Matt Sullivan, Dir of Trainingmatt@roundpeg.com @mattrsullivan

Self publishing to Amazon Kindle Platform

Agenda

Create Content• Adobe InDesign• Adobe RoboHelp/TCS• Pressbooks.com• Apple iBooks Author• Calibre

Deliver Content• Why Kindle?• Kindle Account lab• Apple Bookstore

options • Testing/Transfer– iPad– Kindle

Contact info

• www.slideshare.net/mattrsullivan• matt@mattrsullivan.com• http://mattrsullivan.com• @mattrsullivan • www.linkedin.com/mattrsullivan

Mobile Contact info

Matt’s meCard 714 585-2335

Getting StartedKindle

Why Kindle?

• Easy• Fast• Best commission structure• Most cross-platform

Amazon Direct Publishing Account

• Sign in to or create a new Amazon account– http://www.amazon.com

• Create Direct Publishing Account– Kpd.amazon.com– https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help

• Accept the Kindle Direct Publishing Terms of service (click Agree)

Your account is incomplete…

• Click “Update Now”

Details

• Fill in Company/Personal Contact Info• Tax Info

Choose Royalty Options

• To reduce accounting clutter, I recommend EFT and USD ($) for all 4 Amazon outlets– Amazon.com– Amazon.co.uk– Amanzon.de– Amanzon.fr

Bank account info

• Fill in – Name of bank– Account #– Routing #

Submitting for Kindle approval

• https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin

Self-Publishing on iOS Devices

– Apple iTunes Connect– http

://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/05/apple-invites-indie-authors-to-self-publish-on-ipad-bookstore/

– https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wo/0.0.0.9.7.3.1.1

VERY IMPORTANT

• AppleID’s are difficult to manage– iTunes– iBookstore– App Development

• Consider creating unique accounts for each business function (consumer, author, dev)

Application

• Fill out all requested info

As if on command…

• I got this via email this morning

Too confusing?

• Use an Apple iBookstore aggregator– https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/

iTunesConnect.woa/wo/2.0.0.9.7.3.1.11.1.1.1

Part Two: Delivering Content

• Setting up distribution to handheld devices

Testing ePub by Transferring to Android

• Connect phone via USB• Drag ePub to

Processing ePub to .mobi with Calibre

• Add books• Convert books• Save to disk

Testing by Transferring to Kindle

• Via USB • Kindle allows transfer of both PDF and .mobi• Drag files (all files with book title) into the

Kindle > Documents directory

Testing by Transferring to iPad

• Drag ePub onto iPad in iTunes– File will be stored in Books section of iTunes– Book is found under iBooks app

Part Three: Producing ePub

Our example files

• Content in a FrameMaker Book– Easy formatting and organization of content via

template-based workflow• FM Book linked into RoboHelp project– Allows definition of all formats, paths, outputs

Mappings are already completed

• For linking details, see – roundpeg.com– mattrsullivan.com– forums.adobe.com– tmaldous.com

Why FrameMaker?

• allows the greatest range of print and PDF output

• easy ePub output, and integration with RoboHelp for other online formats

FrameMaker Best Practices (not exclusive to linked projects!!)

• Consistent and rigid style usage• Enforce template usage across docu team• Ensure book and chapter files open without

“missing resource” messages• Ensure book file updates without Book Error

Log messages• Save early, save often!

When to author in RoboHelp?

• Primary output is Help, not print

• Customization of HTML is required

RoboHelp Single Source Layouts are in place for:

– XML Output (required by FM to generate ePub output)

– AIR– WebHelp (for quick testing)

You actually mentioned MS Word…

• FrameMaker and RoboHelp allow importing or linking of MS Word content

• Importing=content to manage within RoboHelp

• Linking=content to be managed by SME’s

Generate final ePub with RoboHelp

• Select File > Generate > ePub Output…– If not present, select Tools > Scripts > ePub– To reset toolbar, right-click on menu bar, choose

Customize, then choose Reset• Cover will be the first page in FrameMaker

file• Cover image may not show in

Adobe Digital Editions

ePub Details (RH)

• RoboHelp used the XML Output to process ePub

• Select the appropriate TOC from within the XML Output SSL

Linking best practices

• Link• Identify the FrameMaker TOC• Map• Update• Modify the Single Source Layout

When working with linked content

• Format options differ between print and online formats

• Content maps according to project settings• “Odd” representations of Frame content will

create challenging formatting issues in other deliverables

• HTML in RH containing FM_ is likely unmapped and will not be controllable in RH

CSS for online formats

• RHStylemapping.css is the default, but easily changed in File >Project Settings

• An additional .css will be created by FrameMaker to address mapping omissions– Do not try to edit the generated .css

• Do not change the .css mappings for linked content inside of the RoboHelp project

Print meCard and Twitter Codes

• Come see us at the Adobe booth (booth N) to print out your own meCard badge and twitter “follow” badge

• Save time by creating your code at qrstuff.com and – emailing to matt@mattrsullivan.com,

subj: Print QR Badge for “subject”– saving to phone or usb