Kindle Formatting
The Complete Guide to Formatting Books for the Amazon Kindle
by
Joshua Tallent
eBookArchitects.com
KindleFormatting.com
Kindle Formatting: The Complete Guide to Formatting Books for the Amazon Kindle by Joshua Tallent
Copyright © 2008-2009 by Joshua Tallent. All Rights Reserved.
Published by eBook Architects (www.eBookArchitects.com).
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4404-8888-7
While every effort has been made to be accurate, the author assumes no responsibility or liability for errors made in this book. To report errors, please send an e-mail to:
[email protected].
Amazon.com, Kindle, DTP, etc. are all registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. Mobipocket is a registered trademark of Mobipocket.com, an Amazon company. Microsoft Word is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This book is not written, published, or endorsed by Amazon.com or its affiliates.
Cover photo and interior shots of the Kindle were taken by Todd Hargis: www.pbase.com/todd991.
Cover photo shows a graph from The Deniers by Lawrence Solomon. Image Courtesy of Richard Vigilante Books,
http://richardvigilantebooks.com/.
For Lindsey
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. Getting Your Content into a Useable Format
Chapter 2. Formatting your book in Microsoft Word
Chapter 3. Introduction to HTML
Chapter 4. HTML Cleanup
Chapter 5. Formatting Your Book
Font Formatting
Bold and Italics
Underline
Big and Small
Superscript and Subscript
Strikethrough
Span Tags
Code and Other Mono-spaced Text
Paragraphs
Default Paragraph Formatting
A Note about Measurements
No-indent Paragraphs
Left-Aligned Paragraphs
Right-Aligned Paragraphs
Centered Paragraphs
Hanging Paragraphs
Poetry
Break Tags
Division Tags
Block Quotes
Lists
Definition Lists
Headings
Margins
Tables
Borders
Images
Dimensions
Colors
Resolution
File Type
File Size
Rotation
Handling Different Kinds of Images
Inserting Images
Anchor Tags
Special Links
Bookmark Links
Horizontal Rules
Comments
Page Breaks
Special Characters and Inserting Symbols
Foreign Languages
Non-breaking Spaces
Hyphenated Words
Special Combination Letters
Conclusion
Chapter 6. Formatting Examples
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Headings
Pull Quotes and Sidebars
Footnotes and Endnotes
Indexes
Chapter 7. Creating a Mobipocket eBook
Chapter 8. Previewing and Publishing
Conclusion and Formatting Services
Appendix A. Supported HTML and CSS
Appendix B. Regular Expressions
Appendix C. HTML Character Entities
Appendix D. Links and Contacts
Index of Kindle Secrets
Some unique info in this book you won’t find anywhere else
Formatting Poetry
Formatting an Outline
Dimensions of the Kindle screen area
Links to the built-in Kindle Store
Buy-Now links for Kindle books
Formatting Sidebars and Pull Quotes
DRM encryption for DTP-published books
List of Kindle-Supported HTML and CSS
Note about this Kindle edition
Because this book describes the formatting that is available on the Kindle, I have included a large number of images showing examples of that formatting. I thought seriously about replacing the images in this Kindle edition of the book with actual code so that you could see the examples on your Kindle screen. However, with the differences between Kindle 1 and Kindle 2, and with my desire to publish the same file for Mobipocket users, I decided against that option.
Also, the appendices at the back of this book are formatted with tables. As I mention in the section on tables in Chapter 5, that is usually a bad idea, but I decided the information was too complex to format in any other way and too large to make into screenshot images.
To remedy these problems and to make the book as user-friendly as possible, I have published it on the Kindle as a DRM-free, unlocked file. If you are reading it on a Kindle 2, your experience should be fine. If you are reading it on a Kindle 1, or if you just want to see the images better, you can copy the file to your computer and change the extension from .azw to .mobi. The file can then be opened in Mobipocket Reader, a free eBook software program for the PC.
Of course, the print version of this book does not have these difficulties, so please feel free to purchase a copy of it on CreateSpace (https://www.createspace.com/3362500) or on Amazon.
Preface
I started thinking about writing this book in late 2007 when I first began working with Kindle eBooks. I saw how so many authors and publishers were spinning their wheels trying publish their books on the Kindle, without knowing how to make that happen easily, if at all. As I started working more with the Kindle and figuring out its quirks, I began to realize that this book was desperately needed.
As with every book, this one was made possible as a result of the support and encouragement I have received from the wonderful people around me.
I would first like to thank my wife, Lindsey, for her unflagging support of me and of my work. Sweetheart, I would not be the man I am now without your love. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me.
My two sweet little girls deserve a ton of love and kisses. Thank you both for understanding the times when Abba had to work instead of play and for decorating my walls with beautiful reminders of your love.
Many thanks also go to my amazing friends, who have not only put up with my incessant talk about formatting Kindle books and my formatting business, but have also stepped in to help in so many ways.
Toby, I am constantly blessed by your friendship; thank you for your willingness to listen and to actually do some coding—and for helping me relax with video games. Wooloolooo!
Israel, your work on the formatting processes has been a great source of joy and relief to me, and your friendship is beyond measure.
Derek, your willing ear and balanced perspectives are of greater value to me than you might think. Thank you for being the friend that sets me straight and ensures that I am not jumping the gun.
I would also like to thank my brother, Richard, for his help testing the Kindle screen’s image abilities. He was able to easily f
igure out important information that had eluded me and many others for months.
Todd Hargis, a photographer here in Austin, took the beautiful photographs on the front cover and in the interior of this book. His flexibility and expertise were instrumental in the final product looking as great as it does. Please visit his website at www.pbase.com/todd991.
Lastly, I am grateful to my many KindleFormatting.com clients. Your willingness to support my work and give me access your own is how this book came into existence.
Joshua Tallent
Austin, Texas
March 2009
Introduction
Electronic books (eBooks) are the future of books and book reading. While I am convinced that paper books will never entirely disappear, the introduction of eBooks into the mass market is, in my opinion, an event on the same scale as the invention of the moveable type printing press.
At the center of the eBook revolution are the various eBook reading devices on the market today, and one of the most popular of those eBook devices is the Amazon Kindle. The Kindle is the first eBook reader to allow completely wireless purchasing and downloading of books without the need to use a computer. This innovation, coupled with the large and expanding number of books that Amazon has made available to Kindle owners, has fueled an intense change in perspective regarding the value and future of eBooks.
Amazon made another key decision with the creation of the Kindle. The company opened up the door for anyone to publish content via the Digital Text Platform (DTP). Independent authors and small publishers instantly had the ability to compete in a substantial portion of the eBook market with the big publishing houses, and they have jumped at that opportunity. The number of titles available in the Kindle store has grown steadily since the store first opened for business, doubling in the first year. Fiction and non-fiction, short and long, big publishers and first-time authors—all have a role in the eBook industry.
The problem is that most people don’t know how to create a well-formatted Kindle eBook. From the beginning, the DTP user forums were full of questions about how to get the formatting to look good, or how to fix a specific problem that just doesn’t seem to go away.
That is why I have written this book. As a professional eBook developer and the first eBook developer to offer Kindle-specific formatting services I have seen many authors and publishers struggle with the formatting in their books, never knowing exactly how to get the book to look right on the Kindle screen. This struggle is not without reason. The foundational Kindle file format is a stripped down version of HTML, the programming language used to create websites. Most authors and publishers are not familiar with HTML, and the Kindle’s specific implementation of it is not generally intuitive.
The Kindle format is actually the same format that is used in Mobipocket eBooks. Amazon purchased Mobipocket in March 2005, allowing the company to use a widely accepted format and import a large number of books for sale on the Kindle from the start. This has contributed greatly to the Kindle’s success, and it provides even better opportunities for authors and publishers to make their books available to a wide audience through the Mobipocket eBookBase.
Kindle 2 and Kindle on the iPhone
In February 2009, Amazon released an updated version of the Kindle eBook reader. The “Kindle 2” sports a more streamlined look and few nice tweaks under the hood. The formatting differences between the two devices will be discussed below.
In March 2009, Amazon released an iPhone application that allows Kindle users to read their eBooks on the iPhone, as well. The eBooks in the new app are similar in appearance to the Kindle, and the basic formatting described in this book will work fine in the app.
About this book
This is not a guide to marketing your book for the Kindle or Mobipocket; there are other more experienced publishers and self-publishing gurus who can assist you in that part of your process. The purpose of this book is to provide you with an easy-to-follow guide to converting your books into the Kindle format. In addition, this book is intended to be a resource for anyone who needs to know what HTML the Kindle supports, how to format problematic and special types of text, and other more advanced issues related to Kindle eBook formatting.
The chapters below cover how to get your book into a usable file type, how to clean up the code so that it is easier to format, and how to add formatting directly to the HTML code to see the best results in your final Kindle book. That is actually the most useful information in this book. In Chapters 5 and 6, I give detailed descriptions and examples of the formatting you can use on the Kindle, including some unique approaches to making the formatting match a print book. Then, Chapter 7 shows you how to make a Mobipocket book, which allows for some great little features in the Kindle 2.
Each section is written with the intention of being somewhat self-contained. You can use this book for reference only, or read it straight through and follow each step as you format your book. However, be sure to read a section entirely before doing anything, since I might give more information or alternate approaches further down the page.
Of course, there are always questions and issues that arise in the process of converting a print book into an eBook. If you need assistance, please feel free to visit my website or drop me a line at [email protected].
In addition to the resources in this book, I have created a set of downloadable files on my website, all of which will help you format your Kindle book. You can access those files at:
http://kindleformatting.com/book
I am also available to help you with a wide variety of eBook-related services. See a description of those services on page 137 or at my website.
Chapter 1
Getting Your Content into a Useable Format
The first step in creating a well-formatted Kindle book is to get your content into a file format you can use. Because Kindle books are all HTML behind the scenes, HTML is the best format to start and finish with. However, HTML editing and formatting can require a significant learning curve, especially if you are dealing with content that has a lot of specific formatting and layout requirements.
With that in mind, I will show you in Chapters 2 and 3 how to convert your book into a clean HTML file both by cleaning it up in Microsoft Word and by handling the HTML directly. To that end, the first step in your conversion process is to decide which of these two routes you will take. Then you will determine the best way to get the contents of your book into the chosen format.
Microsoft Word (a word processing program that is part of the Microsoft Office suite) is a well-known tool that is installed on millions of computers worldwide. There are other word processing programs available, such as Open Office and WordPerfect, and many of the instructions in Chapter 2 will apply to the output of those programs as well. However, due to the popularity of Word and the fact that it generates relatively clean and consistent HTML when used properly, the instructions below will be geared toward its use.
HTML is a programming language that creates visual formatting by the addition of “tags” around the text of the file. For instance, to make some text bold in HTML you would add ... tags around the text, like this:
some bolded text here
Which format you decide to use to cleanup your book is completely up to you. Word is easier for someone who is not familiar with HTML or coding in general, but HTML is usually faster to work with and more precise. Just remember that because the Kindle’s format is HTML-based, you will be making at least a few adjustments to your book in HTML regardless of whether you start with it or not.
Current Format
The file format your book is in right now will be a determining factor in how you decide to proceed. Some authors only have access to the final PDF file their publisher sent them after the book was laid out and formatted for publication. Other authors may be starting with a Word document, never having had their book published. Sometimes all an author has available is a plain text document with no
formatting, and other times, especially with out-of-print books, they only have a hardcopy. Publishers, on the other hand, often have the InDesign or Quark files used in preparing the book for publication. Each of these formats has the potential to be either a great help or a hindrance to the development of your eBook.
Let’s walk through the process of converting books in these various formats into HTML or Word, discussing the pros and cons of the conversion options available.
InDesign
Adobe’s InDesign software is quickly becoming the book layout product of choice by publishers everywhere. It is versatile and feature-rich, and has the ability to make a designer’s work much easier to do. It also includes a new feature that was not present in earlier editions of InDesign: Export to XHTML. What’s this? Another acronym? XHTML is HTML with additional rules applied to make it cleaner. Those rules end up being a great benefit if you decide to export the text this way.
The Cross-media Export option in InDesign CS3 gives you three options: XML, XHTML/Dreamweaver, and XHTML/Digital Editions. The XML export is likely to be completely useless since most designers do not build their books with XML tagging. The XHTML/Digital Editions option will create an ePub file, from which you can extract useable XHTML files. To do that, save the .epub file to your computer, change the extension to “.zip”, and open the file with your computer’s zip utility. In the OEBPS folder you will find a selection of XHTML files, as well as a CSS file. Extract these to a folder of your choosing and get to work. At some point, whether now or later, you will want to combine all of those XHTML files together into one big file, with the content in the right order. That order can be seen in the toc.ncx file, which appears in the OEBPS folder and which you can open in your text editor like an XHTML file.
You can also use the XHTML/Dreamweaver option. The name is misleading since you do not actually need Adobe’s Dreamweaver program to edit the output file, but the XHTML should be fairly clean despite that fact.
After you export the book with either XHTML option you will want to look at the code (see Chapter 3) to make sure that you still have all of your basic formatting like bold and italics, that all of your text is still present, and that your book is not messed up in any other way. If it is, you might have some luck changing the formatting of the InDesign file before attempting to export the book again, but you may also have to add in the missing content or styles by hand.
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