Convert Your Ebook To Kindle (and other formats) 101

There are a lot of software packages that will convert your ebook to Kindle so that you can sell on Amazon. There are others that will allow you to sell on other platforms like Apple Store.
It must be needed right if there are so many people selling?

Do you really need software to convert your ebook to Kindle?

So what we really have is a lack of understanding of the process. So here it is.

1. You start off with your favourite word processor. Mine is Word. have always used it havent tried any others. Notepad is not the same as it is too basic. The Mac word processing program has a very similar output. So where we use Word in this example just swap it out to Mac- in general.
2. You write your text. And then you save off your file. Usually this is a .doc

That is the general ebook making process. Very simple, very easy.

But then we have to think of a few things.

How do we convert to Kindle
How do we convert to Apple Store plus the other outlets.

Conversion software isn't your concern, what is? Content.

You can not just make a .doc and then upload it to where ever you like, regardless of what people thing and are telling you.

With all the mobile devices out there and the huge array of formats, your text is going to just look odd. Like not good at all. It is going to look weird and you are going to get a ton of refunds and no sales on other books.

So what you have to do...that is have to, not might need to. is to format your text properly so that it doesn't get messed up in various readers.

So to format your text properly you need style.

Once you have a style plugged into your word processor then all your ebooks will be standard. Now you have your .doc. Now you want a PDF. A PDF will hold you text firmly. To do this, you save your document as a PDF. A huge standard that has flaws but will also keep your pictures/ title and content page exactly how you wanted it. So if a company doesn't like .doc then you use your PDF. If you wanted to sell the product on your own site without any other company help, then selling the PDF version is better than the .doc.

Word has a great and easy way to do this. Save As > Save as type > PDF

Simple.

Once you have your saved content. Its time for conversion software right?

Now that you have your PDF you can do whatever you like to it. Because it is a standard then most companies accept it as is. But it has to follow the style guide as stated above. If not many companies will reject it because it is too odd.

Now you can go to all the services you want and upload to them.

An ebook to Kindle is actually really easy. Amazon actually doesn't really want you to convert your book into a Kindle, it wants to do that. So you upload your book through your "bookshelf":

It even tells you what you need:

content
cover
description
ISBN (you dont actually need this, Amazon gives you one for free)
how much you want to charge (Amazon doesnt state this here, but it is an idea to have a rough idea)

Amazon converts it into a Kindle ebook which takes a couple of minutes. It asks you to check the book through different devices. You like it, you Save and Continue and within 24 hours or so (if Amazon doesn't flag it) your ebook is available upon Amazon.

If you want to sell on iTunes or through Libraries then you go through Smashwords in very much the same procedure as Amazon.

You sign up for free to Smashwords, then you go to the publishing section on your dashboard:

Then you just follow the instructions as in the same way as Amazon. With Smashwords they really want to make sure that you read the Style Guide. Only because they deal with some large companies who want top products in their catalogues.

The catch to all this ebook to Kindle conversions?

You don't get 100% of the profit. It is shared. So they get a cut of whatever you charge, and depending upon that about how much of a percentage they take.

You are also not in control of the audience or your buyers. You have no idea who bought.
Thirdly, not really a catch, but you are given a large audience to pursue with a very trustable brand like Amazon or the third party companies that Smashwords supplies.

So do you need conversion software? No...unless you want to sell a Kindle style ebook on your website without going through Amazon. But...you have to ask yourself, why put yourself through the hassle of that when you could sell more through Amazon? Unless you offer it as a package deal which Amazon doesn't do.

Now that you have an ebook. How do you get ahead of your competition on Amazon? Check out how Amazon search placement can work for you here.