Publishing Help

Kindle Create

If you've downloaded Kindle Create and you're finished with editing and revising your manuscript, then let's get to work turning that masterpiece into a Kindle book!

First, you'll want to save your manuscript as a doc file, then upload it to Kindle Create. It will prompt you to do this right when you open the software.

WORD OF CAUTION!! While you're formatting your book, if you happen to spot any errors in your work, go ahead and fix them, but then immediately go to your original document and fix it there, too. My first time using Kindle Create, I figured I'd go ahead and fix anything I noticed, then copy and paste the entire manuscript from Kindle Create back to Google Docs. The software will not let you do that. It's a HUGE pain in the rear if you only edit in Kindle Create. Save yourself the trouble and edit in both places.

Once you've uploaded your manuscript, the software will take a few moments to scan the work for chapters. Kindle Create (KC) automatically makes a clickable table of contents for you, based on your page breaks and the fact that you changed all of your chapter headings to the "heading 1" style as mentioned in my first post.

Next, you'll be taken to a screen where they show you the results of their scan. Next to each chapter detected is a checkbox. Sometimes, the software picks out things that aren't chapters and you don't necessarily need that section added to the table of contents. Uncheck any section that you don't want in the TOC. When you're satisfied with the TOC, click the button...I don't actually remember what this button is labeled as. "Finish", maybe? You'll see it.

KC doesn't walk you through any of the rest of it, so you're free to do the rest in any order you choose. I like to look at the different font styles and choosing one that seems most appropriate for the book I'm formatting. Next, I add drop caps. A drop cap is when the first letter of each chapter is larger and takes up three lines of text. Most books have them.

Highlight the first letter of each chapter and select drop caps from the right-hand side of the screen. Feel free to explore all of the choices there so you get an idea of all of the things you can do with the program.

After you've placed all the drop caps (if you want them), I like to go through and make sure that all my paragraphs are properly indented. I don't know why, but sometimes I lose indentations when I go from the doc file to the KC file.

You'll want to make sure to save your changes pretty often, as KC does not save automatically. The software will remind you frequently, though, so it's pretty easy to remember. The reminders can get annoying.

Next, make sure that your chapter headings all begin at around the same place on the page. You don't want a chapter that begins at the top of a page, and the next chapter begins near the bottom.

Use any of the other features that you want from the right-hand side, then click the "publish" button at the top right of the screen. This will create a kindle ready file that can be uploaded on Amazon.

Easy, huh?

In the next lesson, I'll talk about publishing your kindle book on Amazon. In the meantime, head over to Amazon kdp (google it, for some reason when I type in the website, it doesn't take me anywhere) and sign up. If you already have an Amazon account, then sign in with that. If not, create a new account. Amazon will want some financial information from you, so that they know what to do with your royalties.

Even if you plan to publish using a pen name, give Amazon your real name. All of your books, no matter what name you have on your books will be published under this same account. We'll get more into this later.

Now you can breathe a sigh of relief. Your book is ready!! Just one more step and it'll be available to purchase!


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