InDesign • How to Convert a Print Book into an eBook

Рет қаралды 54,796

Күн бұрын

In this video, I explain my start-to-finish process for converting an InDesign Print Book file into an Ebook file. We utilize Kindle Previewer and Pagina Epub Checker during the process. Here are some questions we answer here:
How can I preview my epub on my computer? How do I keep my chapters separated in my ebook? Why isn't this style working in my ebook? Why are my pictures so small in my ebook? Why can't I see the Table of Contents in my Ebook? Why isn't the metadata date working in my ebook?
0:00 - Intro
01:40 - Open All Book Files at Once
02:04 - Test Export to Epub
02:26 - Fixed Layout vs. Reflowable
03:18 - Using Kindle Previewer to View Ebook
05:58 - Using "Split Document" Style to Create Page Breaks
08:21 - Assigning the Master Style Document
09:20 - Export Settings for Split Document
11:52 - 3 Things to Remember for Proper Split Text
12:19 - Anchoring images so they Stay in Place
14:33 - Making Links Live in an Ebook
15:03 - Using an Image for the Cover Page
17:02 - Making Your Ebook Images Larger
18:16 - What if the Chapters on the Table of Contents Sidebar Aren't Displaying Correctly?
21:03 - How to Validate an Epub with Pagina Epub Checker
22:22 - How to Add Proper Metadata to Your Ebook in InDesign
23:30 - Why Doesn't the Date Work in My Ebook Metadata?
Visit our website:
BeckysGraphicDesign.com

Пікірлер: 183

@cahartmanphoto 2 жыл бұрын

You are an angel. I designed books 15+ years ago and have done very few in between then and now (and never an ebook). I was so lost after researching how to do it correctly. Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

@manablooded Жыл бұрын

Awesome tutorial! I've done several children's book epub conversions but never a chapter book. This was super helpful and saved me a ton of time!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Wonderful!

@jenniferrosadoauthor 2 жыл бұрын

Oh my goodness I was completely stuck on how to do this. Your walk through was super helpful. It certainly changed the way I will be setting up my Indesign projects going forward. Thank you.

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@cralston800 Жыл бұрын

So far adding the split style spaces into the document is working with making it look much better. Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Excellent!

@erwachtewelt Жыл бұрын

I want to thank you again Kayla for your absolutely amazing content - you helped me and for sure thousand others SO MUCH!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

You are so welcome! Happy to help!

@anthonyaird 10 ай бұрын

Great tutorial. Thank you. I especially love the book cover design!

@Syntheonline 2 жыл бұрын

Oh my goodness! What an excellent tutorial. Thank you.

@leedickinson1752 Ай бұрын

Brilliant. Thank you. So helpful. Explaining things simply isn't easy, but you've made it look as if it is.

@beckysgraphicdesign Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@noelmayeske2480 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic job - you explained it very well, and with more helpful details than other videos I've seen. Thank you so much!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@susanyoungquist7309 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent tutorial. Thank you!

@paulanerus Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. I've been trying to learn how to export Ebooks for quite a while and this easy tutorial has been very helpful. And your pineapple shirt is great by the way! 🙂

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

You're welcome! And thanks, haha. I love my pineapple shirt.

@WMAkers Жыл бұрын

This video was extremely helpful! So many tutorial videos only show what to do when everything goes right...very useful to see what to do when you export it and everything looks all wrong! Also, hello from a fellow Nashvillian!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Yes! I prefer to show the problem AND THEN the solution, cause that's what people are looking to fix. -And wow, hello from Mount Juliet! So cool!!

@AuthorShelbyMcCraley 2 жыл бұрын

This tutorial was so helpful! Thank you so much for sharing and keeping it simple :)

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

You're so welcome!

@ronaldl9085 Жыл бұрын

Super video. I learned tons! Made my first proper working ebook thanks to you.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Nice work!

@rimivian 4 ай бұрын

Thank you very much, Becky's Graphic Design! This video is a big help for me! Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign 4 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@gatosilimitados 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this is wonderful!

@lonnb5242 Жыл бұрын

Great lesson! thank you so much. You really explained this well. I was able to have a finished epub without issues. Thanks

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Great job!

@user-zl4ns3et3o Жыл бұрын

Hey, Becky. You have given the brilliant information for exporting the digital conversion from InDesign. Keep it up...... 😄😄😄

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@SerenaTravis Жыл бұрын

This was extremely helpful! I love the thorough explanation.😀

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad!

@childrensbooksoutthere4695 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so so much! This is extremely helpful. : )

@mosarrofhossain4443 2 жыл бұрын

One of the best video for ebook which I was looking for. Thank you

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad it was useful.

@bee333wasp 16 күн бұрын

Really good information, thank you.

@beckysgraphicdesign 16 күн бұрын

Our pleasure!

@kaitlea403 Жыл бұрын

THANK YOU!!! I was struggling so hard with this!!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

So glad you figured it out!!

@mtm7031 2 жыл бұрын

thank you so much very helpful video

@alfonsos-q4634 6 ай бұрын

first layout vid that is acutally helpful, thanks

@beckysgraphicdesign 6 ай бұрын

Glad to hear that!

@emne255 Жыл бұрын

This was so helpful! Thank you so much!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

You're so welcome!

@techytalksvlog 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Becky, I have been an ebook formatter since 2011, but I use another alternative to create an epub. And now my client wants me to convert it from Indesign, thankfully by watching your video, it really helps. I hope I can have a copy of your sample file, so I can also check please? :)

@techgalaxy100 2 жыл бұрын

Very helpful video mam. Thanks so much.

@zenlokamaya 10 ай бұрын

Great content. Your tutorial is very helpful.

@beckysgraphicdesign 10 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@polina_nomad Жыл бұрын

Really useful tips! Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@brunosimini5061 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, this was really helpful!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Very good!

@maciejharabasz9840 6 ай бұрын

Great material, form me splitting documents and anchoring objects were especially valuable.

@beckysgraphicdesign 6 ай бұрын

Great!

@elzo_smid 7 ай бұрын

Thank you, very helpful, especially 22:22 meta data info

@beckysgraphicdesign 7 ай бұрын

Very welcome!

@cenecirojason Жыл бұрын

Very thank you!!! Your tutorial is Amazing!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Glad you like it!

@roncablagalag816 2 жыл бұрын

Great! Very Helpful :) 5 star

@RegnaSaturna 10 ай бұрын

I'm a writer. But you're a writer AND an Indesign expert.

@cookiesupervisor1102 2 жыл бұрын

very helpful. thanks a lot!

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@xphoenixrising 11 ай бұрын

thanks so much for this! I was having issues saving my print files as ebooks and couldn't figure out what my issue was. Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign 11 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@PieterHanja 2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@ralphnusser9426 2 жыл бұрын

I am rating your KZfaq tutorial and your homepage with a "10" out of ten.

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Ralph!

@tawhidahmad Жыл бұрын

Thanks.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

You're welcome.

@jdosses 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video, you have some nice tricks. I think your ebook's TOC shows incomplete the first time because you deleted the TOC (you didn't want it to show). Usually with the TOC, even if doesn't show up in the epub as it does in the print version, it's used to maintain the structure and navigation. You can hide it in the Articles panel but select it in the Export Options under Navigation TOC - TOC Style so the structure remains.

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

In this ebook conversion, I am creating navigation via file structure since I am using InDesign's book function. But yes, when I have single-document books, I do utilize the TOC style option. 👍

@jdosses 2 жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign I just said it because the re adding the chapters seems like an extra odd process.

@gilamelamed4249 6 ай бұрын

Well done, Kayla! The best explanation video I found. Thank you! A small question what is the size of the documents you are working with, and what are the margins?

@beckysgraphicdesign 6 ай бұрын

This book is a 6 x 9. You want a bigger interior margin, probably around 0.75 inches for a book this size. The rest should fall around 0.5, depending on where you have your runningheaders and page numbers.

@TheCaticarueda 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Becky! Thanks for the video :) why do you create a split style instead of inserting a page break or a frame break?

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

When viewing an ebook on an E-reader or Kindle device, it will simply skip over page breaks, carriage returns, and other white space it deems "irrelevant." Thus, all your text will become crammed together without any space between. The only way to alleviate this-Split Style!

@Beto-StickingToDrums Жыл бұрын

Thanks! It's been really helpful, one of the best videos on the subject. I need to make my images huge in InDesign so that they appear ok in the epub, is this normal? Otherwise they look tiny...

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Sometimes, yes, that can affect the way the images appear. Also, check out my tips in this video that may allow you to skip that workaround: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nNmAZ5aT2rG7mJs.html

@kelpham9652 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Becky, thank you for the video! I have a question, when I create the Split Styles for my Chapter title, it works! However, instead of only breaking from the previous chapter, it also breaks from the chapter body underneath. For instance, the page before is the previous chapter, the current page is the chapter title, and the next page is its body text. Like the chapter title is standing alone in a page, which I don't want that. I just want the whole next chapter separated from the previous chapter, not the chapter title separates itself from the previous page and its content. I wonder if I did something wrong in the paragraph styles or export setting. I hope that makes sense, thank you.

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

First, check the style for the body text. See if it is "based on Chapter Title." If that is the case, it will be pulling that Split Style from it. Instead, make it based on no paragraph style. Additionally, double-check that the little box in the .epub export settings tab is unchecked for your Body style.

@nhsomnd4815 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for this. Question, does this convert for Kindle and KDP?

@beckysgraphicdesign 4 ай бұрын

Yes, using these methods, you can create a reflowable .epub file, which you can upload to Amazon.

@PostyshevsBureau Жыл бұрын

Невероятное спасибо - из России.

@tsukiila 2 жыл бұрын

Hello! I wanted to ask if there is a way to avoid losing the blank paragraph between two paragraphs. If i just press enter to separate two paragraph that "P" is going to be not exported in the epub because it is empty (no text) and I have to add it manually in the html. But if i apply the space at the paragraph style, it affects all the paragraph text, also maybe a dialogue where I don't need space between the sentences. Does it make sense?

@tsukiila 2 жыл бұрын

i reply myself to this since I found a solution: i gave the first line of a paragraph a copy of the same paragraph style with 5mm of space on the upper side, so it creates the space between two paragraph.

@Fahad-xl9qf Жыл бұрын

Hi Kayla, I have created the Epub following your steps but I am facing an issue when changing the fonts in Kindle Previewer. I am using two fonts for my ebook i.e. Arial for headings and Times New Roman for body. When viewing this book in Kindle previewer, I have noticed that I cannot change the Arial font wherever it is used throughout the document. Only Times New Roman is getting changed when selecting different fonts. In another instance, I have noticed that both Arial and Times New Roman is not changing. Can you please guide what could be the issue?

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

It depends on the viewing device. Say, you're using a Kindle from 2005. It's probably only going to have 5 fonts on it, and it can only choose from those. So it's going to use its best guess and use the one sans-serif font it has (which is probably not Arial). Now, a newer device will indeed have Arial installed and will use it.

@abgrunder 10 ай бұрын

Hi Becky, I have just begun learning Indesign. My goal is to learn how to create decent ebook and paperback. May I ask one quick question? Is it more common to create paperback first and then create ebook based off of it? Or is it the other way around? I have one book ready to publish in paperback (used Affinity publisher for this) and another already published in ebook but not in paperback. Starting self-publishing, I just sort of assumed that it must be "first ebook, then paperback." That somehow looked more right. But now that I've seen this tutorial (I'll have to watch it many times over), maybe creating ebook from a print version can have many advantages? especially if you use Indesign? like keeping the elements of the interior (images and the like) intact? I used MS Word for the ebook I created, and though it looks good enough on Kindle Previewer, Word as an ebook-making tool is very limited. Any suggestions or comments will greatly be appreciated!

@beckysgraphicdesign 10 ай бұрын

Yes! I find that making the print version and THEN copying that file to use as a base for my eBook is VERY advantageous. I have never tried to take an eBook file and convert it into a print book, actually.

@FireflyNicole Жыл бұрын

I'm trying to insert an image as a scene break within chapters, and it looks fine in InDesign but when I import as reflowable epub the pic and following scene are on a new page when I want it to be seamless (just a little space with the image). Any tips on how I can do this?

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Oftentimes, anchoring the image into the text will have this effect. Try this method for a slightly better interaction with the text: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7x7ZLqinN3QoaM.html&lc=UgxtfOZa79XZdpYN-j94AaABAg

@sohailgondal9558 2 жыл бұрын

Please please share your 10 page's indesign template,,,

@GODofGAMING898 5 ай бұрын

Hi Becky. This tutorial was super helpful, however i just cant seem to export it correctly. The fonts and alignment do not stay the same and transparent.

@beckysgraphicdesign 5 ай бұрын

If it's a PICTURE of text, it will not stay transparent. Images of any kind will have a background. And in your Export settings, make sure you have CSS marked as "Relative to Text Flow." You'll also see an area where you can mark it as "centered," which often helps.

@Excellence478 9 ай бұрын

i have just a single indesign document, do I have to split it into their multiple chapter components like you have in order for this to work?

@beckysgraphicdesign 9 ай бұрын

Nope! This is one method. Recently, I've been preferring to keep everything together in one document, then use the TOC function to tell the eBook how to generate navigation. Here's one of my videos on TOCs: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aahpqLee0rSwlZ8.htmlsi=WgCuHnjY00efd-8W And this is a more recent eBook demonstration: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nNmAZ5aT2rG7mJs.htmlsi=KtktD_wPVDwT6Be0

@davidcalton321 2 жыл бұрын

Do you save each chapter as an indd in your epub folder? Looks like it. If so why, and how do you do that?

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

There are two ways to work with books-make a single long document that contains all the chapters OR utilize InDesign's Book function, which pulls individual chapter files together into a "book." I use both methods, depending on how complex the content is and if it's easy/hard to reflow it. (When I have a lot of anchored images that I don't want moving around, it's much easier to use the book function rather than having all the chapters in one .indd file.)

@cralston800 Жыл бұрын

I’ve been working on a poetry book with images and the boxes outside of them are appearing in the ebook. I did anchor them, so I’m not sure what it is. If I can’t figure it out I will just remove them and keep the ebook basic. The second problem I’ve had is that there are missing spaces in between my words. I’m not sure how to fix this. I think it could be how kindle is converting my file. I did originally export as a fixed format because of the artwork. Although I’ve never had a problem with this before, it is a problem now.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

What ARE the "spaces?" If they're an actual space character (hitting the spacebar), yes, those are automatically removed from an ebook, as well as double returns and other "unnecessary" whitespace. Now, you can go in and fanagle the code manually to get these things to work in a reflowable, but I would suggest watching my video on Kindle Create, where all you need to do is upload the original print PDF! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mMiGoLperZOtYKc.html

@HenryEIje 2 жыл бұрын

>>>well explained video, but is there a way to edit the pdf imported inro InDesign before exporting to ebook

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, there are some PDF editing softwares such as Adobe Acrobat, Foxit, and others.

@ellydeknikker6480 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Becky, thanks for putting this up. It helped me creating an ebook. There is one thing I could not solve. I have a very simple, little book. Just 17 pages (ipad format) in 1 file. But in between the chapters the numbering just goes from 1 to 6, from 6 to 12, 16 to 26 etc. I end up with a file of over 100 pages. I work with several text frames and have some page with just images. Are those a problem? Hope you know the answer. Thanks in advance for responding

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Are your page numbers contained in text frames on each page? I suggest using page numbers on the master/parent pages. Then, the ebook will naturally skip over the page number elements, which are not necessary in a reflowable ebook.

@ellydeknikker6480 2 жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign Hi Becky, no they are not. But is seems no problem, the odd pagenumbers only appear in the preview, in other devices they are gone. Thx for your quick respons.

@chrisflamme8272 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! I almost lost my nerves of converting a printbook into an ebook. I never did this before and the customer decided after the print version was done, that they also need the ebook. But what I still wonder is: when I create a book using the book function, do I always have to split all chapters? What if I decide to change the layout of the book, do I have to do that in all chapters individually or is that also synchronized? Many greetings from Germany :)

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

The purpose of splitting the chapters is so that a Table of Contents can be generated on the device side, but that isn't the only way to do it. You can also use the TOC style to generate the Table of Contents on the device side. (Meaning, the device will look for all instances of the "Chapter Header" paragraph style, or maybe "Section Title" [whatever you have assigned in your TOC] and then apply TOC navigation that way. You can choose between these two option in the Export settings on the first tab.

@chrisflamme8272 2 жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign Yes, thats what I usually work with, I mean with ToC. I am doing a lot of magazines but never splitted the chapters. I think for eBooks it makes the most sense, right?

@mysticshelleyann Жыл бұрын

This was very helpful-thank you! I have a question about making a separate folder for the eBook. I've tried following your example in the beginning of your video but the indb files stays linked no matter what I do. I have to make changes for an ebook (remove art/change bullets), and when I do that I loose everything I did for my Print book layout. I discovered that InDesign books (.indb) contain fixed paths to their associated InDesign documents. If you copy a book and its associated documents to a new location and then open the book in that new location, it still retains the original path to the associated files. This is what has been happening to me. Do you have a workaround for this? I'd appreciate anything you can tell me.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Yes, depending on how smart your computer is, sometimes copying the files will work, sometimes not. If no, simply make a brand new BLANK book document for the eBook and load in the copied ebook .indd files into it.

@mysticshelleyann Жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign This totally WORKED!! I'm doing the happy dance right now LOL Thank you very much!

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Excellent! Great job!!

@flashrash7194 2 жыл бұрын

When converting a print book to an ebook, don’t you have to resize the pages in indesign ? Is there an ideal ebook dimension? Thank you!

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

The dimension for a reflowable ebook is this-whatever device you're reading on! So no, don't worry about changing the dimensions. They won't stay the way you want them to anyway!

@Motivation_Master786 Жыл бұрын

Hi Beck'y, How to place full page images in epub and, can we place text on these full page images please help?

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Your image will never go all the way to the edges in a reflowable .epub, but if you make a fixed format .epub or a print replica with Kindle Create, you can achieve this.

@user-dy7ml6ky7u 7 ай бұрын

Hi Becky Having problems with chapter headings staying squished down to the body of text even with split style applied, am I missing something? Tried so many times.

@beckysgraphicdesign 7 ай бұрын

Meaning, you want vertical space in-between your chapter titles and the body? This can be done by adding "space above" or "space below" in your Paragraph Style. A "split style" creates a page break just before that line of code.

@user-dy7ml6ky7u 7 ай бұрын

Ah! Thankyou

@stephenwhitehead21 2 жыл бұрын

Every time I do the conversion to epub the result in the e-reader is that any centralised text (titles etc) ends up on the left margin. How can I prevent this please?

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

In your Export Settings, try this: Object Tab: Checkbox for "Preserve Appearance from Layout" HTML & CSS Tab: Checkbox for "Preserve Local Overrides"

@hannahcarpenter3584 11 ай бұрын

Your tutorials are AMAZING! My ebook has never looked so good HOWEVER my inline images have been stretched to the max, covering my entire kindle screen. It looks fantastic on every other device except my kindle. I checked, and max width is at 100% but somehow it’s done height as well, I just can’t find where to fix this. Any ideas?!

@beckysgraphicdesign 11 ай бұрын

Try adding the CSS properties of max-width:100%; Height: auto; Are you using SIgil to edit your code after the fact?

@hannahcarpenter3584 11 ай бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign I have sigil yes, I just don’t know in what line to put the code and what exactly to type.

@beckysgraphicdesign 11 ай бұрын

This video should give you some insight: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fNJdZpRmx5nck5c.htmlsi=VSCfsLJugtyD59G3 You'll want to find the style (div) for your inline images, then put this in the CSS: max-width:100%; Height: auto;

@hannahcarpenter3584 11 ай бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign I fixed it!! Turns out I had an object style applied lol. Got rid of that, now it all works. Thank you!

@starwissal213 2 жыл бұрын

thinks sister

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@arthurbaldwin2 6 ай бұрын

In your videos you're always talking about "InDesign" which I've never been rich enough to purchase! What I really want to know is how to create a very nice looking, ready to print ebook, from within Sigil from scratch! In other words, without purchasing anything extra, besides what is included with Sigil. Can you please assist me with this kind of education?

@beckysgraphicdesign 6 ай бұрын

I do not know much about hand-coding in Sigil, but some basic courses in HTML and CSS will let you know most of what you need!

@sohailgondal9558 2 жыл бұрын

Question,,,, page breaks needs on ebook how too do that,,, When I am creating a reflow able ebook then all text massup please help me

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Check out this part of the video for a better explanation: 05:58 - Using "Split Document" Style to Create Page Breaks In short, you need to create a "Split Document" style, apply it where you want the breaks, check the "Split Document" option when you export the .epub, and make sure that the "master" ebook file has that split style in it.

@sohailgondal9558 2 жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign thank you so much,,,

@sohailgondal9558 2 жыл бұрын

You are great my problem solved

@barbaraaponte3555 Жыл бұрын

Is it possible to explain how to do it from scratch? I've scanned the book with Lens already. So how do I transfer it to InDesign? Thank you.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

I haven't heard of Lens before! But it sounds interesting. Are you able to save a Word .doc or other text format from Lens and then place it into InDesign?

@tracymattox2023 9 ай бұрын

Awesome tutorial, however, you do skip over quite a bit in the saving process - for instance, I assume since I already uploaded my eBook cover to KDP, I would want to select none for a cover? What about all the other items given to you to select or not? Also, I don't have the Kindle viewer on my computer yet, and when I clicked on a window to download it, I got kicked out of the save feature to make my print file into an eBook. It might be nice to preference these things prior to converting for those of us fairly new to InDesign. I love what you have done, but it may be more beneficial, if you keep in mind there will be new users to InDesign who don't know everything you know. At least you have gotten me to a better point than I was prior but will have to see if I just messed everything up and have to start over - at least now I know what to do. Thank you.

@beckysgraphicdesign 9 ай бұрын

You will still want to upload the cover into the eBook file. It is contained within the .epub and is used in certain instances. The separate cover you uploaded to KDP is the "display" cover, or the image that shows the product. If you want your ebook to have a built-in cover when people (digitally) read it, you'll need to add it during export.

@tracymattox2023 9 ай бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign thank you for the clarification, I appreciate that. I watched the video all the way through, then went back and split each page only to discover my chapter 3 didn’t come through in the ebook so it looks as though I will get to go back through the whole process again unless I can somehow just add chapter 3 back in somehow?

@beckysgraphicdesign 9 ай бұрын

Is your Chapter 3 still in your Book document? If it got taken out, somehow, yes, you can simply re-add it.

@tracymattox2023 9 ай бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign you are awesome, I figured it out and got it taken care of. Is InDesign glitchy? I have been running into issues with it lately like not holding styles and then the missing chapter. I think I finally got it though and, thanks to you, my ebook as well! Your awesome!

@beckysgraphicdesign 8 ай бұрын

Great! Sometimes, I do find that InDesign is "glitchy," but the more I use it, I realize that it is set-up to add content with whatever style I have pre-selected. (example) All of my images kept loading in-in half! I realized it was because my cursor was pre-loaded with an FX style of "Gradient Feather." Once I got rid of that, the images came in normally again. The same can happen when loading text in. If your cursor is pre-loaded with the wrong paragraph or character style, it can unintentionally be applied to all incoming text. (IE, your cursor needs to be loaded with "Basic Paragraph" and None [character style])

@author-rdh Жыл бұрын

You've used individual files for your chapters, but I have all of my novel in a single file because I have 86 chapters. While most of your suggestions work, not all of them do. Grateful anyway.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Oh, yes, definitely. I would use the single-file set-up in that instance as well and make sure I had automated running headers and smart text reflow on hand!

@author-rdh Жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign Becky, my images are blowing up when I export to epub. Why?

@Thebushbrand 11 ай бұрын

I’m in Nashville TN as well.. I can’t figure out how to use indesign

@beckysgraphicdesign 11 ай бұрын

What are you trying to make with InDesign?

@Thebushbrand 11 ай бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign do you have a website or anything where I can reach out. I’ve completed writing and typing everything out just need help with formatting.

@beckysgraphicdesign 11 ай бұрын

BeckysGraphicDesign.com

@myronachtman4304 3 ай бұрын

APRIL 2024... When I have spaces in my InDesign document names (eg: Chapter 2), Pagina always reports errors and does not "certify" the ePub. So, I need to use an underscore or a dash to connect all my words in the original InDesign files (eg: Chapter-2). I'm surprised that you did not get the error messages that I see in Pagina. Perhaps something has changed since your video was made in 2020.

@beckysgraphicdesign 3 ай бұрын

Very likely. Stuff is changing A LOT in the self-publishing industry recently!

@subotaiKhan 2 жыл бұрын

You deleted your table of contents in the indesign file. how do you get a table of contents in your ebook and link them to the chapters?

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Oftentimes, I delete the TOC because the Kindle or E-reader will generate one based on the book's chapter files. However, if you need a TOC page in your book: 1. Open this panel: Window>Interactive>Hyperlinks 2. Insert your cursor in the text at the beginning of each chapter where you would like to place a "text anchor." 3. Open the "hamburger button" menu on the Hyperlinks panel. Click "New Hyperlink Destination." 4. Name the Text Anchor [(ex.) Chapter 1 Anchor] 5. Create a list of your chapter names. 6. Then, one at a time, highlight them and right-click to assign a hyperlink. Tell the hyperlink to go to the corresponding text anchor for each chapter. (You may be able to skip most of this process if you auto-generated Text Anchors with the original TOC.)

@prince-max4014 Жыл бұрын

Is this print book jpg format or you have converted them to digital text through ocr

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

These are the InDesign files that were used to create the print book for the first time, from scratch. See a video on from-scratch book creation here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pZx4oric06q6g4E.html

@prince-max4014 Жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign thankyou so much ...im learning

@alfonsos-q4634 6 ай бұрын

i Cant figure out why my image even though I cut the white spaces, put high resolution and everything, keeps appearing super small.

@beckysgraphicdesign 6 ай бұрын

Are you using ePub 3.0 rather than 2.0? How large is the actual image (in kilobytes)?

@alfonsos-q4634 5 ай бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign Hey! Im using ePub 3.0 and the image is 373 KB

@alfonsos-q4634 5 ай бұрын

I fixed it. When exporting, under object - size of CSS - relative to text flow

@buddy04 5 ай бұрын

Seems to be such a messy work to convert to epub, I never tried and thought it would be a clear cut way to get an epub file.

@beckysgraphicdesign 5 ай бұрын

Yeah, unfortunately, ePub files haven't really changed much since they were created decades ago. And InDesign isn't the BEST at exporting ePub files, but at least it gives you a base to start with. The absolute cleanest way to make an eBook would be to code it from scratch, but I'm not smart enough for that, lol!

@510tuber 6 ай бұрын

This really didn't help with formatting issues. I followed along with the previous lessons to create the book, but this doesn't help with the ebook screwing up the formatting of some pages. Like the chapters and the titles of the chapters being misplaced.

@beckysgraphicdesign 6 ай бұрын

I would guess that you have separate text boxes for the Chapter Titles? The eBook will read the WIDEST item on the page first, so make sure your text boxes are all the same width, or at least ordered widest to narrowest.

@asenaakb 2 жыл бұрын

Do we need to create each chapter seperately? Why can't we just create a file that contains all chapters?

@beckysgraphicdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Having the files separated makes for an easy way to generate the navigation on the ebook side. There are two ways to ensure there is an integrated TOC on the ebook side: 1. Separate the chapters by file and then select "File Name" under Navigation TOC in the Epub export settings. 2. Create, style, and save a TOC Style in Indesign. Then, that style will be selectable under Navigation TOC>Multi Level (TOC Style) in the export settings. If you don't do either of these, there won't be an easy way for users to navigate their Ebook (with the exception of Children's Books or other short works that don't need navigation. Thanks for the question!

@jackietreehorn6119 2 жыл бұрын

This video shows how to do it: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nNRdi66o2LjMc3k.html

@visaeryon Жыл бұрын

I want to do the opposite a printbook from a epub, is it possible?

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

Is that all you have-the .epub file? There are some online, free converters that will at least get you to a .doc format. Then, you could use Word or InDesign to format the text and make it into a pretty PDF.

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

convertio.co/epub-doc

@visaeryon Жыл бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign thanks

@beckysgraphicdesign Жыл бұрын

You are welcome!!

@LeeGraphics-313 21 күн бұрын

Actually I am really confused about the ebook creation.. I have seen people have to use html and CSS for creating ebook.. But here are someone also using InDesign for creating ebook.. So what's the difference between.. And this exported EPUB files from InDesign work for Kdp publishing.. Please let someone clear my confusion regarding this..

@beckysgraphicdesign 16 күн бұрын

You can certainly code an eBook from scratch, using any variable of tools, or by simply typing out the correct lines of code and assembling the files properly. By using InDesign, it gives us a pretty decent base to start with, generating the proper files, TOC, and CSS. Sure, it's not perfect, but far easier than hand-coding something!

@LeeGraphics-313 16 күн бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign Thank You so much for your response.. Btw, Can we use for Amazon Kindle publishing created ebook by InDesign..

@beckysgraphicdesign 15 күн бұрын

Yes, you can upload a reflowable InDesign eBook to KDP, as well as use Kindle Create (a PDF converter) to make eBooks on Amazon.

@LeeGraphics-313 15 күн бұрын

@@beckysgraphicdesign Thank You so much for your support.. Actually I'm expert in Adobe InDesign and mostly work for Print Books Design and editorials design.. Now I'm working as a freelancer.. So whoever clients comes most of the time they also ask for ebook version.. so there i got stuck.. So I was just started to learn creating ebooks using Adobe InDesign.. Btw, I have one more things in my mind... I mostly work on complex layout and Book design.. So Can I also used the fixed layout for Kindle publishing after exporting, checking in kindle previewer one by one page and fix the upcoming issues..