How to create an e-book? In PDF, EXE, Word format

Many lovers of literature prefer to read books in electronic format. The author's online content market is also promising, where any person can become an author of an interesting, interesting people and a well-replicated work. In what formats can I issue and distribute e-books? What programs can I use to create the appropriate files?

Basic e-book formats

Before thinking about how to create an e- book, it is useful to study some theoretical aspects of solving this problem. For example, the choice of the optimal format, in which the literary work will be distributed. Electronic versions of books can be presented in the widest range of file standards.

Among the most common - DOC, FB2, PDF, as well as DJVU. In some cases, publishers prefer to select an executable format for an e-book file , such as EXE. Its advantage is that no additional programs are needed to open the document. However, EXE files are rarely supported by mobile devices and electronic "readers," they are mostly designed to run in Windows, at the extreme - in Linux, where the corresponding emulator runs or a virtual machine is loaded.

Conversion

Note that in some cases it is possible to convert between different formats of electronic books. For example, you can do this if you are talking about PDF and DOC files. By using the online or offline PDF-DOC converter, the user is able to reformat the document from one format to another. A practical need for this can arise if, for example, there is no program at hand that can open PDF files.

Many users are interested not only in what kinds of software you can open the required file, but how to create it in a format such as an e-book. The program for this can be used very simple in structure and easy to learn. At the same time, there are universal solutions, there are specialized solutions.

We will study how to create an e-book in PDF, EXE and DOC formats. According to many IT professionals, working with these file standards does not involve the use of complex programs and special training.

Creating e-books in PDF format

Let's start with the PDF format. Its advantage is universality. Programs that can open the PDF format are available for both computer owners and owners of mobile devices. It often happens that to run e-books, which are made in the appropriate standard, a browser is sufficient - provided that the necessary plug-ins are installed in it. Another significant advantage of this format, in which electronic books can be put: PDF files are convenient for structuring, formatting, placing in them various images and graphic elements.

Required Software

In order to get started, you need to get a PDF editor. Among the most popular and convenient programs of this type are PDFFactory. It belongs to the category of shareware. The freely distributable version has all the basic functions, but at the bottom of the pages of the books there will be a link to the company-developer of this software. But it can be removed if you use the commercial version of the program. One way or another, many IT professionals recommend this solution because of its convenience and functionality.

Before working with the PDFFactory program, you must, of course, write a book. In all likelihood, its author will use one of the most common text editors, probably Word. After the text of the book is ready, use the elements of the Word interface, you need to format it - you need to put chapters, lists, insert images, etc. It is desirable to arrange the content with links to certain parts of the book, otherwise it will be inconvenient to read the work.

You will need to install the PDFFactory program. Its peculiarity is that it is registered in the Windows registry as a virtual printer. What does it mean? After opening the book file in Word, you can select the "File" menu item, then "Print", then select PDFFactory as the device. This will transfer the file with a literary work to the interface of the corresponding program.

If necessary, you can format the book items using the PDFFactory interface elements. If all components of the book are displayed correctly, you can save it in a separate file using the corresponding menu item. After that, the book can be distributed through the channels chosen by its author. It can be, for example, placing in the catalog of an online store.

All actions - in one program

Note that some text editors have built-in modules for saving files in PDF format. To such, in particular, is the program Open Office. Among its other advantages - free. With Open Office, you can actually write a book and format its elements, and then save it in PDF format. Many authors are impressed by this mechanism.

How to create an e-book in PDF format, we now know. We will now study the specifics of working with another standard - EXE.

Creating e-books in EXE format

This format allows you to easily open a book without additional programs, if the work is in Windows, and also implement in the document a convenient navigation system that allows to increase the comfort of reading a literary work. The methodology for creating e-books in EXE format in some cases is similar to the layout of websites. Actually, as the language of text formatting in this case, HTML is often used.

Advantages

An e-book in EXE format usually involves creating a separate cover, as well as a page with a table of contents, which will contain links to various sections of the literary work. At the preparation stage of the document, they can be HTML pages that can be edited if necessary. After work with each of them is completed, it is necessary to compile the data and form a single EXE file on their basis. How can these procedures be carried out? How to make a book in electronic format, presented in the form of an EXE file, is the easiest?

EXE format: optimal software

Among the most convenient programs for solving this problem is sBookBuilder. It's quite easy to work with it. This program assumes that the EXE file is compiled on the basis of HTML documents. Therefore, as an auxiliary software, an HTML editor must be used. In principle, Word or Open Office can be used as such. There are also specialized programs for solving this problem, such as Dreamweaver. The author of the book can choose the one that he likes best.

Regardless of the program that is used by the creator of the literary work, you need to make an e-book table of contents - it can be called index.html. The rest of the pages are at the discretion of the user. For example, Page1.html, Page2.html, etc. Thus between pages can be created links - in that structure which will be defined by the author as the most optimum. For example, at the end of the Page1.html page you can put the word "Flip" with a link to Page2.html. On it, in turn, arrange the text "Return back" or other that will be determined by the user. The index.html should contain links to each of the pages with titles of chapters or sections. All HTML files should be placed in a shared folder.

Once the book-site is ready, you can run a program that will help you compile a literary work and generate an EXE file. We agree that this is sBookBuilder. There are very few options in the interface of the program. Among those that we may need:

- Search Folder is a folder with HTML files.

- Select Homepage is the index.html file.

- Enter Title is the name of the book.

- Enter Password - if necessary, using this option, you can set a password for reading a literary work.

- Create E-book - command to create an EXE-file with a book.

Actually, this is the algorithm for creating electronic literary works in EXE format. The resulting file can also be distributed through channels selected by the author. True, you need to keep in mind that EXE files are fairly easily infected with viruses. Therefore, you should select resources where the probability of file contact with malicious objects will be minimized.

Let's study now how to create an e-book in DOC format.

Create an e-book in DOC format

DOC files are the basic ones that are used when formatting documents using common text editors, such as Word. Therefore, the creation of an electronic book in the corresponding format, in fact, will not differ from the process of working with a familiar text file with formatting elements - tables, lists, images. The only thing that is recommended for authors of literary works, who decided to distribute the book as DOC files, is to save them in the 2003 version. This guarantees the opening of relevant documents in any of the modern editors. In turn, DOC files in the new format are not always correctly read in Word of earlier versions.

Which format is better?

So, now we know how to make an e-book on the computer. We studied three common file formats in which you can save literary works and then replicate. But which one is better?

This question is difficult to answer objectively. Many experts believe that it does not matter in which format the literary work is distributed: if it becomes a hit, then it will be sold in the form of any files. There is, however, an opinion that it is undesirable to over-simplify the interaction with readers, for example creating e-books in TXT format, which includes the most elementary ways of text structuring, although this practice is very common.

Target audience factor

The main criterion, which experts recommend to follow the authors when choosing the optimal format for replicating works, is the target audience. If they are technical specialists who are accustomed to using traditional devices - PCs, laptops, then it may be more comfortable for them to read information from files historically adapted to the corresponding devices, namely DOC. If the target audience is young people, then it is likely that access to electronic literature in this case will often be carried out to mobile gadgets, "readers". Then the optimal format is PDF, which opens without any problems either on a PC, or on a tablet or smartphone. For replicating exclusive copies of books or gift versions, the EXE format is quite suitable due to the interactivity that can be realized in files of the appropriate type.

Unification of standards

According to many experts, the desire of manufacturers of devices for reading files and authors of texts to standardize standards, erase the boundaries between them, is becoming noticeable in the online content market. What does it mean? Authors of electronic literature stop to think about how to create an electronic book in the format FB2, DOC, PDF, EXE or any other. They independently or through the intermediary of publishing establishments that promote them in the circulation of books, release their masterpieces in several formats at once or in one that can be easily translated into another using the most accessible tools. Such as, for example, the PDF-DOC converter.

A significant increase in the demand of modern readers for the electronic format of literature predetermines the desire of users to increase their knowledge in the field of file specifications. So, a fan of reading books in "virtual" standards, having at least basic skills in the possession of the corresponding software, without problems if necessary, will be able to convert one document to another. In principle, he may well even know how to create an e-book himself. Many have practical experience in solving similar problems. Therefore, the choice of the optimal file standard for modern authors is not the most difficult part of this kind of professional activity or hobby, as the creation and replication of literature in electronic formats.