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
Resources
Relevant pictures.
References
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.
My fifth book in the Nutrition secrets series was released in 2020 with Blogchatter Ebook Carnival!
Childhood Obesity & Adult life:Powerful Secrets No One Told You
Listen to free chapters from the book here.
Video Resources
Check this out for registration now!
Agree, Canva is a big graphics editing tool. This is my personal favourite. I didn’t participate in this e-book carnival. Best wishes for those who are participating.
Thank you for visiting.
Thanks Deepika
E books are great. And blogchatter has been doing really good work for getting so many ebooks published. I have however not done it. This year i was really bad at a to z!! But will work of finishing the posts.
I loved your posts Tina.
An informative post about everything one might need to get that ebook rolling. Canvas and Grammarly are a saviour to make sure our ebook looks and reads good.
Thank you for compiling all that a newbie requires to submit his ebook. It is a pleasure being a co mentor with you for past three years
Thanks for sharing such a definative guide on how to publish a e-book . I am going to read more abouth this blogchatter intiatives on e-book .
You explained it really well how one should start and where to begin. I remember doing all of this last year when I participated in the Ebook carnival.
These tips are so practical while finalizing the ebook. The apps that you have told I will surely check and use if they are easy to do.
I was super confused on how to go ahead with my first e-book but thank you for this step by step procedure to make it super simple for me to understand and get going.
This detailed and exhaustive post is a must read for any aspiring author looking to publish their ebook. You’ve laid out all points systematically, making it easy for a newbie to follow them step by step. Will be sharing it with my friends who are looking to publish.
I small little bit skeptical about publishing my E book at first. However after your boost and great blogpost I am thinking why not give it a try.
Wow now I wish I was ready with at least a concept for a book. I’m not sure what to write about actually. I have topic issues. All the best to you though.
This is good. All the important information at one place. Canva is user friendly and free, I have used it last year too.
This Blogchatter E-book is the perfect way for writers to showcase their talents. This article of yours will surely help them prep for their write up.
I am not participating in the ebook carnival but the way you have explained the entire process, anyone who is willing to participate can be truly benefitted. I have published two books on KDP and I totally understand how small details plays a big role in publishing.
Nice tips for making ebooks. Thanks.
I was curious about E-book , thank you for telling me how to make Ebook. DO E-book really help? Theme blogs are more fruitful for E-book?
Wow. That is a lot of information and it is needed in due course of time. I’m going to bookmark this so I can read and work accordingly for the ebook. Thank you Amrita 🙂
That has been useful information. Last year I just converted my word file into the ebook. This year I should try Canva.
This is really very helpful! Thank you for sharing this.
That’s a very well written post and a easy guide for those who want to participate in ebook carnival. Small things okay a big role in book publishing.
Thanks for the details. A really helpful post