Download iBooks Author.
Head over to the MacApp store and download “iBooks Author” by Apple, for free. It will take about 500MB of storage in your device.
Configure your Template.
Open the App, and you will be presented with a template selector. It is best to scroll down to the EPUB option, and select either “Novel”, if you are going to write a story, or chose any other template of your choice! EPUB is a flexible book format that can be opened in most PDF readers and ebook readers, like the Kindle. It allows change of font, text size, input of various forms of media, and also has a built in glossary and table of contents that tracks based on chapter location.
Write your book.
Go to the “Book Title” page, and customise your title, cover image, etc.
Chapter 1 will already be created for you if you selected the “Novel Template”, else click on the “Add” button on the top left corner and create your first chapter. Start typing. You can add media, change the font, etc. The font and size can be varied by the reader too, so the font you select isn’t set in stone. Also remember that there are no pages, everything you type is continous in EPUB format and the page numbering is decided by the device/size that the viewer uses to read your book.
You can even create a section under the “Add” button, which is basically creating subsets within a chapter. There are already many formats for sections like “Dedication”, “Foreword”, etc.
Add to the glossary if you wish, remember to proofread again and again!
Publish!
Once you are done, you can publish your book straight to Apple Books! Just click on the “Publish” icon on the top middle, and click “Continue.” There are a few steps that you have to go through such as linking your Apple ID with iTunes Connect, downloading iTunes Publisher, giving more information about your book, choosing a seller, creating a sample, etc. Just follow the steps on screen! You can even export the book as an EPUB format by clicking on “File” -> “Export”, click “Next”, and select the name and directory for saving your “.epub” file. You can then use this directly in a Kindle, or with any other ebook publisher!
Some great places to publish your EPUB:
- iBooks Author – Download from MacApp store. (For publishing in Books Store.)
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing – Click to go to site. (For publishing in Kindle Store in app and in Kindle ebook readers.)
- Nook Press – Click to go to site. (For publishing in Nook Store in app and in Nook ebook readers.)
- Scribd – Click to go to site. (For publishing in Scribd reading subscription services.)
