Thank you for everyone who attended my talk at Miami Design last night! Here's the description from the event: Ebooks are here to stay, with Kindle books now outselling hardcover and paperback combined at Amazon. ePub is quickly becoming the standard format for ebooks because of its similarities to XHTML and its support on popular devices. I discuss what exactly an ePub book is, the possibilities and limitations that come with the format, and some tools that make it easier to create your own ePub books.

1. Digital Publishing
with ePub
Kevin Zurawel
@kzurawel
arborwebsolutions.com

5. Digital Conversion
• Plain text (ASCII)

6. Digital Conversion
• Adobe .PDF

7. Digital Conversion
• Microsoft Reader
• .LIT

8. The Modern Era

9. ePub
• Developed September 2007 by IDPF
• Based on “Open eBook” (1999)
• Supports DRM

10. ePub
• “Reading Systems”:
• Windows / OS X / Linux
• Sony Reader / Nook / Kobo
• iOS / Android
• Web

11. Content Types

12. What’s Inside?

14. Tools

15. Sigil http://wr4.us/sigil

16. Calibre http://wr4.us/calibre

17. Alternatives

18. Project Time!

19. Convert a plain-text
book to ePub

20. Converting txt to ePub
•Download the text - Gutenberg
•Paste into Sigil
•Edit the book
•(optional)
Make conversions in Calibre

21. Project Gutenberg...

22. ...to Sigil...

23. Sigil Workflow
1. Paste in the text
2. Make chapter breaks where needed
3. Insert images
4. Edit TOC
5. Add anchor tags / links if needed
6. Apply custom CSS classes / styles

24. Editing in Sigil
{Editing Mode
(WYSIWYG,
Insert
Chapter
Break
Insert
Hybrid, Image
Code)

25. Chapter Breaks
•“Chunk” your ebook into multiple
XHTML files
•Faster loading and reflow
•MAKE CHAPTERS ALL THE TIME

26. Anchors
• <a name=”ch3” id=”ch3”></a>
• Later...
• <a href=”#ch3”>Go to chapter 3</a>

27. Custom CSS
•ePub 2 (current spec) uses
a subset of CSS 2
•ePub 3 will integrate
HTML5 / CSS3

28. A subset of CSS 2?

29. It’s not so bad.

30. It’s not so bad.
(ePub reader software isn’t
good enough anyway)

31. CSS 2 for ePub
• margin • color
• padding • line-height
• border • font-size
• display • font-weight
• float / clear • text-align
• width / height • text-indent

32. Things to Do with CSS 2
•Drop caps / small caps
•Blockquote / poetry styling
•Chapter headings
•Inline images
•Fleurons

33. Bulletproofing!

34. Converting with Calibre
• Add your new ePub to Calibre’s library
• Convert to Kindle / Sony Reader / PDF / etc.
• ???
• Profit!

35. Helpful Websites

36. http://wr4.us/3pr

37. ePub Zen Garden
http://wr4.us/ezen

38. http://wr4.us/eptools

39. http://wr4.us/ade

40. EPUB3

41. Go make some books!
Kevin Zurawel
@kzurawel
arborwebsolutions.com