Blogchatter Ebook 2021(updated): What to do to get ready?

Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS)

5 years ago

If May comes, can Blogchatter Ebook festival be far behind? That’s why I am sharing resources for getting your book ready. I was a Blogchatter Ebook mentor in the previous two seasons and this one too. I have compiled a list of tips, tools, resources that will help you get started getting your book together.

Tools you will need

MS word, Grammarly, Canva

Resources

Relevant pictures.

References

Blogchatter Ebook 2020: What to do to get ready?

The book cover

Why do you need Canva? It’s the most straightforward Graphic design tools for novices like you and me. Its drag and drop and makes it as easy as clicking and pulling. The Google app on the phone is user friendly and makes the design on the go possible. You will need to make an ebook cover, social media for your book, promo videos all brand coordinated with little trouble. Your book cover will help you stand out.

With Canva, you get access to the entire library of premium Ebook templates, pictures(both pixels and pixabay ), and resources if you sign up for the Pro account. After 30 days it’s your choice whether you want to continue with the free.

For the Blogchatter Ebook: What do you need?

For an ebook cover, you need the front cover-1410px by 2250 px(you can make with Canva or powerpoint),JPEG /PNG

Write a book blurb- around 50 words

Write your author bio -around 50 words

Use Canva pro to frame a beautiful author picture-in JPEG or PNG

Featured post

How is the Health of the Nation: The report is an eye-opener!

Now for the main book:

The front matter includes the copyright page,Disclaimer, Disclosure,Dedication.In case of ebook ,the about author page can be at the end ,to avoid too many pages in front.

Font :Arial,Times New Roman 14 font size works best.For fiction you can experiment with other fonts .But they must be readable on font.

Black fonts in a white background gives best reader experience.

If its nonfiction

See how many words there are.

Check Grammarly for plagiarism checking and grammar.

The MS word grammar tool is basic, and Grammarly gives you many more options.

See if the chapters are working well together, whether you need to make them more in-depth for a book.

Make a clickable Table of content to include in your book.MS word has an option to do that automatically.You will need to format your chapter headings ,for the clickable TOC to work .

Make all chapter headings H1 .Then go to Reference tab in MS Word.Insert TOC option will come.You can edit table of content there .It’s clickable automatically.

Check the references.

Proofread the book.

Format the book.

If your book includes pictures, edit, and compress them to avoid making your book data-heavy.

Make a Pdf compressed for online reading.

In case its fiction, you will need to see whether the story is flowing correctly.Are the dialogue and description balanced? Is the conflict in the story clear? Does the climax come naturally?

Image :To have or not

If you want to insert images in the book you must compress them.

There are many online tools.I use compress jpeg, CANVA pro, and MS word image edit to compress my pictures. The ebook size as a pdf or on kindle is heavier with no optimized images.

Avoid personal pictures and children pictures,home location pics for privacy issues .
Private and public building pictures have different kinds of copyright issues,even when they are your pictures.
Even with watermark there are obvious no fool proof protection of images,if they are free in public domain.Use them at your discretion.

Images from Google,Pinterest, Online anywhere else ,if used in a book needs checking for copyright.

It’s best if it has a free for commercial use license or CCO.If not you will need to buy or get permission.

Pixels,Pixabay,Unsplash are free image sites.There are many more But use any image with proper care.

When all this is done, you are halfway there for your Blogchatter ebook festival.

Why should you participate in Blogchatter ebook

It’s your MVP, and it’s a free promo for your book.

The Blogchatter team helps you connect with readers, get feedback, reviews, and reach more people than you can, for free!

Overall it’s a win-win for showcasing your books.

Remember, in times like this, that you are even trying to get a book out says you have arrived. Only blessed people can do what they do when things are crazy. Best of luck with your ebook. The next step is Kindle.

Have a question? Tweet to me on Twitter or WhatsApp me. The number is on the website.