
Introduction, Course Goals, Overview, Full Course Agenda
The goal of this course is to show students how to create an EPUB eBook by hand for Apple iBooks and Apple devices including the iPad. I will review examples (including a published children's book), documents, and Apple iBooks Guides, dissect EPUB files and all of their folders and files, define all sections of every single EPUB file, edit files, review submission to the iBook Store, give a crash course in HTML and style sheets, do a complete review of audio recording and editing, and more.
Tools and Software Overview - iBooks, EPUB, Sample Children’s Book, Zip/Unzip, Images, Audio
Tools and Software Overview - iTunesProducer, iTunesConnect
iTunesConnect Account Set-up and Overview, Resources and Help
CHALLENGE: Set Up Apple ID and iTunesConnect Account
HTML and CSS Crash Course Part 1
HTML and CSS Crash Course Part 2
Important Definitions, Resources, and Guides
CHALLENGE: Download Guides and EPUB Examples
EPUB File Review - Folders and Files, Definitions, Editing Files, Common Errors
EPUB File Review - What is XHTML?
Why EPUB?, iBooks App, iBooks Store, iBook Features, Flowing Layout EPUB Example
CHALLENGE: Explore iBooks App and iBooks Store, Download Free Books, Import EPUB Into Your iBooks Library
iBooks Fixed Layout EPUB and Multimedia Features
Let's Have Some Fun! Dissecting and Exploring EPUB files in Detail, Finding iBook Content Within the Files
CHALLENGE: Download and Install Zip/Unzip Utility, Explore Sample EPUB Files
Working With Proofs and Seeing Changes in Real Time - Text, Font, Images Layout
Working With Proofs and Seeing Changes in Real Time - Audio Spans, Layout Spacers
Working With Proofs and Seeing Changes in Real Time - Viewing On External Devices
CHALLENGE: Change EPUB Sample File to Proof Version and View in iBooks
EPUB Control Files - File Sequence, Detailed Review of Mimetype and Container Files
EPUB Control Files - Overview of the Package.opf File
EPUB Control Files - Detailed Review of the Package.opf File: Metadata Tags Definitions and Values
EPUB Control Files - Detailed Review of the Package.opf File: Orientation Change Examples
EPUB Control Files - Detailed Review of the Package.opf File: Manifest, Spine, and Guide
EPUB Control Files - Children’s Book Package.opf and Important File Inventory Review
EPUB Control Files - Detailed Review of TOC File
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of XHTML Cover, Copyright, and Title Pages
CHALLENGE: Change XHTML Page Content, View Changes in Proof on Computer and External Devices
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of XHTML Story Pages, Text Layout and Formatting, Image Sizing Requirements, and Read-Aloud Narration Properties
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of SMIL Audio Files and Span Tags
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of Style Sheets Part 1
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of Style Sheets Part 2
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of Style Sheets Part 3
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of Style Sheets Part 4
EPUB Content Files - Detailed Review of Style Sheets Part 5
CHALLENGE: Update EPUB Sample Proof Style Sheets and View Changes in Proof on Computer and External Device
CHALLENGE/Lesson: Installing Audacity Audio Software, Common Errors and Updates
Audio Editing - Content
CHALLENGE: Record Your Own Audio Vocal Sample
Audio Editing - Quality and Effects: Overview, Remove Noise, Undo, Copy Tracks, Normalize, Compression
Audio Editing - Quality and Effects: Equalization, Compressing and Normalizing Again, Change Pitch
Audio Editing - Quality and Effects: Consistency, Deleting and Adding Silence, Saving Projects, Saving Final Output File
CHALLENGE: Edit Your Recorded Audio File, Improve Quality With Effects
CHALLENGE: Add Labels To Your Recorded Audio, Update Proof SMIL File Timings, Replace Audio File, View Changes in Proof (Computer & External Devices)
Audio - Multitrack Recording
Audio - Multitrack Mixing
iTunesConnect Closer Look - Overview, Guides, “My Books”
iTunesConnect Closer Look - Sales & Trends, Payments & Financial Reports, Users & Roles
iTunesConnect Closer Look - Agreements, Tax, & Banking, Tickets, Resources & Help
CHALLENGE: Download and Install iTunesProducer
iTunesProducer - Detailed Review, Example New Project
iTunesProducer - Example New Project (continued)
Resubmitting an Updated EPUB to the iBooks Store - Changing Images
Resubmitting an Updated EPUB to the iBooks Store - Changing Text, Proofing, Updating Package.opf File
Resubmitting an Updated EPUB to the iBooks Store - Zip EPUB, iTunesProducer Submission Tool, Errors, Pricing
Resubmitting an Updated EPUB to the iBooks Store - Files, Uploading, Pending and Active Status
Resubmitting an Updated EPUB to the iBooks Store - Mistakes Happen!
iTunes Affiliate Program and Sharing iBooks Links
Learn how to create a multimedia EPUB eBook by hand for Apple iBooks and Apple devices (including the iPad and iPhone), and submit it to the iBooks store. Obtain complete control over your project by building from scratch, and implement unique features and functionality where WYSIWYG solutions fall short.
Build a strong foundation in the EPUB e-book format for the Apple iBooks platform and its many features.
Powerful and desirable skills for authors, publishers, developers, and freelancers.
The e-book market is growing exponentially, and the EPUB format is a cross-platform standard. The adoption of and demand for e-books on iPads and other Apple devices is soaring. With over 2.5 million books on the iBooks Store, a number that is rising continually, the electronic book market is here to stay. This market presents an amazing opportunity not only for publishers, but independent authors and freelancers alike.
This unique and extensive course covers the entire scope of creating a multimedia EPUB iBook, from Apple support tools and sites, to a complete dissection of an EPUB project, to HTML and audio recording crash courses, to submitting, selling, and managing your final e-book.
Content and Overview
This course represents months of research, reading extensive documents, examining files line-by-line, dissecting and creating projects, and successfully publishing a children's iBook, which we will use as the main example throughout this course. Now let me show you how to do it in a fraction of the time!
We will not be using iBooks Author (or any EPUB creation software) in this course. Instead, I'll show you how to do this by hand. But even if you already use WYSIWYG solutions to create EPUB files, this course will show you what is happening behind the scenes, and will give you the skills and felxibility to implement features that WYSIWYG solutions do not currently support. In this course I will be using screencast videos to show you exactly what I'm doing, with over 10 hours of lessons and practice challenges, documents, downloadable sample EPUB files, and more.
We will cover:
This course is designed for an author who is ready for the challenge of creating a multimedia EPUB iBook, as well as a publisher, developer, and freelancer whose goal is to complete projects for clients. Whichever it is, this is a hands-on endeavor that gives the student a thorough education into EPUBs for iBooks, and complete control of their project by diving deep into the code and files, and assembling a masterpiece by hand where WYSIWYG software solutions fall short.
At the end of this course, you’ll be able to create an EPUB ebook by hand for Apple devices by creating an EPUB with HTML, style sheets (CSS), text, images, and audio, dissect and edit existing EPUB files, record and edit audio for narration with read-along highlighting text and background sounds, upload your book to the iBooks Store using iTunes Producer, manage, sell, and update your book using iTunesConnect, and join the iTunes Affiliate program to earn even more money from the iBooks store.