Creating ePub and Kindle formats using Adobe Technical Communication Suite 3.5

1. eBooks: Distributing
and monetizing
content created with
Adobe TCS 3.5
Matt Sullivan roundpeg.com mattrsullivan.com

2. Agenda
Create Content Deliver Content
• Producing ePub via • Kindle Account lab
RoboHelp 9 • Apple Bookstore
• Producing ePub via options
FrameMaker 10
• Testing/Transfer
• Producing .mobi via – iPad
Calibre – Kindle

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

4. Mobile Contact info
Matt’s meCard 714 585-2335

5. 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

6. Part One: Producing ePub

7. 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

8. Mappings are already completed
• For linking details, see
– roundpeg.com
– mattrsullivan.com
– forums.adobe.com
– tmaldous.com

9. Why FrameMaker?
• allows the greatest
range of print and
PDF output
• easy ePub output,
and integration
with RoboHelp for
other online
formats

10. 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!

11. When to author in RoboHelp?
• Primary output is
Help, not print
• Customization of
HTML is required

12. RoboHelp Single Source Layouts are in
place for:
– XML Output (required by FM to generate ePub
output)
– AIR
– WebHelp (for quick testing)

13. 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

14. 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

15. ePub Details (RH)
• RoboHelp used the
XML Output to
process ePub
• Select the
appropriate TOC
from within the XML
Output SSL

16. Linking best practices
• Link
• Identify the FrameMaker TOC
• Map
• Update
• Modify the Single Source Layout

17. 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

18. 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

19. Part Two: Delivering Content
• Setting up distribution to handheld devices

20. Testing ePub by Transferring to
Android
• Via USB
• Drag ePub to

21. Processing ePub with Calibre
• Add books
• Convert books
• Save to disk

22. 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

23. 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

24. Kindle
Getting Started

25. Amazon Direct Publishing Account
• Sign in to or create a new Amazon account
– http://www.amazon.com
• Create Direct Publishing Account
– https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help
• Accept the Kindle Direct Publishing Terms of
service (click Agree)

26. Your account is incomplete…
• Click “Update Now”

27. Details
• Fill in Company/Personal Contact Info
• Tax Info

28. 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

29. Bank account info
• Fill in
– Name of bank
– Account #
– Routing #

30. Submitting for Kindle approval
• https://kdp.amazon.com/
self-publishing/signin

31. Self-Publishing on iOS Devices
– Apple iTunes Connect
– http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/05/appl
e-invites-indie-authors-to-self-publish-on-ipad-
bookstore/
– https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iT
unesConnect.woa/wo/0.0.0.9.7.3.1.1

32. VERY IMPORTANT
• AppleID’s are difficult to manage
– iTunes
– iBookstore
– App Development
• Consider creating unique accounts for each
business function (consumer, author, dev)

33. Application
• Fill out all
requested
info

34. Too confusing?
• Use an Apple iBookstore aggregator
– https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iT
unesConnect.woa/wo/2.0.0.9.7.3.1.11.1.1.1