The ebook is being widely used as an audience loyalty tool in the digital media. It is more and more common for us to find sections of free or low-priced digital books in blogs and online magazines in which we are offered specific content and that are strictly related to the medium in question.
In today's article we are going to give you eight very practical tips to deal with this type of project, which are characterized by being very simple products that are easily digestible by the public. Keep in mind that when you use this type of format, what you are looking for is to obtain a direct differentiation from the competition and a loyalty of the audience. If you are a blogger and want to layout an ebook for the first time, this article will be very useful, so… pay attention!
What size should I work with?
The most used sizes are between A5 and A4, which are used for example in pocket books although this will depend on the project you are developing.
In what format?
When we talk about an ebook, we are talking about an electronic book (electronic book) and it can have different formats, from generic (those that can be reproduced by various applications and that are more open (some universal). Among them are PDF or ePub) to native ones (that is, those that can only be used and reproduced with a specific application). Of course, especially when we talk about first runs, it is highly recommended that we work with generic formats. It will be through these that we will find greater accessibility and therefore a greater degree of audience. If your client has an audience or a community of their own where the work is going to be distributed, it would be advisable for them to do a small survey on the most demanded and used formats, although I already told you, as a first alternative, generic formats (more specifically the format PDF) are the most suitable.
What typeface is recommended?
Readability is the right word. We develop an ebook so that our audience understands us, to get a message across in a direct and clear way. This is very important. Among the most legible and appropriate fonts we will find different nuances and choosing one or the other will depend on the project registration. Among the most recommended we find Arial, Helvetica, Times, Garamond, Palatino, Baskerville, Sanchez, Georgia. Serifs can be too serious for some projects, so you have to know how to adapt to the style and tone of the project in question. In this area what we are looking for is not that our work or our fountain stands out for its ornamental excess, but rather for its fluid, compact, clean and precise character. The source is something very important and a decisive element that will decisively influence the reader's experience.
Hierarchy ... Does size matter?
Of course size is important when building an e-book. The size of our fonts will set the pace of reading and will structure the scheme around which all content will revolve. Here is a recommendation of which are the most appropriate sizes:
- Chapter title: It is recommended that it be between 20 and 23 points.
- Subtitles: It must be between 17 and 10 points.
- Third level titles: It must range between 14 and 16 points.
- Paragraph: The ideal is to use a size that is between 12 and 14 points.
Colors ... Forbidden?
It will depend on the type of project. Of course, it is not the same to work for a technical or scientific ebook as for a children's type. In the first cases, yes, they are generally prohibited and especially if we talk about an abuse of colors. In normal situations it is recommended that we only use colors to delimit the links of interest. You must bear in mind that many of the readers will print the book in question so there should always be a predominance of black and white. The links should be in a visible blue tone, and with respect to the titles, subtitles and other elements, it would be recommended that we play with different tones and try to create harmony between the different elements taking into account the ornamental elements.
Tools… What software is recommended to design a book?
You can find very affordable softwares to develop this type of work and totally free. The clearest examples are Word or Pages on Mac. Although the ideal is that you always try to work with professional and specialized software such as inDesign, but generally these types of projects are usually offered for free and although the presentation plays a crucial role in us. allows to work in a more open and simple way.
Play with the elements that make up the pages
It is important that you include the header and footer. At a minimum, on each of the pages you must include the title of the work, the name of the author, the page number and references to your website or your blog (this is very important) such as www.creativosonline.org. For example, Amazon Kindle does not support this type of elements, but for a version in PDF format it is valid as well as effective. Remember that what it is about is generating audiences, readers and greater dissemination.
Style templates - Save time
Style templates can become the cheapest and fastest solution. They will allow us to insert styles and define the appearance of our book extremely quickly and the possibility of customizing it in a short period of time. Although the ideal thing is that we dedicate time to provide personalized solutions to the works in question, we can always develop our own templates and our personal resource bank and designed to be applied in different types of proposals. Especially if we are going to develop a series of ebooks within the same page or publishing label, this option can be very interesting.