The ePUB 3.0 eBook and Kindle/Mobi eBook formats are ideal for distributing your documentation as eBooks on the great majority of platforms available today.
However, you also need to understand that eBooks are more restrictive than some other formats. They are designed to be more like a book than an electronic document. As a result, there are both limitations on the formatting you can use and some special requirements. See the sections on eBooks in the Publishing Formats and Configuring Your Output chapters for more information on preparing and publishing eBooks.
Important: This section is not included in skins
This section is not stored in HTML skins, it is project-only. Even if you are using a skin, you must still configure this in your project.
Cover pictures
Just click and select an image to add front and/or back cover pictures. You must use an HTML-compatible format (JPG, PNG or GIF).
Configuration options
The only fields that are absolutely required are the book ID (UID), which is the unique identifier for your eBook, and the title, without which your eBook will not display its title properly in readers. Most of the other options are recommended, however.
You can use text variables in all the fields listed below.
Book ID: |
Also referred to as the UID. This is the unique identifier of your eBook, so you should attempt to make it genuinely unique to avoid confusion with other available publications. You can use any alphanumeric text string here – for example your web address plus the name of the book. |
URI: |
A web link, for example to a page with information about the book on your website. It's a good idea to include this as eBook readers often have online access. Always include the http:// prefix with the URI, plain www. addresses will probably fail! |
ISBN: |
If your book has an ISBN code then enter it here. |
Book Title: |
The title of your eBook. You can use the <\%TITLE%> variable to insert the title of your project here. |
Subject: |
A short description of your eBook's subject matter. |
Description: |
A longer description of your eBook. |
Author: |
The author of your eBook. If you have entered the author of your project in your Common Properties you can insert the <%AUTHOR%> variable here to use the same text string automatically. |
File Author as: |
An additional attribute for the author that shows explicitly how the author is to be filed officially. For example, you might enter Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for Author and King, Martin Luther Jr. for File As. |
Publisher: |
The publisher (i.e. your company) of the eBook. |
Copyright: |
Your copyright notice. You can use the <\%COPYRIGHT%> variable to insert the standard copyright notice stored in your project. |
Relation: |
Relation information for your eBook, this can be an URI (weblink, the new term for URLs) or other information. This is defined as an "auxiliary resource and its relationship to the publication". |
Embed fonts: |
Embeds the fonts used in your project in the eBook. See below for more details on this. |
Export HelpXplain slide shows as interactive HTML: |
If your project contains a HelpXplain slide show activating this option will export it with full interactivity instead of as a static image.Only use this option if you are certain that the eBook readers you are targeting will support it. Most readers have very limited HTML5 and CSS3 support. s |
Font embedding
You can embed fonts used in your ePUB and Kindle eBooks. This is required for languages with special character sets on some readers, including Adobe Digital Editions. Apple iBooks does not require font embedding for special characters, but you may wish to embed fonts to get more control over your book's appearance.
Kindle does not display embedded fonts by default
Note that Kindle readers and apps do not user your embedded fonts by default. The user must activate them in the device's or reader's font settings and must know that the setting is available. If your layout depends on a specific font you need to be aware that that font will not be displayed by default on Kindle devices and apps!
Font rights, eBook size
Embedding fonts can make your eBook considerably larger and you must have permission from the font copyright holder to distribute the fonts you embed.
See Managing Fonts in eBooks for full details.
