In the final part of this mini-series, we’ll be looking at desktop tools you can use for your eBook.

Open Office

Of course, you can use Word but Open Office is free and you can convert .doc files to PDF for free. It works in much the same way as Word; once you are done writing and proofing, just click File>Export to PDF.

Adobe InDesign

If you know anything about Adobe Creative Suite, then InDesign should be a fairly easy tool to use. If not, there are online tutorials on how to use it. InDesign is an advanced tool that tends to be used by those who want to add graphics and loads of style elements to a book. You will need an Adobe CC subscription; for InDesign is $19.99 per month if you pay for 12 months or $29.99 if you pay by the month.

Kindle Gen

This is a command line application that will create HTML and other sources into Kindle format for Amazon. This isn’t difficult to use if you know how to use the command line and there is a complete ReadMe file to help you in converting your files.

MS Word

Most people know how to use Word and it is dead simple to create your eBook with it. MS Word 2016+ allows easy conversion to PDF but you do need to pay an add-on fee – to be fair, there are loads of free converters online.

iBooks Author

This software is for creating books for the Apple iBook market only so your books will only work on the iOS and Mac platform. This might appear to be restrictive but you can create your book for both Amazon and iBooks, widening your audience even more.

Calibre

Calibre is a free tool for storage and conversion of eBooks. You can upload a document or book of any format and convert it to another. All common formats are supported and it takes just seconds to convert.

Scrivener

Scrivener is one of the more advanced tools for those who write screenplays and full novels. It is For eBook creation, add your content and then use the Compile feature to convert it to the format of your choice. It isn’t the easiest of processes but there are some online tutorials to help you. You get a 30-day free trial and then you need to buy it if you want to continue using it – it costs $40.

Which One is Best?

There are far too many apps and tools to mention, for both online use and offline, but these are the commonest tools used and some of the very best, not to mention those recommended by top authors. You are not limited to using one tool; you can use as many as you want depending on what you want to achieve. If you want to create an eBook in multiple formats for multiple markets, you will definitely need several tools. Choose one; get to grips with it, master it and then move to another one. See which ones work best together and go for it.