Anyone Else Find Kindle Format Annoying?

[DavidAllenNeron]

Does anyone else find Kindle formatting annoying at all?

no matter how I format it from docx, pdf, html .. none of it will convert correctly.
it just looks horrible and I've decided to avoid any formatting at all and just do very plain html and see if that will convert properly.

I'm certain there are some nice looking Kindle books out there with great formatting.

So I guess my question is, .. how?
Is there a special program I can use to write the book in?

[richrowley]

No not at all. I send it to someone on Odesk and let them do the work.

If formatting is taking up your time, outsource it!! This time can be spent creating/devising your next Kindle book!

it will only cost you a few dollars to get a book formatted, so do it and then go to the pub!

[DavidAllenNeron]

What format do you give it to them in?

[richrowley]

I just send it over in word document usually

[DavidAllenNeron]

Do you ever include tables in your documents?
and picture border?
What version of Word do you use?
Sorry, I just want to make sure I get it right

[richrowley]

Microsft office word 2007

Yes tables, images anything. I just tell my guy what I want and he sends it over in a few hours.

Seriously dont worry about whether it works or not, just tell your outsourcer what you want. You can always check it in the kindle viewer before you publish and before you pay your outsourcer on odesk.

I've had full novels formatted for less than $25! And some shorter how to books for $10!

[Rick Britton]

search the warrior forum, there are free tutorials around for creating the .mobi format

[DavidAllenNeron]

Well that's motivating because I'd rather do that then have the headache of doing it myself. :P
Although it is something I wouldn't mind learning in the future.

[Marketing Merit]

I may be wrong...long time since I published a Kindle ebook....but I thought the recommendation for Word files is to use .doc not .docx??

[DianaHeuser]

David,

I can help you (pointing surreptitiously to her signature)

Di

[rob corrigan]

Hi, use .doc format and grab the free formatting guide from SmashWords as this is excellent in helping to get the formatting correct.

Rob

[andersvinther]

I have recently used this gig on fiverr.

Was quite happy with the result... and the seller was very friendly...

You can see the result here .

I will be using that gig again in the future...

[eternalwarrior]

Have you tried mobipocket creator? It can convert MS Word/PDF to Ebook format.

[colinph970]

My FREE Guide will show you exactly how to do this. It's very easy once you know how!

(see link below to get the guide)

[Paul Gram]

We use Microsoft Word and ONLY Word. No need for mobi, other formats, multiple conversions, or anything like that. You can go directly from Word to Amazon with no issues when done right.

It sounds like you've tried this but have had some issues. If you need a little help, PM me and I'll take a quick look for you.

[williamk]

I agree. They are annoying. But as said by richrowley, I always outsource them so that I don't have to do a lot of work.
It is better to focus on how to market the ebook rather than formatting it correctly.

[RyanLeonard]

I had a LOT of trouble with kindle formatting for a long time. The best software I've used has been Calibre. It's free, and can be downloaded here: calibre - About

I just get everything the way I want it in microsoft word, then throw it through Calibre and VIOLA! Works quite well.

If you really can't figure it out, I happen to know where you can find step-by-step videos showing you how to do it... *hint, hint*

Hope that helps,
-Ran