ePub Maker Reviews — Best Features & How to Use It

Create Professional eBooks Fast with ePub MakerProducing a professional-looking eBook no longer requires deep technical knowledge or a steep learning curve. With ePub Maker, authors, educators, and marketers can convert manuscripts, reports, and long-form content into polished ePub files quickly and reliably. This article walks through why ePub Maker is a strong choice, essential preparation steps, a practical step-by-step workflow, tips for professional design and accessibility, ways to distribute your eBook, and troubleshooting common problems.

Why choose ePub Maker?

• Speed: ePub Maker automates repetitive tasks—format conversion, image handling, metadata insertion—so you spend far less time on file preparation.
• Output quality: It produces standards-compliant ePub files that work across major reading apps and devices.
• Ease of use: Designed for non-technical users, its interface guides you through each stage: import, format, preview, and export.
• Customization: Offers templates and styling options so your eBook can reflect your branding or aesthetic preferences.
• Accessibility features: Built-in options for semantic structure (headings, alt text for images, readable flow), table of contents generation, and reflowable layouts help meet accessibility best practices.

Before you start: preparation checklist

1. Manuscript clean-up
   • Standardize headings (H1, H2, H3), paragraph breaks, and block quotes.
   • Remove invisible characters and manual page breaks.
2. Images and media
   • Optimize images for the web (72–150 DPI for screen; keep file sizes reasonable).
   • Prepare descriptive alt text for all images.
3. Metadata and front matter
   • Decide on title, subtitle, author name, publisher, publication date, language, ISBN (if applicable), and short description.
4. Licensing and rights
   • Ensure you have the rights to use images, excerpts, and other included content.
5. Target devices and layout preferences
   • Choose reflowable ePub (best for most text-heavy books) or fixed-layout (for complex designs like children’s picture books or comics).

Step-by-step workflow using ePub Maker

1. Import your manuscript
   • ePub Maker accepts DOCX, HTML, Markdown, and plain text. DOCX is often easiest because it preserves headings and basic styles.
2. Map and check styles
   • Ensure Heading 1 maps to ePub’s title/section markers, Heading 2 to chapter headings, etc. Use the app’s style-mapping panel to correct mismatches.
3. Insert front and back matter
   • Add title page, copyright page, dedication, acknowledgments, and an optional author bio and back-cover blurb. ePub Maker typically has prebuilt templates for these.
4. Add images and multimedia
   • Import images and set display options (inline, centered, full-width). Add alt text and captions. For multimedia, include fallbacks for readers that don’t support audio/video.
5. Generate the Table of Contents (TOC)
   • Use automated TOC generation based on heading structure, then scan and edit for clarity and correct page flow.
6. Configure metadata and identifiers
   • Fill in metadata fields—author, publisher, language, ISBN—and add canonical identifiers. These inform e-reader libraries and distribution platforms.
7. Accessibility checks and validation
   • Run ePub Maker’s accessibility checker: validate semantic tags, image alt text, reading order, and language declarations. Then run the ePub validator (OPF/EPUBCheck) built into or suggested by the tool.
8. Preview on different devices and orientations
   • Use ePub Maker’s previewer and, when possible, test on real devices or apps (Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo, Kindle Previewer for conversion testing).
9. Export and package
   • Export as .epub (or .epub3 if using multimedia or advanced features). Create additional formats if needed (PDF, MOBI via conversion).
10. Final QA and distribution prep
    • Reopen the exported file in multiple readers, proofread, and check links, internal anchors, and TOC navigation before uploading to stores or delivering to readers.

Design and formatting tips for a professional result

• Typography
  • Use readable font sizes and generous line spacing. Avoid styling text with inline fonts—let readers control typeface when possible.
• Consistent heading hierarchy
  • H1 for the book title and chapter main headings, H2 for subheads. Consistency ensures proper TOC structure and navigation.
• White space and margins
  • Reflowable ePubs adapt to screen size; avoid fixed-width designs unless necessary. Use padding and margins via stylesheet to avoid cramped text.
• Images and captions
  • Compress images without losing visible quality. Use captions to add context and include alt text for accessibility.
• Interactive elements sparingly
  • Links, footnotes, and simple interactive elements add value; avoid heavy scripts or complex interactions that many e-readers don’t support.

Accessibility best practices

• Semantic structure: use proper heading levels and HTML tags for lists, tables, and sections.
• Alt text: provide concise, descriptive alt text for all informative images.
• Logical reading order: ensure the content reads in the intended sequence, especially for pages with multiple columns or floats.
• Language declaration: set the document language in metadata for correct screen-reader pronunciation.
• High-contrast options: favor designs that remain readable in both light and dark reading modes.
• Validation tools: run EPUBCheck and accessibility linters; iterate until warnings/errors are resolved.

Distribution options and considerations

• Direct sales from your website
  • Offer the .epub file directly or integrate with a storefront. Use DRM options only if you must—many authors prefer DRM-free for better reader experience.
• Major retailers and libraries
  • Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and library distribution platforms accept ePub (sometimes after minor conversions or packaging). KDP accepts EPUB but typically converts it to Kindle format (AZW/Kindle).
• Aggregators and distributors
  • Services like Draft2Digital, Smashwords, or IngramSpark can handle conversions and push to multiple retailers and libraries.
• Promotional bundles and samplers
  • Generate short sample excerpts in ePub to share for marketing or review purposes.

Common problems and quick fixes

• Broken TOC or missing chapter links
  • Ensure headings are correctly tagged and regenerate the TOC. Check anchor IDs and internal linking syntax.
• Images not showing or oversized
  • Confirm image file paths are embedded in the ePub package; resize with CSS and use max-width: 100% for responsiveness.
• Accessibility warnings from validators
  • Add or improve alt text, fix semantic tag issues, and declare language attributes. Re-run validators until clean.
• Formatting differences across readers
  • Minimize reliance on advanced CSS; test on several readers and prefer simple, widely supported styles.

Example workflow: 90-minute express eBook build

1. 0–15 min: Import cleaned DOCX into ePub Maker and map styles.
2. 15–35 min: Insert front matter, images, and metadata.
3. 35–55 min: Generate TOC, run epub validator, and fix any structural issues.
4. 55–75 min: Preview across two device profiles, adjust styles for readability.
5. 75–90 min: Final export, quick QA, and package files for distribution.

Final notes

ePub Maker streamlines the technical hurdles of eBook production without sacrificing control over design and accessibility. By preparing your manuscript, following consistent structure, and using the app’s validation and preview tools, you can produce a professional eBook quickly—ready for stores, libraries, and readers.

If you want, I can:

• convert a short sample (paste your manuscript) into a clean ePub structure checklist, or
• provide a ready-made CSS stylesheet for ePub Maker to apply a clean, professional typographic style.