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Digitized documents have a number of advantages over paper documents. They are easy to store, share and remain safe. Therefore, eBooks are being used widely across all industries. Business firms require eBooks for brochures, user manuals and other purposes. While dealing with eBook file conversion, you need to be take care of certain aspects to eliminate all the hassles from the process.
Here are twenty eBook conversion tips you should know when you convert your eBook.
Keep it simple: Simple eBooks are easy to read. They must be reflowable, where the readers are able to choose their font and its size according to their preference. Make sure not to choose a fancy font that will be difficult to be displayed on different screens. Standard fonts like Times New Roman or Arial are safe to use. For chapter headings, use a font size of 16 or 18. Texts should be generally in black, over a white background. Spacing should not be more than 1.5 between the lines.
Eliminate double spaces: At times, when you happen to put double spaces between two consecutive words, they join and the spaces between the words get deleted. In Word Document, you can detect all double spaces by running ‘Find’ and it will help you to convert the double spaces to single one.
Avoid using the tab key: Tabs are not compatible with Conversion software, so do not use them.
In case you need indented paragraphs, you can go to ‘Styles’ panel and set them.
Set block paragraphs:For every chapter in the book, you need to incorporate block paragraphs. To avoid manual tweaking, you can use the ‘Styles’ option.
Usage of‘Styles’ function: This function is often overused or misused by the publishers. Some people use more than a hundred styles, but that is not the way when you are doing book conversion to eBook. You can set up your desired style in templates and avoid formatting all the details of the document.
Removal of spaces form end of paragraphs: A majority of people use a space at the end of paragraphs. This is somewhat automatic in nature. However, you need to remove these extra spaces while editing.
Avoid paragraph breaks and superfluous lines: Before finalizing the document, check out for unwanted line breaks and paragraph breaks.
Incorporate non-breaking spaces before ellipses: The ellipses need to be in continuity with the text just before them. Use a non-breaking space between the ellipses and texts. This is also applicable for both types of dashes.
Avoid using asterisks and other symbols after every chapter: Using asterisks or other fancy signs at the end of every chapter or paragraph does not ensure a clean document. When you read it on an ebook reader, they scatter over the area. Instead, you can use a straight line to keep it simple.
Before every new chapter, use page breaks: You need to insert a page break after removing the extra paragraph breaks, if any. Avoid using the ‘Enter’ key repetitively to reach a new page.
Do not use a fashionable format: It is wise not to use a fashionable format in the document, especially when you are opting for fixed layout eBook conversion. In case you want to make the decorations elaborate, you need to ensure they are displayed properly in the devices.
Using alphabets that are Roman: For writing excerpts or quotations in fictions, it is recommended that you use Roman alphabets. Convert foreign words to and other text into Roman. Otherwise, it may not be supported and a series of boxes will appear on the screen.
The content should be left-justified: Screen readers are used by visually impaired people while reading eBooks. The text should be left-justified to assist these people in reading the book. Do not justify the full document. Huge gaps between the words may appear in some eBook readers.
Margins and sizes of page: It is wise to use the default margins, as large margins appear as big rectangles in centre of the page in eBook readers. Opt for a standard page size; this is what most of the companies offering eBook conversion services usually recommend.
Avoid including page headers, footers or numbers: The page number in a reflowable eBook changes according to the size of font chosen by the reader. Therefore, do not use headers, footers or page numbers here.
Dealing with graphics: In a reflowable eBook, readers may zoom in and out. In these cases, the tables may look distorted. Use a graphics program like InDesign to create visual elements like pie charts, tables and so on.
Do not wrap the images with texts:For better visual pleasure, place the texts above or below the images. Do not wrap texts around the images in the eBook.
Use RDB colour mode:You need to incorporate RGB colour mode in the documents. For CMYK files, convert them into RGB before you insert them in manuscript.
Using right specs for images:For JPG images, the ideal size is 600 ✕ 550 pixels. In case you can manage a 300 DPI, make sure that you use it.
Check the typography: Typographical check is not done by a typical digital conversion company offering conversion services. The responsibility lies with you and you should hire a proofreader for the purpose. An error-free document is much more credible than the ones full or errors.
Thus, you can ensure that the final eBook is free from errors. It should be easy to read and it should be supported by all devices from eBook readers to mobile gadgets. Hopefully, these tips will make eBook conversion a better experience for you. You can always opt for a professional assistance as eBook conversion rates normally doesn’t burn holes in your pockets.
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