epub creator

[Rick]

I'm sending my book out to reviewers, but some are asking for the file to be sent as an epub. Does anyone know a good epub converter to download from the internet that won't have a virus or anyhtng else nasty attached to it?

[Michael Cargill]

Calibre - http://calibre-ebook.com/

Bear in mind that the results can depend on what you're converting it from. The simpler the original file is, the better. If you use Word 2007, save the document as a .doc file rather than a .docx file.

If you're signed up to Smashwords, just download the epub file from there.

[David]

I think you can do the same from the kdp bookshelf. You can certainly down load a file of your book and save it to your hard drive, just not certain if its an epub file. You do it at the preview stage.

[Karen]

I did mine with Kobo, and that was straightforward
(we had a useful chat about this in the Writers' Cafe recently)

[Rick]

Thanks for the info, downloaded calibre, and also from smashwords.

[Sara]

I used Caliber, it's really good. For smashwords I followed their manual, the one you can download for free.

[Rob]

When you've done the conversion you can have it checked here: http://validator.idpf.org/
You simply upload your file (its easy to do) and it checks it for you. Once its passed this validation you can be pretty sure it will be accepted by most ebook sellers (valid for ipad, kobo, nook, etc).
The error messages are pretty hard to understand but more often than not its just little typos that need fixing.

[R.M.F.]

I'm glad of this info as well. I've been confused about epub for a while, but then again I get confused about light switches as well!

[Rick]

Damn things, give me a candle any day!

[Tim]

Yeah, I can't be having with these new word processors either. What's wrong with a rock and chisel, I ask you?

[Kath]

We'd still be waiting for your book if you wrote with a rock and chisel Tim.

Eh-up. We are!

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

And editing would be a pain...

[Tim]

Gingerlily (or Cyberlily..) wrote: "And editing would be a pain..."

Polyfilla...

[Tim]

And for writing on the road, I use a pebble...

[Lance]

Michael wrote: "The simpler the original file is, the better..."

You're even better off saving it as an HTML document. That can strip out some of the hidden goodies Word injects into the file. It's also easier to edit by hand to fix global problems with the ePub.

Remember that an ePub is little more than a zipped collection of HTML files. When you validate it and get errors, you can unzip the ePub, fix the individual files with errors, then re-zip it. It's easier than starting over from the source document every time.

[Kath]

Tim wrote: "And for writing on the road, I use a pebble..."
An iPeb?

[Tim]

iRock lol!

[Kath]

You SO do! ;)