- eBook Design Part 1: Using OpenOffice Writer
- eBook Design Part 2: Setting the Page
When I released my first free eBook I got a lot of comments on the design and layout. “Beautifully designed”, “Top notch” and “I absolutely love the format!”. Well, golly-gee-thanks!
I also received a few messages asking me for more details on how I designed it, and what software I was using. This will be the first post in a series explaining the process I use to make such “top-notch” eBook design. The first question I received was…
What software do you use?
Perhaps those asking were hoping for an answer of “XYZ Super eBook Generator Pro” where you can click a button and have this all done for you. Unfortunately, that doesn’t exist. My method involves a little more elbow grease, but after you do it once you’ll have your own template to re-use over and over again.
The software in question is OpenOffice Writer, part of the free open-source OpenOffice suite available for download at OpenOffice.org. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux systems, and is a very good replacement for Microsoft Office. I use it for all my officey/document needs.
Now, there’s no reason you can’t follow through this tutorial series using Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, or whatever document/layout software you like. The design concepts will still be helpful, and you can just skip over the occasional mention of a specific feature. However, being that the software is completely free, it’s no trouble to give it a shot.
Your Homework
I’m going to let you off easy for this first one. Your only action step is to go download and install OpenOffice.
Meet me back here in a few days to get started on your new eBook design. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed or my email newsletter so you don’t miss out on the rest of this tutorial series.
