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  • HTML and Writing a Kindle Book

    The problem I have is that I do not have access to Word, and Openoffice appears to royal bugger things up. (I have been forbidden to use OO now by my uncle, and since it's his computer, well...)

    My problem, now, is writing a book that will eventually, hopefully, be published as a Kindle book because I need to use HTML. This is mainly because of the lack of a page break insert on Wordpad. Is there such a command in HTML that I can insert into the document? I don't foresee needing to use it beyond the opening pages (IE the title page and dedication and so on), but still, the need is there.

    I also want to know how to "code" the Chapter headers so a reader can skip to them if needed.

    I may need other pointers as well, and mods, sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.
    Last edited by Tama; 03-29-2014, 01:51 AM.
    My Guide to Oblivion

    "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

  • #2
    I believe when you save the file, save it as a PDF instead of a doc. That will make it have the page breaks and such.

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    • #3
      HTML doesn't have page breaks - think about how it is universally displayed, and you'll see why it doesn't make sense for it to have them.

      You could use Abiword instead of Wordpad. It's free, and it isn't OpenOffice/LibreOffice so your uncle can't complain about it.

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      • #4
        You'll definitely need Word or OpenOffice (or LibreOffice) to use the command to mark the Chapters using a drop-down Menu. If its your uncle's computer, why not create your own account on it and install the program just for you?

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        • #5
          Quoth Tama View Post

          My problem, now, is writing a book that will eventually, hopefully, be published as a Kindle book because I need to use HTML. This is mainly because of the lack of a page break insert on Wordpad. Is there such a command in HTML that I can insert into the document? I don't foresee needing to use it beyond the opening pages (IE the title page and dedication and so on), but still, the need is there.

          I also want to know how to "code" the Chapter headers so a reader can skip to them if needed.

          I may need other pointers as well, and mods, sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.
          You may want to look into using CSS for your page breaks. A search on Google should turn up some reliable sources.

          This may get you started: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/cs...le.php/3470341

          Additionally, these are the guys who actually come up with the standards: http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/page.html

          I'd check that out, too, since it does involve paging. They might have one on CSS3, but I think some browsers are still adopting that.
          Last edited by mjr; 03-29-2014, 05:23 PM.
          Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

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          • #6
            Quoth Tama View Post
            The problem I have is that I do not have access to Word, and Openoffice appears to royal bugger things up. (I have been forbidden to use OO now by my uncle, and since it's his computer, well...)

            My problem, now, is writing a book that will eventually, hopefully, be published as a Kindle book because I need to use HTML. This is mainly because of the lack of a page break insert on Wordpad. Is there such a command in HTML that I can insert into the document? I don't foresee needing to use it beyond the opening pages (IE the title page and dedication and so on), but still, the need is there.

            I also want to know how to "code" the Chapter headers so a reader can skip to them if needed.

            I may need other pointers as well, and mods, sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.
            Why do you need HTML to write a file for a Kindle book?

            I am writing a book and I use a program called Scrivener, it's available for both the Mac and Windows. Best word processor I have come across for book and general document writing.

            Have a look at the Scrivener web site, https://www.literatureandlatte.com/ they have some good videos there explaining how it works, and it can compile your finished work into Kindle or for that matter any of the popular e-book formats.
            Robert
            Peterborough Cambridgeshire

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            • #7
              I recommend you write the book using whatever software you prefer, as plainly as possible and without hard page breaks at all, and then edit it into a final version using a proper word processor. OpenOffice or LibreOffice, if you can convince your uncle to put it on his machine later, or you'll usually find Microsoft Word at internet cafes or places like FedEx Office (formerly Kinko's).

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              • #8
                I've successfully published two Kindle books using Openoffice writer. It's a little more quirky that MS Word but once you get the hang of it it works just fine.

                At least it did for me.

                One thing that helps is taking all the text (from a Word OR Open office file) and pasting into a notepad file, then pasting back INTO the source application.

                By pasting into notepad you are "stripping" a lot of extraneous code those programs add in and producing a cleaner version of the file.

                Properly formatting an ebook is a lot and I mean a LOT of trial and error.
                "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

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                • #9
                  Oh geez, guys. Thanks for all the tips!
                  My Guide to Oblivion

                  "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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                  • #10
                    Derp... forgot about using Google Drive too. The whole suite is MS Office compatible.

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