How to design and publish your first ebook

Name: How to design and publish your first ebook
Rating: 4.3 (17 reviews)

Professional digital publishing on an indie budget!

Created byAnthony Coe

Last updated 2/2017

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Design and publish an ebook according to industry standards
What software you need to create an ebook.
Design an effective ebook cover
How to copyright your ebook
How to determine a competitive price for your ebook
Know the difference between .epub, .pdf and .mobi and when and where they are used.
What is an ISBN and the myth behind the eISBN
How to obtain an ISBN for your ebook
How to apply for a Library of Congress Number
How to distribute your ebook across multiple channels
How to license and maintain control over your ebook

Course content

13 sections • 52 lectures • 8h 3m total length

Introduction5:04
Here I introduce myself and welcome you to the course. We will go over what to expect and what you will know when you complete this course.

Which graphic design programs can you use to create ebook covers and edit photos11:22
You will learn which graphic design programs you can use to create ebook covers and edit photos and images. You will also learn where to find free opens source graphic design programs.
Sigil layout9:18
You receive an overview on the free open source .epub creation application. This is the program I will be using through out this course.

Sample Content0:09
Sample public domain content used throughout the course. This content falls under the public domain so you are free to use it without restrictions.
How to prepare your manuscript14:00
How to remove unneeded formatting from your manuscript.
Basic HTML5 Layout0:21
We will go over the basic HTML5 tags every page of your .epub publication must have.
Basic HTML5 tags part 016:59
Basic HTML5 tags you will use the most
Basic HTML5 tags part 0213:22
Explore how to structure the head section of an ebook, set the title for browser tabs, and add metadata and a stylesheet for consistent styling.
Basic HTML5 tags part 0316:19
Learn how div containers organize content in the body, apply margins and padding with CSS classes, and place text and images using paragraph and image tags.
Defining your first Cascading Style Sheet (CSS)19:52
We will learn what is CSS (Cascading Style Sheet)

Why do we use CSS

How to create a CSS style sheet

How to connect a CSS style sheet to every page of your .epub publication
Basic webpage design

Let's get started2:50
Begin formatting your e-book with Smigel, leveraging CSS concepts, and organizing assets like Treasure Island images and text, then download Smigel from GitHub and set up your project folder.
Inserting text into Sigil5:01
Learn to insert clean, well-formatted text into Sigil by extracting the Treasure Island files, avoiding unnecessary HTML, and managing whitespace for reliable ebook formatting.
How to break up and format paragraphs part 0110:38
We will use HTML5 tags and CSS to format our chapters.
How to break up and format paragraphs part 0211:01
Learn practical CSS and HTML techniques to format ebook paragraphs, center text, apply hanging indents, and use opening and closing paragraph tags with div and span classes for responsive layouts.
Formatting Text in Sigil

Reuse of Classes (portability)4:25
Discover how to boost ebook portability by reusing classes across files, linking shared styles, and applying multiple classes to elements without conflicts.
Use of font families in CSS7:06
Learn to define font-family in CSS and apply web-safe fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, and sans-serif for body text, with Georgia or serif options for headings, ensuring readability.
How to use web fonts part 0114:41
I will explain what are web fonts. How to use web fonts with minimum formatting using css.I will also show you where to get web fonts which you can legally use in your publication.
How to use web fonts part 0212:35
In this section I will show you how to use web fonts to create a drop cap. Also I will show you how easy it is to effect your entire ebook using css and web fonts.

Inserting audio files11:00
Inserting videos and audio can be tricky. We will go over how to insert them into your .epub publication.
Inserting video files10:59
Learn to insert video files into your ebook by creating a dedicated page, sourcing public-domain clips from archive.org, and embedding a video tag while maintaining aspect ratio with inline CSS.
Inserting images - Part 0116:54
One of the main problems with digital publishing is control over how and where your images appear. I will show you how to use HTML5 and css to control how your image is displayed through out your .epub publication.
Inserting images - Part 0216:01

Where to find licensed cover art?15:39
Pulling images off the Internet to place in your book or place on your book cover can cause serious problems for you.
This section will show you how to find low cost and sometimes free images you can legally use.
What software do I need?7:22
We will review both open source and commercial software you can use to create your book cover.
Using Book Cover Pro to create a book cover13:56
I will explain what is Book Cover Pro and why I use it.
Using Gimp to create an eBook cover part 018:53
We will go over what elements make an effective book cove.
Using Gimp to create an eBook cover part 0210:53
learn how to design an ebook cover in gimp by adding texture, depth, and layered textures, adjusting opacity and blend modes, and adding a text box before exporting.
Using Gimp to create an eBook cover part 0313:08
Create an ebook cover in Gimp by layering a photo with text, adjusting fonts and colors, and saving an editable XCF file before exporting a JPEG.
How to add your cover to your .epub4:21
We will discuss naming conventions and where to insert the cover to your .epub
Overview of ePub HTML & CSS formatting7:35
Learn to structure an epub with html and css by using a container div, a single css file, and a title bar with meta tags for easier finding.
Creating an eBook Cover

What is an ISBN? Do I need an ISBN?17:09
We will discuss what an ISBN is, and how to read an ISBN-10, an ISBN-13 and EAN.
How do I obtain an ISBN on my own?14:19
This is most likely the most important and valuable chapter in this entire course. It will ensure that you maintain complete control and ownership over your publication.
What is an ISSN and do I need one?6:06
We will discuss what an ISSN is and when you will need one. We will also go over how to obtain one.
Library of Congress Number (LCN) & UK Legal Book Depositories3:52
We will discuss the qualifications for applying for a LCN and how to qualify as a self publisher.
How to I copyright my publication5:24
We will discuss how to copyright your .epub.
Setting up your copyright page4:02
You will learn what goes on a copyright page. How to format a copyright page. How and where to place your copyright page in your .epub publication.
ISBN

Add meta data to your eBook.9:40
Create a table of content.2:02
Learn how to generate a table of contents for your ebook using the tools menu, decide which chapters to include, and adjust the order for an iPad-friendly format.
How to choose the correct Distribution Channel(s)12:40
There are many ways to distribute your .epub. We will explore some distribution options. I will also show you how to discover additional distribution channels on your own.
How to read an XML and an .opf file8:52
Learn to read xml and an opf file to understand ebook’s table of contents, navigation labels, and metadata, including parent and child chapter relationships and collapsible sections in an e-reader.

Requirements

This is an absolute beginners course
Basic computer skills
How to navigate the Internet
How to download and install programs
A basic working knowledge of HTML and CSS helpful, but not required. I will show you the basic coding you will need.

Description

By the end of this course you will be able to take an existing completed manuscript and transform it into a fully validated ePub 3.0.1 digital publication. You will also know how to get your eBook published on the international market place. This course was designed for the absolute beginner. I will walk you through step by step on how to format your manuscript using HTML5, CSS3, legally free open source and commercial software.

Master the technical skill sets of publishing an Industry Standard Validated ePub 3.0.1 digital publication.

What you will know by the end of this course:

What is an ePub & how is an ePub different from a .pdf file.
You will know why you should only publish in ePub format and when you should consider publishing in another format (such as mobi or kobo).
What software do you need?
Where to find legally free and open source software for eBook creation.
Where to obtain legal photo, images and videos for your eBook.
How to prepare your document.
How to use HTML5 and CSS3 to format your eBook (No prior programming skills required).
What is an ISBN and how to obtain one?
You will know how to read a valid ISBN.
You will be dispelled about the myth of the e-ISBN.
How to obtain a Library of Congress Number and how to get listed with the British Book Depository.
You will know how to set pricing for your digital publication and why pricing is very important.
You will learn about copyrights.
You will learn how to license your publication and how to protect your rights as an author and publisher.
You will know how to create a professional book cover.
You will know how to validate your digital publication to meet current industry standards.
You will know how to distribute your digital publication worldwide.
You will know how to select the correct distribution channel for you as a publisher or as an indie author.

This is a self-paced detailed course designed to allow you the time needed to become proficient at each new skill set introduced. By the end of this course you will have complete control over the outcome of your digital publication. You will know how to protect your rights as an indie author and publisher.

Who this course is for:

Fictional, nonfictional, technical, article, poetry and any serious writer
Published or never published
The entrepreneur who wants to provide an eBook conversion service

How to design and publish your first ebook

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Welcome1 lecture • 5min

What is an ebook?3 lectures • 16min

Setting up your system2 lectures • 21min

Preparing your manuscript7 lectures • 1hr 11min

How to use Sigil4 lectures • 30min

Advanced CSS definition formating4 lectures • 39min

Adding audio, videos and images to your ebook4 lectures • 55min

Design a winning Book Cover8 lectures • 1hr 22min

Copyrights, trademarks, ISBN, ISSN, LCN and registering to sell in Europe.6 lectures • 51min

Final touches to your eBook4 lectures • 33min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: