eBook Cheat Sheet

Just some of my Tomboy notes about publishing eBooks.

Ebook Formats

• ePub - this is an open standard - meaning nobody owns it
  • latest version is ePub3 which supports media overlays and audio/video
  • supported by Nook, Kobo, and reader apps like Stanza
• mobi - this is Amazon's format for the Kindle
  • this is replaced by KF8 for the newer devices
    • supports more multimedia options
    • roughly comparable to ePub2
    • not as robust as ePub3
  • why is my MOBI much bigger than my ePub?????
    • it's because MOBI aggregates alternate formats into this one file to account for different devices
    • this is OK - the size of your MOBI file will NOT be the size of the download - that will depend on what kind of device it's going to

Linux ePub Viewers

• Calibre
  apt-get install calibre

Windows ePub Viewers

• Calibre
• Adobe Digital Editions
• Amazon Kindle Previewer

Creating a MOBI from an ePub

• Use Amazon's free KindleGen app

Getting an eBook onto a Device

• Using Calibre
  • supports ePubs
  • install Calibre
  • run the 'Share' server - specify the port it will run on
  • from device, load the Stanza app
  • configure host:port as a server in Stanza

• Using Amazon Kindle App
  • supports MOBI
  • Sign into Amazon, access Kindle Store (search bar)
  • access Manage My Devices (top), then Devices (left)
  • set up Personal Documents with a mail-to email address
  • email the MOBI using the email address
  • push to your device when doc appears under Personal Documents

Should I use DRM?

• This only seems to cause trouble - and a barrier to sales!!
• At this point, it is far easier just to download your book than to steal it - it's not worth trying to copy your book for the 3 or 4 bucks it would cost - unless you are a teenage hacker