Guide: How to export to Kindle/Nook/etc (with images/footnotes/TOC)

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Mark Barnes | Forum Activity | Posted: Mon, Jul 29 2013 4:57 AM

Although we've previously had guides for exporting to Kindle/Nook etc., some improvements in Logos 5.0 and 5.1 mean that process is now easier. It looks like there's lots of steps, but in reality, it only takes 15-20 minutes to convert a whole book. Here's an up-to-date guide:

1. First, if you're not using a Kindle, download and install Sigil (to create the ePUB file). If you are using a Kindle, you don't need this software.
2. For step 7, you'll probably need a PDF or XPS printer driver like Bullzip, CutePDF, XPS Document Writer, or an equivalent for the Mac.
3. Open the resource you want to export to your eBook reader. I'm going to use Brian Chapell's Christ Centred Preaching in this walk-through.
4. If you want footnotes in the resulting document, make sure Show footnotes on page is ticked in the resource menu:
   
5. Choose Print/Export, also from the Resource Menu.
6. Select the pages you want to export. It's usually easiest to enter 0-99999 in the Pages box, although this occasionally doesn't work, and sometimes excludes front matter.
   
   If this doesn't work, or the front matter is important to you, you'll have to right-click on each of the sections and choose Select All, instead.
   
7. The print/export panel has a limit of 100 pages, which you'll probably exceed if you're trying to export a whole book. Here are some tweaks that you can use to increase the amount you can export. (Usually the first tweak is sufficient. Large books will need all three tweaks. Very large books will need to be exported in two stages.)
1. The page limit is calculated from the currently selected printer, so choose a printer that supports very large page sizes, and choose the largest page size it supports (e.g. A2).
   
2. Reduce the text-size in the resource. (To do this, you'll need to close the Print/Export panel, and change the text size in the resource itself, from the resource menu. Changing the slider in the print/export panel itself isn't effective.)
   
3. Change the margins in the print/export panel to narrow.
   
8. Once everything is ready, click Send to a new document -> Microsoft Word.
   
9. I'm going to be using Word 2013 in this tutorial, but you can do this with any recent version of Word (although some of the menu options may be in a different place).
10. First, delete the footer.
    
11. Make sure the Navigation Pane is displayed on the left-hand side (called Document Map in earlier versions of Word). This will help us create the Table of Contents:
    
12. Find a heading in the document that will be the first level heading. Place your cursor in the heading, and then choose Select Text with Similar Formatting.
    
13. With the text still selected, right click on the Heading 1 style in the Quick Styles panel and choose Update Heading 1 to Match Selection
    
14. Repeat this process for second and third level headings (using Heading 2 and Heading 3 respectively). You should end up with a nicely ordered navigation panel/document map.
    
    Sometimes, the formatting of the original book means this process doesn't work well. In that case, you'll need to manually add heading levels to your document (or go without a table of contents in the finished eBook).
15. None of the hyperlinks will work in the eBook, so it's best to delete them. To do so, press Select+A to select all the text in the document, then press CTRL+SHIFT+F9 to remove the hyperlinks. You'll also need to do this for hyperlinks in the foonotes, so also place the cursor in the footnotes and repeat the keypresses. This process removes the hyperlinks, but doesn't remove the blue colouring and underlining on the hyperlinks. 
16. Your document is now almost ready. You may want to check through the document for errors or problems. One final step I personally take is to Search/Replace formatting that's not needed/supporting on ebooks. To do this:
1. Click Search/Replace, and click the More button.
   
2. Place the cursor in the Find what box, press the Format dropdown, and select Font.
   
3. To remove the blue underlining caused by hyperlinks, select the single underline style from the Underline style dropdown, then choose More Colors from the Font Color dropdown. Make sure the Standard tab is selected, and choose the shade of blue indicated below:
   
4. Press OK twice to get back to the Find and Replace dialog box. Now place the cursor in the Replace with box. Click on Format and Font again, and this time sent the Underline style to None, and the Font Color to Automatic. Your Find/Replace settings should now look like this, and you can click Replace All.
   
5. You should also change Small Caps to All Caps, as Small Caps isn't supported. Clear the formatting in both Find what and Replace with, by placing the cursor in each box and clicking No Formatting. Then use the method above to change Small Caps into All Caps:
   
6. If you have other formatting you want to globally change, this is a great way to do it.
17. Finally, you're ready to save your book. If you're using a Kindle, you can save it as an ordinary Word document, then email it to your Kindle. You're done!
18. If you're using another device, there's a few more steps.
1. Save the document choosing Web Page, Filtered as the type.
   
2. Now, load that HTML file into Sigil. Press CTRL+T to generate a Table of Contents. You might want to add a cover, or edit the metadata, both from the Tools menu.
   
3. When you're done, Save it as a ePUB file, and copy it to your device. (If your eBook reader struggles with a long file, split the file at chapter headings, using these instructions.)

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DMB | Forum Activity | Replied: Mon, Jul 29 2013 6:34 AM

Thanks, Mark!! This is going to be fun.

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Graham Criddle | Forum Activity | Replied: Mon, Nov 11 2013 12:39 AM

Hi Mark

Thanks for this - really appreciated.

Graham