eBook Conversion
eBook Conversion and Formatting Services
Ninja Beaver Studios now offer eBook conversion services
With the advent of the iPhone, iPad, Kindle and other ereaders, the EPUB format is now in great demand. An ebook is, of course, an electronic way of reading a book or printed material but converting from a hard copy to an eReader involves more than a simple scanning process. Converting to EPUB involves removing much of the page-based formatting (page numbers, headers and footers, page breaks, etc.) that are not relevant in the eReading context. The result is a single block of flowable text and images.
Therefore, we will get your book ready for iBooks and other eReaders, making sure that all images are resized properly and that the text flows correctly from chapter to chapter.
We will also make sure that the eBook will conform to Apple’s iBooks validation process and guidelines and also read properly with Amazon’s MOBI/Kindle format.
Text-based books are largely the best suited for conversion to EPUB format. Books which contain lots of charts, formulas, tables, images, video, etc. can be converted, but the process will take longer, is more expensive, and may not yield the best results (i.e. large tables and images which fit on a printed page may be broken across screens on a small mobile device).
Apple’s iPad is the best format for full-colour photography and image heavy eBooks, whilst the standard Kindle only shows images in monochrome.
You may have seen books that have a lot of interactivity and animation. These are not ebooks, they are apps. Apps require full development and programming and are very costly to produce, Ninja Beaver Studios does not offer this kind of conversion.
We are a small, but dedicated and knowlegeable team who are commited to handling your work with security and discretion. Dependent upon the size and the amount of formatting needed, converting a book can take from 2-6 weeks.
Our rates are determined by the page size of the book plus the level of formatting required; you can call us on +44 (0)1264 791482, email us or alternatively upload your book (files of 8MB or less can be uploaded via our password protected upload page, please email for access) and we’ll give you a quote to get your book into the future of publishing.
Our ePUB services:
- Tagging and linking of the Table of Contents (TOC).
- Proofing of the illustrations to make sure they are resized properly (the original source files maybe required).
- Removal of the original page numbers and page headers (to prevent them from appearing in the middle of the page)
- Re-flowing of the text by chapter and re-pagination of the entire book.
- Provide a cover for the iBooks library and Kindle Store from your source images (if you wish for an entirely new cover design, this may be handled by us at an additional cost dependent upon time).
- Make sure the files conform to the various eReader’s validation requirements.
- Various styling (i.e. drop caps, captions, underlining).
- Conversion from PDF and Microsoft Word to ePub, though our preferred workflow is Adobe InDesign.
What we do not offer:
We will not proof or correct the manuscript file. We do not scan hard copies of books. The conversion service does not guarantee your book will look exactly as the printed version or PDF, so we would ask authors or publishers to make sure that they have a good idea of what their book may look like in a stripped-down version. The formatting of the original file is critical to the outcome of the EPUB conversion. Ninja Beaver Studios will always be more than happy to convert any book to the EPUB format but anything that we consider to be illegal, too extreme or suspect may be plagiarised will be refused outright.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any type of book be converted to the EPUB file format? »
The conversion process to an EPUB format is similar for all eBook formats. The result is a single block of flowable text and images. Converting to EPUB involves removing much of the page-based formatting (page numbers, headers and footers, page breaks, etc.) that are not relevant in the eReading context.
Text-based books are largely the best suited for conversion to EPUB format. Books which contain lots of charts, formulas, tables, and images can be converted, but the process will take longer, is more expensive, and may not yield the best results (i.e. large tables and images which fit on a printed page may be broken across screens on a small mobile device). Apple’s iPad is the best format for full-color photography and image heavy ebooks, whilst the Kindle (as of the present time) still only shows images in monochrome.
Maybe. If caught in time, it is possible to change typos (or if we notice one, you will be informed) but a bigger design change to the manuscript may incur additional costs or will have to wait until the conversion to ebook completed.
Is iBooks submission included with this conversion service? »
No. With this service, we will only format and convert your file to EPUB. Once you have that EPUB file, you can then choose how to distribute your work but we will provide information on how to do this.
I’ve used a variety of special fonts in my book, will these convert well? »
Probably not. Apple’s iPad contains more than 30 fonts pre-installed, but only allows the reader to choose one of six. The Nook has only four! So different fonts will only appear as the eReader wants. Apple has started to enable the use of embedded fonts, but it’s still hit-and-miss. The simpler the font, the better.
Why should I have the manuscript formatted before doing an ePub conversion? »
An EPUB conversion extracts the formatting from the original file. If images are not saved properly, page breaks are not done correctly, etc. the outcome of the EPUB file may be jumbled and not look right.
