Writing In InDesign: Revised Edition 2.5

InDesign is the best tool available for authors desiring to control the look and function of their book. There is no better way to help the reader understand what you have to share. From your basic InDesign document(s) you can easily export the best PDFs for print, colored PDFs for reading online or on your iPad/Kindle, ePUBs for iBooks and Nook, and a Kindle version for Fire and the older versions. No other application has nearly the control over typography.
After the release of the 2nd Edition of Writing In InDesign several things changed. I received some editing help, the Kindle Export Plug-in for CS6 was released, and we gained a new free supplier, Kobo Writing Life. InDesign is the best tool available for authors desiring to control the look and function of their book. There is no better way to help the reader understand what you have to share. From your basic InDesign document(s) you can easily export the best PDFs for print, colored PDFs for reading online or on your iPad, ePUBs for iBooks, Kobo, and Nook, and a Kindle version for Fire and the older versions. No other application has nearly the control over typography.
Experience the joy and satisfaction of controlling the look and presentation as you write. Your book becomes a much more meaningful creative experience. Your readers receive the love and attention you send their way. it's a wonderful way to write!

Contents
Introduction
Who is this book written for? • This book contains an extravagant amount of additional training in the appendixes • What about fiction?
The New Publisher
How have things changed? • Writing within InDesign • Books are not entirely about words • Large company publishing • Niche writers to limited markets • You must learn to produce your own books.
Where do you start?
So, this is the free lunch • You need your own publishing house
What is On-Demand publishing?
I only cover the free options
What skills do you need?
Typography is a good example
What is typography?
Picking fonts • Our needs are specific • Readability • The basic parts of type • What fonts should you use?
Page layout basics
Setting up your book to be read • Let’s put it together
Starting at the beginning: Document Setup…
Come along with me through the reasoning behind book sizing • If you need special sizes
Formatting basics
Designing your paragraphs • Writing in InDesign—adding words • Benefits of Styles
Setting up Styles
Building A Set Of Character Styles • Updating your styles as your designs grow and evolve
Building a basic set of default styles
My current basic set of styles • Body copy styles • Lists need special care • Heads and subheads • Sidebar styles are important
Let’s continue with tables
Table design • Building Forms
Once it is written, what then?
What is front and back matter? • Again! It’s all about the reader
Dealing with large & complex books
The Book panel
Dealing with the supplier/distributors
ISBN Numbers • Lulu • Createspace (by Amazon) • Scribd • ePUBs (the ebook standard) • Smashwords • Kindle • Zazzle • What else is needed?
Dealing with the social realities
Your own Website • A blog or two • Find your own way
You can do this!
A: Typography
Type is not typed! • People often start with font design • Letterpress terminology • Fonts and font design • Additional characters • The OpenType solution • Typography determines reader reactions
B: Typography Part 2
The next four pages • Objects Anchored to Text • This does take some practice
Object styles
Set up Object Styles early
B2: A Set Of Default Styles
Setting up the set of default styles • We start with the body styles • Now we set up the Headers • Finally two special styles I use a lot
C: Image production & formats
Linking graphics • How & why to produce your graphics • Drawing in InDesign • Vector versus bitmap • Type manipulation • The tools available • InDesign’s forte is graphic assembly • Graphic needs of the formats: Print, PDF, ePUB, & Kindle 8
C2: Cover design
A cover tutorial • Stylizing live type—only in InDesign • Modes in Effects (from Photoshop)
D: Uploading to suppliers
Lulu’s procedure for paperback books • Createspace’s publishing routine is similar • Producing a downloadable PDF
E: ePUB Design
Why are ebooks so different? • Everything in one story • Fixing the styles • Making these changes & proofing