| Guide Picks - Top 10 Free eBook Publishing Software | |||||
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| If you're looking to test the ebook publishing waters, you probably don't want to spend a whole lot of money before you know what sort of return to expect from your investment, and which formats are most often requested by your readers. The software packages below are available completely free, with no time limits or nag screens. You can use them to create your ebooks, or just to test the various formats available. | |||||
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1.) ReaderWorks Standard
Use ReaderWorks Standard to create an eBook in Microsoft® Reader format for use on both your personal computer and PocketPC. ReaderWorks creates beautifully designed ebooks with minimal preparation, and accepts a variety of formats for import. The free version of this software does not offer DRM options, customized covers and a few other features, but is still a top pick for visually appealing ebooks.
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2.) Gymnast
eBooks using PDF format have the advantage of being readable by anyone on virtually any software platform. Gymnast is a powerful tool that converts text files to PDF while supporting hyperlinks, annotations, and automatic generation of bookmarks from headings. You can even include links to Web sites and other PDF files.
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3.) Sbook Builder SbookBuilder lets you create a standalone HTML viewer executable of a directory and all the HTML, image and sound files within it with just a few button clicks. The resulting ebook is by no means beautiful, but it does have some minimal DRM functions - you can choose to disallow printing, and you can password protect the ebook.
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4.) Word RMR If you're a proud (or even reluctant) owner of Microsoft Word 2000 or 2002, a simple and free add-in from Microsoft will allow you to create MS Reader ebooks with a single click. | |||||
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5.) Mobibook Publisher The MobiBook Publisher is a free publishing tool which enables you to make eBooks to be read on Windows CE and PalmOS devices, from any input source of TXT or HTML etext. | |||||
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6.) RocketWriter Although the Rocket eBook reader is no longer being manufactured, the software to create ebooks for existing owners of the portable reader is freely available. | |||||
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7.) eBook Builder Drag and drop HTML files from your hard drive to create an HTML executable ebook. It's one of the easiest HTML compilers I've seen, but like all programs of its type, the books it creates don't make for a great reading experience. | |||||
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8.) Postscript® to PDF Converter Every desktop publishing and word processing software package I've ever used has had the ability to print to a postscript file. Using this Web-based utility, you can create Adobe Acrobat format PDF files that look just like the printed version of your book from .ps files you create using Quark, Pagemaker, etc. | |||||
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9.) eBooks Writer Create self-extracting ebooks from a single source file. Rudimentary DRM including expiration date, password protection, ability to turn off print and copy functions. | |||||
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10.) KeeBook Creator While I would not recommend KeeBook for publishing works of fiction (with the exception perhaps of children's picture books), KeeBook offers a great way to collect and organize scattered documents, or create an information-rich non-fiction book. It's a little cumbersome, and only works in Windows, but KeeBook is definitely worth a look. | |||||
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