Preparing a previously published work for e-book format

Larry has asked how to go about preparing a previously published work for publishing in ebook format.

It’s a great question that involves a variety of tasks that will very likely be unique in each circumstance. The first task is to ensure you have the rights to publish in digital formate (ebook). Check with your agent or editor who handled the original publication and get confirmation that you have digital rights.

If you have your original text file of the manuscript, you are ahead of the game. If you have to rely on your publisher getting the file back to you, you may have some conversion problems. Most often they will return it to you in PDF format. If that’s the only format you can get your hands on, you can use a PDF conversion package like Desk Un-PDF to turn it back into a Word or WordPerfect doc so you can work on it. If you’re terribly unlucky and only have the original hard copy, i.e., paperback, hard cover or manuscript pages, you will have to get the book scanned.

If that is the case, you have a decision to make. If you’re computer literate, you may want to invest $200 in a duplexing scanner (such as the Xerox DocuMate 3220. Otherwise, be prepared to pay on average a quarter per page to have the book professionally scanned. Ask them to give you an .rtf (Rich Text Format) file, or a Word .doc file.

Many folks like to go straight to Smashwords to publish ebooks, because Smashwords has a tool they call the “Meatgrinder”. You upload one clean file, formatted to their specifications, and the meatgrinder converts it to all the necessary formats, i.e., Kobo, Sony, Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and others.

Others want the benefit of seeing their sales day by day, hour by hour on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. Those folks will want to create a KDP account at Amazon, and a PubIt account at Barnes and Noble. Each has its own set of requirements for formatting the document.

So, here are the links to the Quick Reference Guides that will give you all the specifications you need:

SMASHWORDS
Register for a free account at Smashwords and then access their excellent guide for preparing your manuscript for ebook at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52. Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, also provides a list of vendors who can provide services, such as book cover creation, file conversion, etc. You can obtain his list of vendors by emailing list@smashwords.com . Many of these are authors who have broad experience in e-publishing and will provide services for you for an hourly fee.

KDP Formatting Guide
Sign up for your free KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) account by visiting http://kdp.amazon.com

They offer two free guides that will get you started:
Building Your Book for Kindle (PC version) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007URVZJ6
Building Your Book for Kindle for Mac (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00822K3Z0)
These are free guides to download from Amazon and read in PDF format on your computer or Kindle.

Kindle also provides a list of Conversion Services you can contact. These services will convert your file for a fee if you feel unequipped to do that on your own. You can see the list of service providers at https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishin.... (Note that you may need to sign up for a free KDP account in order to access these files.)

Barnes and Noble PubIt!
PubIt accepts .epub, .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt files. You can choose the formatting guide you need at http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit... . Note that you will want to sign up for a free PubIt account to gain access to the files. To sign up, go to http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com

Now, did that seem like a walk in the park? Or do you need a bit more help? There’s a web site that can do all these things for you, for a fee, of course. It’s called BookBaby. Go to http://www.bookbaby.com and see what they can offer. Essentially, for a very nominal fee, they will convert your files and distribute them to the various online book vendors. Then, they’ll set up a page where you can monitor your daily sales. And the best part is that the royalties…100% of them…go directly into any bank account you indicate.

For many of you, the do-it-yourself document formatting will be the obvious choice. And for many more, a service like BookBaby will be the answer to a prayer. Whichever way you go, begin with the cleanest, most carefully edited manuscript of which you are capable. Get the most professional-looking cover you can. And write an engaging “blurb” that will convince the reader this book must go on his or her shelf. Immediately.

Happy trails!