9 Simple Components of Editing Your eBook.
9 Simple Components of Editing Your eBook
Writing is a process and a part of that process is making sure that you follow all required steps to becoming a successful author. One of the most important steps is to edit your eBook before publishing and distributing it for sale.
Consistency is the Key to Keeping Your Reader Happy!
If you jump all over the place in your eBook then it will only drive the reader mad. You need to be consistent with the size of font you use, the spacing and the chapter structure. Be aware of changing from various forms of English (USA, Australian etc). You also don't' want to change from “I” to “We” as you will confuse the reader as to who is actually writing the eBook. Is it you, or your company?
Use a Single Font for All Chapters.
You need to maintain consistency with the type and size font you use. You will lose that “professional” look if you jump around with varying font sizes, colours or types. The only exception is to use a different font for your titles so that they stand out more.
Chapter Location
Make sure you start a new chapter on a new page. This allows for the reader to clearly identify when they are finishing a chapter and when they are about to start a new one. This places more emphasis on each chapter.
Avoid Using “Drop Caps” or “Initial Caps” in eBooks
“Drop caps” or “initial caps” may be great for printed books but I would advise that you stay away from them for eBook. A “drop cap” is the first letter in a chapter that is very large that often spans 2-3 lines.
Avoid Using Headers and Footers in a Paid eBook
If you place headers and footers in your eBook they should be unobtrusive. I tend to stay away from footers in an eBook that I am selling as it can be very annoying for the reader.
If you are producing a special report or a “free” giveaway eBook then you may want to include a footer. In these type of products your goal may be to generate promotion via the giving away of a free product. Therefore, it is reasonable to add footers or advertising to your eBook.
Page Size for Perfection!
Make sure that every fits on to your page and be sure to check your eBook once it has been converted into various formats. For example; your page may appear as you had it on a word document, however, it may be altered when converted to a PDF or in ePub format. You may need to re-size it for different eBook formats.
Another key point is that you change the page structure of your eBook then you will need to make sure the page numbers still correspond to the contents page. With ePub and some eReaders, you do not want to put page numbers in your eBook at all.
Check Your Spelling and Grammar!
This is obviously a must. I have never been great at either, so I always have someone proof read my eBooks.
Check Your Links
If you are placing “hyperlinks” within your eBook make sure they work! You also need to think about future changes you may make to your website that will affect the links in your eBook. If you change the URL for a link then it will no longer work. Broken links in eBooks can be very frustrating to the reader.
Check the Flow of Your eBook
Make sure your chapters are in the correct order and that you don't jump around from one chapter to another. There needs to be structure and logic behind your chapters so that a reader can seamlessly flow from one chapter to another without having to constantly look back for key points.
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