Sigil?


Amazon supports direct import of ePub files, conversion may not be required on your part.

You would still be better off converting it yourself and checking the results on a real Kindle as well as the computer/mobile phone versions. Amazon doesn't let you download the converted version for free, so if you use that option you would need to buy it before you could check it properly.

If it was created as an epub it should convert to mobi okay with Calibre, or if you extract the html, images and css file from the epub (with Winzip or whatever), you could use that as the source with Mobicreator.

[HistoryWes]

Follow all the above advice to get into the Kindle Store. Once you do, you can look for other markets. Don't limit yourself. I would recommend Smashwords, because they will get your book into Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Borders, Apple, and others. The downside is their upload will only accept a document in ms word format (.doc).

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

You would still be better off converting it yourself and checking the results on a real Kindle as well as the computer/mobile phone versions. Amazon doesn't let you download the converted version for free, so if you use that option you would need to buy it before you could check it properly.

The Preview option provided on the DTP website does provide an accurate simulation of what the book will look like on a Kindle, though it doesn't include simulations of what the book will look like in the various Kindle apps.

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

If it was created as an epub it should convert to mobi okay with Calibre, or if you extract the html, images and css file from the epub (with Winzip or whatever), you could use that as the source with Mobicreator.

More directly, you could use Amazon's Kindlegen application to convert the EPUB file to a MOBI file which you could then view on a Kindle, Kindle for PC/Mac, or check using the desktop Kindle Previewer application (these applications are available for download at http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000234621). You can then upload the MOBI file directly to the DTP interface.

[donkeymusic]

Originally Posted by wannabee

Welcome to mobile read donkeymusic. You have come to the right place.

There are quite a few people around here that will help you and point you in the right direction. Most of them will find you first if you post in the " introduce yourself " area as well. Good luck in your wife's adventure.

Thank you i will pop along there and say hello

cheers

[donkeymusic]

Originally Posted by amoroso

Sigil?


Amazon supports direct import of ePub files, conversion may not be required on your part.

Sorry Yes meant Sigil, which gives an .epub extension, only reason i was asking was from what i was reading it had to be converted, not yet tried to upload, was trying to get a head start but if i don't know to convert the that reduces the process.

thanks

[donkeymusic]

Originally Posted by DMSmillie

Hi donkeymusic

There's no ".dtp" file. What you're thinking of, I think, is Amazon's "Digital Text Platform" (DTP) - that's their web-based interface for self-publishing ebooks for the Kindle.

Ebooks for the Kindle use the MOBI file format. However as Amoroso already indicated, Amazon's DTP interface will accept various types of input files, including EPUB files, and will convert them to the required MOBI format. When you set up the book details on the DTP website and upload the file, you will have an option to preview the converted file - the preview is a good indication of what the book will look like on a Kindle. How well the conversion works will depend on a range of issues, including how the book is formatted - there are things you can do in EPUB format that simply won't work in MOBI format.

The Community forums on the DTP website are a great source of advice and information on publishing with Amazon's DTP interface, if you run into any problems, donkeymusic.

Yeah i may have been reading too much about versions and got myself confused, so thanking you for putting me straight.

I think the best step for me is once my wife has finished her final edit and proof read is for me to try and upload and see how the process goes.

[donkeymusic]

Originally Posted by DArenson

DTP accepts multiple formats for upload -- DOC, PRC, HTML, and others. Just make sure you test everything carefully and view it on a real Kindle. Good luck!

i don't have a Kindle, but was planning on check it on a kindle for PC, kindle for Mac and also kindle on the ipad.

hoped this would be good enough.

thanks

[donkeymusic]

Originally Posted by HistoryWes

Follow all the above advice to get into the Kindle Store. Once you do, you can look for other markets. Don't limit yourself. I would recommend Smashwords, because they will get your book into Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Borders, Apple, and others. The downside is their upload will only accept a document in ms word format (.doc).

thanks for the other stores i will also look down that route, but one step at a time

cheers