eBook Source File?!
Others call them as input files. The file that you have that you need to be converted into another ebook format. Please take note that I’m referring to ebooks for mobile as the output files or converted files in this topic.
When it comes to ebook conversion for handheld device just the same also needs attention on ebook preparation of source file before conversion. I don’t want to sound complicated but remember that we are reading our ebooks in small LCD screen, they should be optimized as such. That also depends on what ebook format we want it to be converted.
Going back to source file, in what format are the best source files? PDF? MS Word DOC? TXT?
PDF – I have to admit that this is the best ebook source file for most converted file for its perfection. Although there are available PDF reader for handheld devices and some read them directly on their device, I’m not comfortable navigating around my cursor to view the entire page. With PDF’s perfection, there are some limitations for mobile ebooks… there are PDFs that cannot be converted. A perfect example is Bob Ong eBooks. I also encountered a poorly converted PDF file that however I tweak the file, remains useless. hmmn… I should make a post about that. I still prefer PDF as source file for my favorite repligo reader, the output is the same as PDF on PC but optimized for small screens of handheld devices. No more editing, just click, click and click, you have your perfect RGO ebook.
DOC – This is the best source file if your ebook comes from other formats (or it could be from a “chain of conversion“). When it is originally in other format, its impossible that you don’t need to edit the file. Still if its DOC file, you could modify the file, remove some unnecessary lines, pages, line breaks, page breaks, etc.. You could edit DOC file depends on the output format you want to convert it. This is the best source format for Mobipocket PRC creation especially if it has TOC (Table of Contents).
TXT – I’m fond of using this as my source file for Aportis PRC ebook. I’m proud to say that its the most convenient way of converting my txt files to PRC (Aportis, not Mobipocket) during my first year of mobile ebook reading. I need the computer primarily for editing the txt file only, ebook conversion tool was installed on my phone as well as the reader. You can even convert your SMS to eBook directly on your mobile.
Kindle eBook Conversion… Kindle Free eBooks
Amazon Kindle is an electronic paper display ebook reader device. Amazon said that even the best reading device would be useless without a massive selection of books thats’s why they have 270,000 ebooks plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs available in the Kindle Store as of this writing.
Kindle does not require a data plan subscription, but users will have to open up their wallets to purchase books or access available newspaper, magazine or blog content.
New York Times bestsellers and new releases will generally cost $9.99 per book, according to Amazon. Subscriptions to newspapers like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, as well as several international selections, will cost between $5.99 and $14.99 per month. Magazines like the Atlantic Monthly, Time and Fortune will cost between $1.25 and $3.49 per month. Connecting to content from over 300 blog selections, meanwhile, will cost about 99 cents per blog. – source PC Mag
I don’t like the idea of purchasing ebooks since I already have my own eLibrary (ebook collection) and ebook resources. My concern is how to convert my eLibrary to Kindle ebook format at NO cost. I’m sure most of the Kindle users are also thinking of this idea.
Kindle eBook Formats:
Kindle – AZW (native version, kindle version of .mobi), Mobipocket MOBI and PRC (without DRM) and TXT
Kindle 2 – AZW, TXT, AA & AAX (audible.com audiobooks), MP3, Mobipocket MOBI and PRC
PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP needs conversion. Amazon claims that not all PDF’s may format correctly.
Kindle eBook Conversion:
Listed above are the compatible ebook formats for Kindle. I prefer to use Mobipocket eBook Conversion using the Mobipocket Creator Publisher Edition. PDF, DOC and HTML can also be converted to Mobipocket ebook format. But of course, converting any documents into TXT format is easier. Or you could search for Kindle eBook Converter softwares online depends on your ebooks sources. If you don’t want any hassle, you could also avail of free ebook conversion from Amazon, email your PDF, HTML and DOC to YourKindleName@free.kindle.com
TIP:
Kindle 2 had received criticism about lighter text that caused eye strain or mild headaches after reading for long periods of time. Some disgruntled Kindle 2 users have “downgraded” to Kindle. The solution is to edit the “source file” and make all the fonts as bolder text before Kindle ebook conversion.
Kindle Free eBooks:
ESSPC PRC
FeedBooks – MOBI
GirleBooks PRC
ManyBooks AZW, PRC, MOBI
MnyBks PRC
Mobipocket PRC
MobileRead PRC
Munseys PRC
Poetry In Translation MOBI
WebScription PRC
**Other eBook formats resources like PDF and HTML can be seen at Free eBook Download, you could convert the download file to Kindle eBook.
Convert Repligo (RGO) To Mobipocket PRC
To mobile eBookworms, the most common favorites are using Mobireader or Mobipocket and Repligo. Its sad to realized that Cerience had stopped updating Repligo reader for symbians and concentrated on latest handheld device such as Blackberry. Repligo reader on my symbian phone is version 2.1 year 2000-04. BUT there are still repligo lovers like me who prefer RGO than other formats. And there are some repligo fanatics switched to Mobipocket reader. Or there are some that replaced their handheld device and repligo is no longer compatible with their new symbian phones. And they started to love PRC…
Given the situation, putting my foot on their shoes, I could have lots of repligo files that I need to be converted to PRC format so I would use only “one” mobile application on my handheld device.
Things needed: Repligo Windows for PC, Mobipocket Creator (Home or Publisher Edition), Mobipocket Reader for PC.
Convert RGO to PRC:
- Open rgo file using Repligo Reader for PC
- Click edit, select all, then copy
- Open MS Word then paste
- Edit the file depends on your desired layout
- Save the edited MS Word DOC file
- Open Mobipocket Creator and import the MS Word document
- Convert
You could also read Prepare DOC File Before PRC Conversion for additional tips. A simple warning from me, editing the DOC file will consume you time depends on the ebook length. Have a little more patience to have those precious ebook collection converted.
Prepare MS Word DOC For Mobipocket Conversion
From the sound of the title, it should be simple and easy but based on my experience, preparing the source file eats time more than the converting process itself. Ever wonder why most of the ebook conversion company charges a big sum of money for their services? This could be one of the reason. It took me 2-6 hours on correcting source files to have a perfect output.
Let’s make MS Word DOC as an example. From the MS Word software, our eyes could deceive us. We could also believe that everything is perfect already because we already saw how would it look when printed. For all we know, there are wrong tags like header, footer, index on a paragraph. Errors like these will make the words become noticeable because of their font size and style (bold or larger fonts).
Sometimes, ebook conversion on other format could be as easy as 1-2-3, we could convert the same file and have the same output we see on MS Word print preview. Its different on converting to mobipocket PRC format, every formatting such as font style, size, alignment, index, header, footer, page breaks, line breaks, among others will be reflected. Converting to a mobipocket format should be done with a perfect source file, one needs a keen eye on details and with a lot of patience. Otherwise, you will never have a perfect PRC format output.
Quick tips on editing an MS Word eBook:
- Use page breaks after each chapters
- Use line breaks for spaces instead of using “enter” key
- Omit any blank page unless needed
- Be careful on using header, footer, index on paragraphs
Sometimes, even if you edit the source file there are times that there’s still unexpected error that you could see only on output file (converted PRC format) using Mobipocket reader. That’s the time you will search again for that words to make correction. To easily find that, press Ctrl-F and type in the words to be searched.
Why Do We Need Mobipocket Categories?
When it comes to ebook conversion of mobipocket, do we really need to encode the book category or genre? Mobipocket as one of the leading ebook provider, the powerful Mobipocket reader have feature to filter files… to filter them according to publisher, genre and author.
Let’s look at the ebook reader’s (person) point of view. Let’s assume that a bookworm has lots of ebook collection on his Mobipocket Reader or eLibrary. It will be easy to find ebooks by a certain author, publisher or genre by clicking the filter feature.
For the record, here’s the list of mobipocket categories.
Action & Adventure, Architecture & Design, Art, Asian Interest, Biographies, Bioscience & Clinical Medicine, Personal Finance, Business & Finance, Calculators, Cartoons, Classics, Computing & Internet, Cooking, Current Events, Dictionaries, Economics, Education, Entertainment, Erotica, Encyclopedias, Family, Fantasy, Gay & Lesbian, Gender Studies, General Fiction, Geography, Health, Historical Fiction, History, Horror, House & Home, Humor, Humor Political, Juvenile Fiction, Language & Linguistics, Law, Literary Criticism & Collections, Mathematics, Media & Communication, Medical, Movies & TV Series, Music & Songs, Mystery & Crime, Nature, Novels, Performing Arts, Pets, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Psychology, Quizzes, Reference, Religious Fiction, Restaurant Guides, Romance, Science Fiction, Science & Technical, Self-Improvement, Short Stories, Sociology, Spiritual & Religion, Sports & Outdoors, Study Aids, Suspense & Thrillers, Tales & Fables, Technological Fiction, Technology, Theatre, Travel, True Crime, Undefined
What if your category is not included in the list? We could leave blank the main subject or choose “undefined” during conversion. This is okay IF the ebookworm has few ebook collection. Take note that ebook files in eLibrary will eventually grow in the long run. I’m sure Mobipocket and MobiReader fanatics understand what I mean.
