One of the things I figured out at the end of May was how to format my own e-books. I've relied on e-book converters such as Draft 2 Digital in the past, and while they do a very good job, I realized I need to know how to do it myself. It's a good skill to have as a writer! (Although I don’t think it’s necessary if you just like writing for a hobby.)

But I have to admit the initial process was really intimidating. I was reading all these articles, trying to figure out how to do it. Some of them, to be honest, made things sound even more complicated than they actually are.

I was kind of hoping I could work around formatting EPUB files, but I started seeing that EPUBS do have some advantages. Unlike a PDF, EPUB files are reflowable and can adapt to different screens. They're also really useful for people with e-readers or screen readers.

So, I set to work. At first, my converted EPUBS definitely did not look good. But I thought, "I have to keep practicing. Then I'll get better at it."

I kept practicing, experimenting with different tips I learned from all the reading I did on formatting e-books. One of the most helpful things I learned was that you can use the Header options in your word processor for titles and subheadings, instead of simply making the text bigger or smaller. This is a much better way to format your manuscript so it can convert cleanly to an e-book.

Another helpful strategy was using the page breaks, so each page would be clearly defined.

I even found out how to insert a contents page in the books through Calibre (an e-book reader and management tool). While I wouldn’t be able to do fancy effects, I could do the basic things to set up the contents.

As I tinkered with things, I finally made my test e-book work! It was very basic and bare bones, but it worked, and that was all that mattered.

I was so excited! I was really happy with myself for learning a new skill. Now I can share my e-books with you as an actual “Book book”. 😀

This experience also showed me we need to have patience with ourselves when we’re trying to learn something new. Just because we don’t get it right the first time doesn’t mean we’ll never get it right. The learning curve is real, but so is the eventual success once you’ve mastered the skill.