*** From the Archives ***

This article is from January 27, 2010, and is no longer current.

Making eBooks from InDesign, Part 2

This article is excerpted from the October/November 2009 issue of InDesign Magazine, #32. Subscribe to InDesign Magazine.
In part 1 of this series, you learned how to create a file in InDesign that successfully exports to a format eBook readers can display. But after exporting an EPUB file from InDesign, it’s sometimes necessary to modify it. For instance, you might want to insert a forced page break, add metadata to the file, or change table formatting.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the process of opening an EPUB file, and I’ll explain how the file’s components work. You’ll learn how to make common edits, and I’ll direct you to some tools you can use to validate an EPUB file after you’ve made significant changes to it.
Click the image below to download the article as a PDF file.

 

  • Anonymous says:

    This is amazing, thanks so much.

  • Anonymous says:

    when i try to download part 2 i get an error. i downloaded part 1 with no problem.

  • Terri Stone says:

    Hmm, it seems to be working OK on our end. What is the error? And what Web browser are you using to view the page? What OS?

    Terri Stone
    Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com

  • Anonymous says:

    Sorry, after I submitted the entry I realized I put the wrong subject down. It downloaded fine, but the error comes when i click to open it:
    Error [PDF Structure 40]: Invalid reference table (xref)
    I am using Chrome, and Vista 32.
    I am able to open up part 1 with no problem on the same machine.
    Thanks for your help.
    Jeff

  • Terri Stone says:

    Hi Jeff,

    Try starting Acrobat (Standard or Pro) or Adobe Reader, then opening the PDF by using the File > Open command in Acrobat or Reader. Let me know if that works!

    Terri Stone
    Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi Terri,
    Thanks for your help. Before I got your reply, I tried to download via Firefox and that worked. I don’t understand why though, because I downloaded other pdf files via Chrome and they opened with no problem.
    By the way, thanks for these resources they are very helpful.
    Jeff

  • Anonymous says:

    Have you tried Calibre? Calibre is a great tool for converting PDFs to ePUB files to put on your ebook readers. It is a free download.

  • Anonymous says:

    Awesome article, very thorough – thank you so much for this!

  • Anonymous says:

    The file InDesignMag_32_ebooks_part2.pdf is damaged.

  • Terri Stone says:

    Regarding your “can’t open” comment: Please download the file again. It may have become corrupt during your original download process. The file on our server is OK.

    Thanks,

    Terri Stone
    Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com

  • Anonymous says:

    This seems very basic compared to what is being shown in Quark 9 where you can a) create your own app that you can then publish updates to to or b) create all manner of basic eBooks with sophisticated reflow techniques or c) publish rich interactive content to all major platforms using Blio reader and no need for “post editing”, it just thinks like an eBook already so you’re done when you’re done.

  • Anonymous says:

    …but hahaha, L. Ron Hubbard?!!!

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