Skip to main content

Summary of a course on EBook formatting

· 2 min read
D Balaji
D Balaji
Lead Design Technologist

Ebooks and books

Hi, no bonus points for guessing that I intend to write an e-book. I took a course to gain skills in ebook formatting. Here is the summary of the course in Q&A format.

How is formatting an e-book different from a real book.​

Here are a couple of key differences between formatting an ebook vs a normal book.

  1. A normal book can have a fixed layout because the content is laid out on paper and the size of the paper remains the same. In the case of an e-book, the user screen width and font settings decide the layout

  2. Page numbers play a role in identifying content in a book but page numbers do not exist in the world of e-books. They might be given by the app but they are irrelevant most of the time. One page on a paperback book can be 4 pages on a kindle.

  3. PDF books are similar to paperback books but PDF books are not welcome everywhere. Some ebook stores expect .epub, .mobi etc. The formatting needs to be done keeping in mind the dynamic nature of the ecosystem.

What are the must-have components of the ebook.​

Yes, components like head, header, footer, body, main, section, etc.. Well, these are components in the HTML world. In ebooks, we have the below ones

  • Cover page

  • Disclaimer

  • Table of contents

  • Chapters

  • Subheadings of chapters

  • Cross-selling your other materials towards the end of the book

Tools that help us with formatting​

To keep it simple we need

  • Word editor like MS Word or Google Docs

  • Need to have cloud sync capabilities so you do not lose your work in a PC crash or mobile theft.

How do verify that your formatting works​

This is my answer because the course did not talk about this question. To begin with, no one ebook format fits all. The output folder need to have

  • PDF
  • Mobi
  • Epub

What is out of scope while formatting an ebook​

This is my answer because the course did not talk about this question. Grammar check is out of scope because the formatting is about presenting content in a way it works. Maybe it works for a publishing house or more.