How to format my ebook for kindle?

21 replies
I've submitted my ebook to kindle. Amazon approved it, but the structure is quite messy and dosen't look good. Is there a software that will make it better? I used the amazon pdf to kindle when uploaded.
#ebook #format #kindle
  • Profile picture of the author KitschWitch
    I haven't tried this, but it could meet your needs:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ngle-time.html
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  • Profile picture of the author jenness
    I use Calibre. I think they also have video tutorials on how to format as well, so look them up.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Download the Kindle Previewer and Kindle for PC. Format your book in Word or Open Office and save it as a doc. Click "Save As" and select Web page. The trick is to not allow any page breaks in the doc. Then open that Web Page file in the Kindle Previewer and turn it into a Kindle file.

    When you do this the Previewer will create a sub folder wherever you've saved the source (Word doc & Web Page) file. The kindle file is represented by a blue book icon. Take that file and copy it. Then put it into a folder in your Documents folder titled "My Kindle Content." Once it's there your Kindle For PC will be able to display it.

    Then open it in your Kindle for PC and you'll be able to see any flaws easily. Adjust your source file as needed and check it again.

    It might take a couple of hours to get the hang of it but once you do it's super easy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    If you don't want to mess with it yourself you can always talk to Di:

    Kindle Format and/or Graphic Cover | The Nitty Gritty for Non Geeks

    Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author troy23
    I found a person to convert it on Fiverr and she did a great job.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDawson
    Banned
    Originally Posted by ps2home View Post

    I've submitted my ebook to kindle. Amazon approved it, but the structure is quite messy and dosen't look good. Is there a software that will make it better? I used the amazon pdf to kindle when uploaded.
    I'm pretty sure you can find free kindle formatting software on Google.
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    • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
      Originally Posted by CDawson View Post

      I'm pretty sure you can find free kindle formatting software on Google.
      You don't need to find it anywhere. Amazon gives it to you for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnmags
    You are a war room member, there are many free Kindle blueprints that you can download there. I learned how to format my ebook to Kindle through the war room.
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  • Profile picture of the author earsaver
    Hi.

    I produced an ebook in Apple's iBook Author. However, I'd like to convert it to the Kindle format. Is there an effective way to do so? I can export the book as a .pdf file. However, I think it might be best to have it in Kindle's native format. Or should I just import the pdf file into MS Word and start over? My concern is I have over 100 jpg images. Will I have to import them manually?

    Thanks in advance for your help.
    Sincerely,
    Joe Benevides
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  • Profile picture of the author shalamerylei
    yeah, you can use Calibre to edit your ebooks
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  • Profile picture of the author howtogurus
    The discussion below assumes that we are talking about nice, complex formatting. If your eBook is real simple then straight Word to Kindle should work.

    Here is the skinny. The current Kindle version is based on XHTML, so for real control of the formatting you have to approach the Kindle eBook like one big, long web page. You can do anything you want with formatting ... IF ... you do the formatting in a web design program and even there you may need to go to the code. Word is good, but not perfect, and if you use any advanced Word stuff, like Word ClipArt, Tables, Graphics, SmartArt, etc. you will lose all that once it converts, or it will be in the wrong place/size. Basically Word is converted to html then converted to the Kindle format. Same problem applies with going from a PDF, you will probably lose your more advanced formatting. If you know how to create web pages, especially if you can code in HTML then you can control your Kindle formatting completely. Otherwise I would recommend finding a web developer who is familiar with Kindle.

    Calibre is great for organizing your ebook library and still good for previewing and converting to Nook format. But I no longer use Calibre for converting to Kindle, it is not yet up to date on the new Kindle format.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
    Better take help of some professional for the 1st time.
    Search for Di Heuser in search box...

    Thank you
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    I can convert your Non-Responsive website to Responsive website ... How sweet is that? :)

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  • Profile picture of the author thatjc
    "Travlinguy" has the 'right stuff'.

    The Kindle format has a lot of limitations and converting from PDF can be a pain.
    I found a very nice Kindle format editor that works beautifully. It's best to write Kindle eBooks directly in such an editor. But this one does do a pretty good job of converting a PDF. I'm not an affiliate or anything. The product is called "Anthemion Jutoh".

    It's not free, but if you're doing Kindle books, I believe it's a good investment.

    Hope this helps...
    _jim coe
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
    All you need is Microsoft Word and if you do it right, you'll get excellent formatting including a linked TOC, images, etc. You can even bring PDF's in with no problem, and no need to use Calibre or other programs that actually don't work that well with the Kindle anymore.
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    • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
      I use a simple Kindle template and then run it thru a formatting tool which makes the TOC, cleans it up and turns it into a .mobi file which I then load in KDP (after checking in previewer).
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  • Profile picture of the author SeoDemon
    just hire some one from fiverr for that, lots of gigs offering great service.
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    I also use Microsoft Word to create my Kindle e-book on amazon. Not only does it work great, but word is a great program. Like we are already familiar with it, and it is easy to use. PDF creator is not as easy. Also, I have formatting problems when we use it to create Kindle e-books for amazon.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnmags
    For me, I use the Kindle Ebook generator, which is free at CNET. It works fine with me. For proper formatting, sometimes you have to split-test. You can also insert page break to end a page.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cyberdog1
    You can use OpenOffice - it does not HAVE to be HTML - As long as you followed the basic formatting techniques then it will be easy to do and look great.

    I know this from experience, I have published many books, most using OpenOffice or Word and there is never an issue with formatting.

    There are many ways to format a kindle book and no way is the right way - it's how your book appears to readers that is the important thing
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  • Profile picture of the author thomasmathew100
    There are tools available to help you convert your eBook to Kindle format but you may also try DIY steps. Follow the following and it should work:
    · 1. Get your digital document ready for conversion to Kindle format and make sure that it will be easy for viewers to locate you online.
    · 2. Save the file in any of the Amazon manuscript accepted formats. It could be in HTML, Adobe PDF or MS Word.
    · 3. Open an account on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Click “Bookshelf” and “Add New Title”. Select the category and exact details of your book.
    · 4. Once you’re done, upload the file and set the price for your Kindle eBook.



    Just be patient and you will surely earn money with just lesser capital on your eBook.
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