Is anyone willing to make an epub file for me?

annetpfeffer · Mar 14, 2013

My first two books I sent to a formatter, but this time around I wanted to do it differently. I was able to create a nice MOBI file easily using Calibre software. But, although it supposedly creates ePubs as well, I couldn't figure out how. And Calibre explicitly states it won't guarantee its ePub files.

I have a 63,000 word manuscript that I can send out in docx, pdf or html format. Is anyone willing and able to create an ePub file for me? I will be forever grateful and will pray for the bluebird of happiness to visit you!

Thank you.

NottiThistledore · Mar 15, 2013

If it's just a very simple standard manuscript conversion I can do it for you using Scrivener. I've found that it tends to convert quite well.

Others might have more sophisticated skills than I do, though!

Old Hack · Mar 15, 2013

Anne, I'm pretty sure that Merri has posted good instructions for this in her threads: you might like to track her information down.

Are you offering to pay for this help, or were you hoping to trade skills or maybe have it done for free? You might get more responses if you made that clearer.

Good luck!

Torgo · Mar 15, 2013

annetpfeffer said:
My first two books I sent to a formatter, but this time around I wanted to do it differently. I was able to create a nice MOBI file easily using Calibre software. But, although it supposedly creates ePubs as well, I couldn't figure out how. And Calibre explicitly states it won't guarantee its ePub files.

I have a 63,000 word manuscript that I can send out in docx, pdf or html format. Is anyone willing and able to create an ePub file for me? I will be forever grateful and will pray for the bluebird of happiness to visit you!

Thank you.

You really should be able to convert it in Calibre? Can't imagine why not.

annetpfeffer · Mar 15, 2013

Old Hack said:
Anne, I'm pretty sure that Merri has posted good instructions for this in her threads: you might like to track her information down.

Are you offering to pay for this help, or were you hoping to trade skills or maybe have it done for free? You might get more responses if you made that clearer.

Good luck!

Hi Old Hack! I thought about that issue quite hard. Underlying my request is the knowledge that, there are so many amazing techie people on this website who could make an epub file with their eyes closed and standing on their heads. And they could do it in literally less than two
minutes.

I've been trying to figure this out for two days. I thought someone might be willing to help me, because so many people on this website are generous with their knowledge. It takes far more time to write a post on AW than it does to make an epub file, at least for the kind of person I'm thinking about.

Would I owe this person? You bet. I'd help them out in a heartbeat. But I didn't know how to price something like this. I'll happily pay for the service, if someone wants to give me a amount. One person has kindly volunteered and I'll ask them what I can do or give in repayment.

annetpfeffer · Mar 15, 2013

Torgo said:
You really should be able to convert it in Calibre? Can't imagine why not.

If you can't imagine why not, then you are a person with technical ability and skill that vastly surpasses mine!

annetpfeffer · Mar 15, 2013

NottiThistledore said:
If it's just a very simple standard manuscript conversion I can do it for you using Scrivener. I've found that it tends to convert quite well.

Others might have more sophisticated skills than I do, though!

Thank you so much! I will contact you privately and I will be very happy to compensate you monetarily or through a beta read, or whatever!

merrihiatt · Mar 15, 2013

I used Calibre to convert my titles into epubs for the All Romance Ebook site.

OH is right, I believe I did mention it in my self-publishing thread.

Glad to see you already have someone interested in helping!

Al Stevens · Mar 15, 2013

Torgo said:
You really should be able to convert it in Calibre? Can't imagine why not.

The epubs that Calibre builds do not pass the epubvalidator at http://validator.idpf.org/, which needs to be passed (I am told) before Apple will approve the ebook for their catalog.

Some of the problem might be in the html that Word puts out. But, whatever it is, you need some html chops to fix it.

Anne, if you don't get this problem solved, send me a PM. I have a procedure I use that goes from just about any word processor document and builds a lean/mean epub that passes all the validators. I'll do the conversion for you gratis.

If folks are interested, I'll post the procedure over in the self-publishing forum. But you need to be a bit of a gear-head to use it without some hand-holding.

annetpfeffer · Mar 15, 2013

Al Stevens said:
The epubs that Calibre builds do not pass the epubvalidator at http://validator.idpf.org/, which needs to be passed (I am told) before Apple will approve the ebook for their catalog.

Some of the problem might be in the html that Word puts out. But, whatever it is, you need some html chops to fix it.

Anne, if you don't get this problem solved, send me a PM. I have a procedure I use that goes from just about any word processor document and builds a lean/mean epub that passes all the validators. I'll do the conversion for you gratis.

If folks are interested, I'll post the procedure over in the self-publishing forum. But you need to be a bit of a gear-head to use it without some hand-holding.

I finally did figure out the Calibre epub. Will it work on Nooks and other ereaders?

Katie Elle · Mar 16, 2013

The epubs that Calibre builds do not pass the epubvalidator at http://validator.idpf.org/, which needs to be passed (I am told) before Apple will approve the ebook for their catalog.

That depends on what you feed Calibre. The ones I produce out of Calibre pass that particular validator without a problem.

The real big pitfall I found with Calibre and epub validation is it bases the internal xhtml file names on the name of whatever file you feed it and if your filename has any spaces, it will fail validation.

Al Stevens · Mar 16, 2013

Katie Elle said:
That depends on what you feed Calibre. The ones I produce out of Calibre pass that particular validator without a problem.

What kind of files do you convert from in Calibre and what do you use to generate those files?

I.ve seen Word (2002 for Win) put some deprecated html in the files they export that find their way into the epub (even via Mobipocket Creator), and they flunk the validator.

You can upload .doc files to Draft2Digital, and they'll do all the conversions for you and manage submissions to Apple, KDP, Pubit (Nook) and Kobo. Even Createspace, although I wouldn't want an automatic computer-typeset print edition.

Al Stevens · Mar 16, 2013

annetpfeffer said:
I finally did figure out the Calibre epub. Will it work on Nooks and other ereaders?

I know it works on Nook and Kobo. It works on iPad too, but Apple won't list it unless it has a TOC and passes that check. According to the folks at Draft2Digital.

annetpfeffer · Mar 16, 2013

Thanks

Al Stevens said:
I know it works on Nook and Kobo. It works on iPad too, but Apple won't list it unless it has a TOC and passes that check. According to the folks at Draft2Digital.

Good, then my epub will work for my purposes. Thanks all!

Laer Carroll · Mar 23, 2013

Calibre is great at what it does. Creating epubs from Word isn’t one of them.

Instead I use Sigil to create an epub. It creates the toc.ncx file from the headers in each chapter. Then I submit it to Calibre for conversion to mobi.

The epub goes to Barnes & Noble. The mobi file goes to Amazon. All my books have gone this route.

http://code.google.com/p/sigil/
http://calibre-ebook.com/

Obiwanbeeohbee · Apr 9, 2013

Laer Carroll said:
Calibre is great at what it does. Creating epubs from Word isn’t one of them.

Instead I use Sigil to create an epub. It creates the toc.ncx file from the headers in each chapter. Then I submit it to Calibre for conversion to mobi.

The epub goes to Barnes & Noble. The mobi file goes to Amazon. All my books have gone this route.

http://code.google.com/p/sigil/
http://calibre-ebook.com/

This is how I do it now. I was using word an mobipocket to make my .mobis for Amazon. I'm trying to jump into Nook and iBooks. You should look at Al's gear head guide in this section. I knew a little about HTML beforehand, but never made the ePub connection.

Colleen Cowley · Apr 11, 2013

Al Stevens said:
If folks are interested, I'll post the procedure over in the self-publishing forum.

I'm interested. Thanks!

I've gone the Word to Sigil to Calibre route, but so far I've only tested out the resulting MOBI files. I have no idea if it's producing decent EPUB files. (I'm not selling them yet.)

Here's the guide I used, in case it's useful to anyone else: http://cameronchapman.com/ebook-formatting-the-easy-way.htm

aibrean · Apr 17, 2013

You could open the ePub with iBooks or Kindle (transfer to device or upload to your phone/tablet and open in Kindle app). That's how I tested mine.

Is anyone willing to make an epub file for me?

annetpfeffer

practical experience, FTW

NottiThistledore

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

annetpfeffer

practical experience, FTW

annetpfeffer

practical experience, FTW

annetpfeffer

practical experience, FTW

merrihiatt

Writing! Writing! Writing!

Al Stevens

annetpfeffer

practical experience, FTW

Katie Elle

Al Stevens

Al Stevens

annetpfeffer

practical experience, FTW

Laer Carroll

Aerospace engineer turned writer

Obiwanbeeohbee

figuring it all out

Colleen Cowley

aibrean

Author, Designer, Imaginative Being