Many literature buffs prefer to read books in electronic format. The market for authoring online content is also promising, where any person can become the author of a fascinating, interesting to people and well-replicated work. In what formats can e-books be released and distributed? What programs can I use to create the appropriate files?
Basic e-book formats
Before you think about how to create an e- book, it is useful to study some theoretical aspects of solving this problem. For example, choosing the optimal format in which the literary work will be distributed. Electronic versions of books can be presented in the widest range of file standards.
Among the most common are DOC, FB2, PDF, as well as DJVU. In some cases, publishers prefer to select an executable e-book file format such as EXE. Its advantage is that no additional programs are needed to open the document. However, EXE files are rarely supported by mobile devices and electronic readers, to a greater extent they are designed to run on Windows, in extreme cases Linux, where the corresponding emulator is running or the virtual machine is loaded.
Conversion
Note that in some cases it is possible to convert between different formats of electronic books. So, for example, this can be done when it comes to PDF and DOC files. Using the online or offline PDF-DOC converter, the user is able to reformat the document from one format to another. A practical need for this may arise if, for example, there is no program at hand that can open PDF files.
Many users are interested not only with what types of software they can open the required file, but with how to create it in such a format as an electronic book. The program for this can be used very simple in structure and easy to learn. Moreover, there are universal solutions, there are specialized ones.
Let's learn how to create an e-book in PDF, EXE and DOC formats. according to many IT experts, working with these file standards does not involve the use of complex programs and special training.
Create PDF ebooks
Let's start with the PDF format. Its advantage is versatility. Programs that can open the PDF format are available both for computer owners and for owners of mobile devices. It often happens that to launch e-books, which are laid out in the corresponding standard, a browser is enough - provided that the necessary plug-ins are installed in it. Another significant advantage of this format, in which electronic books can be made up: PDF files are conveniently structured, formatted, and placed in them various images and graphic elements.
Required Software
In order to get started, you need to get a PDF editor. Among the most popular and convenient programs of this type is PDFFactory. It belongs to the category of shareware. In the freely distributed version of it there are all the main functions, but at the bottom of the pages of the books there will be a link to the company that develops this software. But it can be removed if you use the commercial version of the program. One way or another, many IT experts recommend this solution because of its convenience and functionality.
Before working with PDFFactory, you must, of course, write a book. In all likelihood, its author will use one of the common text editors, probably Word. After the text of the book is ready, you should, using the elements of the Word interface, format it as necessary - put down chapters, lists, insert images, etc. It is advisable to arrange the content with links to certain parts of the book, otherwise it will be inconvenient to read the work.
You will need to install the PDFFactory program. Its feature is that it is registered in the Windows registry as a virtual printer. What does it mean? By opening the book file in Word, you can select the File menu item, then Print, and then select PDFFactory as the device. This will allow you to transfer the file with the literary work to the interface of the corresponding program.
If necessary, you can format book elements using the PDFFactory interface elements. If all components of the book are displayed correctly, then you can save it in a separate file using the corresponding menu item. After that, the book can be distributed through channels selected by its author. This may be, for example, placement in the catalog of an online store.
All actions in one program
Note that some text editors have built-in modules for saving files in PDF format. These include, in particular, the Open Office program. Among its other advantages - free of charge. Using Open Office, you can actually write a book and format its elements, and then save it in PDF format. Many authors are impressed by this particular mechanism.
How to create an e-book in PDF, we now know. We will now study the specifics of working with another standard - EXE.
Creating e-books in EXE format
The format under consideration allows us to provide ease of opening a book without additional programs if the work is done on Windows, as well as to implement a convenient navigation system in the document, which can increase the comfort of reading a literary work. The methodology for creating e-books in EXE format in some cases is similar to the layout of websites. Actually, HTML is often used as a text formatting language in this case.
Format Benefits
An e-book in EXE format usually involves the creation of a separate cover, as well as a page with a table of contents, which will contain links to certain sections of a literary work. At the stage of preparing the document, they can be HTML pages that can be edited if necessary. After the work with each of them is completed, it is necessary to compile the data and form a single EXE file on their basis. How can these procedures be carried out? How to make a book in electronic format, presented as an EXE file, the easiest way?
EXE format: optimal software
Among the most convenient programs for solving this problem is sBookBuilder. Working with her is quite simple. This program involves compiling an EXE file based on HTML documents. Therefore, an HTML editor should be used as auxiliary software. In principle, Word or Open Office can be used as such. There are specialized programs for solving this problem, such as Dreamweaver. The author of the book can choose the one he likes best.
Regardless of the program used by the creator of the literary work, it is necessary to create a table of contents for the electronic book - it can be called index.html. The remaining pages are at the discretion of the user. For example, Page1.html, Page2.html, etc. At the same time, links can be created between pages - in the structure that the author will determine as the most optimal. So, for example, at the end of the Page1.html page, you can place the word “Turn over” with a link to Page2.html. On it, in turn, place the text "Return back" or another that will be determined by the user. In index.html links to each of the pages with the names of chapters or sections should be placed . All HTML files should be placed in a shared folder.
As soon as the book-site is ready, you can run the program, with the help of which the literary work will be compiled and the EXE file will be generated. Let's agree that this is sBookBuilder. There are very few options in the program interface. Among those that we may need:
- Search Folder is a folder with HTML files.
- Select Homepage is the index.html file.
- Enter Title is the name of the book.
- Enter Password - if necessary, using this option, you can set a password for reading a literary work.
- Create E-book - a command to create an EXE file with a book.
Actually, this is the algorithm for creating electronic literary works in EXE format. The resulting file can also be distributed through channels selected by the author. True, you need to keep in mind that EXE files are quite easily infected by viruses. Therefore, you should choose resources where the likelihood of a file coming into contact with malicious objects will be minimized.
We’ll now learn how to create an e-book in DOC format.
Creating an e-book in DOC format
DOC files are the main ones that are used to format documents using common text editors such as Word. Therefore, the creation of an electronic book in an appropriate format, in fact, will not be any different from the process of working with a familiar text file with formatting elements - tables, lists, images. The only thing that authors of literary works who choose to distribute the book as DOC files are recommended to do is save them in the 2003 version. This ensures that the relevant documents are opened in any of the modern editors. In turn, DOC files in the new format are not always correctly read in Word earlier versions.
Which format is better?
So now we know how to make an e-book on a computer. We studied three common file formats in which you can save literary works and then replicate. But which one is better?
This question is difficult to answer objectively. Many experts believe that it does not matter in what format the literary work is distributed: if it becomes a hit, it will be sold in the form of any files. At the same time, there is an opinion that it is undesirable to oversimplify the interaction with readers by creating, for example, electronic books in TXT format, which includes the most elementary ways of structuring text, although this practice is very common.
Target Audience Factor
The main criterion by which experts recommend that the authors be guided in choosing the optimal format for the replication of works is the target audience. If these are technical experts, accustomed to using traditional devices - PCs, laptops, then it may be more convenient for them to read information from files historically adapted to the corresponding devices, namely DOC. If the target audience is young people, then probably access to electronic literature in this case will often be carried out to mobile gadgets, “readers”. Then the optimal format would be PDF, which opens without problems on a PC, or on a tablet or smartphone. For replicating exclusive copies of a book or gift versions, the EXE format is quite suitable due to the interactivity that can be implemented in files of the corresponding type.
Unification of standards
According to many experts, the desire of manufacturers of devices for reading files and text authors to unify standards and blur the boundaries between them becomes noticeable in the online content market. What does it mean? The authors of electronic literature stop thinking about how to create an electronic book in the format of FB2, DOC, PDF, EXE or any other. On their own or with the mediation of publishing institutions that assist them in the circulation of books, they release their masterpieces in several formats at once, or in one that can easily be transferred to another using the most affordable tools. Such as, for example, the PDF-DOC converter.
A significant increase in the demand of modern readers for the electronic format of literature predetermines the desire of users to increase their knowledge in the field of file specifications. So, a fan of reading books in “virtual” standards, having at least basic skills in owning the appropriate software, can easily convert one document to another if necessary. In principle, he may well even know how to create an e-book himself. Many have practical experience in solving such problems. Therefore, the question of choosing the optimal file standard for modern authors is not the most difficult in terms of this type of professional activity or hobby, such as the creation and duplication of literature in electronic formats.