Sometimes, it’s nice to control the page layout and make content “fit” on a page. It was quick and convenient for me to make.Here are a few features that I like about the version I created with the Kindle Textbook Creator (shown above): This makes it easier for the reader to find the answer key in the eBook (and I also added each chapter’s answer key to the active table of contents).Īfter creating both versions of the eTextbook, I decided to publish the reflowable version.Ībove, you can see two sample pages of the preview of the KPF file shown in the Kindle Textbook Creator. I also moved the answers to the end of each chapter instead of putting them all at the back of the book. I converted my Word document into a reflowable eBook using the same methods described in my Word to Kindle Formatting Magic book (to be published later in February, 2018, hopefully).I ran my print-ready PDF through Amazon’s free Kindle Textbook Creator.I formatted this book two different ways: This definitely qualifies as a richly formatted textbook. There are several equations that wouldn’t format well in Kindle without turning them into pictures.Įvery chapter ends with a set of practice exercises.Īt the back of the print edition is an answer key with the answer to every problem plus intermediate steps, hints, and explanations. My most recent math workbook, Fractions Essentials Workbook with Answers, includes 20 chapters and 256 pages.Įach chapter begins with a concise review of essential concepts and fully-solved examples with explanations. In my first example, I will compare options 1 and 3. Plus, a richly formatted textbook presents more formatting challenges: If you don’t navigate the reflowable Kindle design challenges well (including bullet points, equations, callouts, sidebars, multiple columns, tables, figures, and page layout), any formatting mistakes can make the result worse than what you would get with the Kindle Textbook Creator.ĮXAMPLE 1: REFLOWABLE VS. The main reason that eTextbooks are often formatted as fixed-format rather than reflowable format is that it’s much more convenient to run a PDF through the Kindle Textbook Creator than it is to reformat a textbook as a reflowable eBook. If it’s formatted well, this can make for the optimal reading experience. All novels and text-heavy nonfiction books are reflowable eBooks, meaning that the customer can adjust the font size, font style, and line spacing. The few exceptions include fully illustrated children’s books, comic books, and richly formatted eTextbooks. Also, if you have images that include text, see if it may be viable to make the text larger in those images. If the text is large enough, customers may be able to read your eTextbook on more devices without using pinch-and-zoom. If it’s viable, you can consider significantly increasing the font size and reformatting the pages to accommodate the change (as it will alter the page layout significantly). As a result, it makes the text slightly easier to read. Back in Word, you can set all of your page margins to zero, since that just wastes space on a Kindle device. The benefit is that it can improve the customer’s reading experience. Once you convince yourself that it’s worthwhile and get started, it isn’t that bad. This isn’t as convenient for the author, but it’s not too inconvenient, really. Modify your Word file and create a new PDF file optimized for the Kindle Textbook Creator.If the customer must pinch-and-zoom frequently to read the text, this will become tedious quickly. However, a book that looks good on paper and runs through the Kindle Textbook Creator is often inconvenient to read, especially on smaller screens, and the eTextbook won’t be available across all devices. This is by far the most convenient option for the author or publisher. Like magic, in a few moments you will have a KPF file that you can preview within the Kindle Textbook Creator and then upload to KDP. Simply run your PDF through Amazon’s free Kindle Textbook Creator. There are three viable ways to go about this: Let’s suppose that you wrote a textbook or workbook using Microsoft Word and have already formatted it as a print-ready PDF, and now you wish to convert it to an eTextbook for Kindle. Today’s article adds something new: I’m using my experience to compare three different methods of formatting a textbook or workbook as a Kindle eBook. I’ve published several workbooks and a few textbooks in both print and Kindle, and I’ve written a few detailed articles about using Amazon’s free Kindle Textbook Creator.
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