Can someone point me to tutorials or templates for kdp?

Report · Jun 17, 2023

I've had Adobe software for decades (seriously) but am much more experienced with PS and Illustrator. I'm trying to get into Kindle Low Content Publishing (kdp) of children's activity books and most articles suggest In-Design (or Power Point) to set up the page templates. But I've read through many posts/questions in the Support Community and it sounds like setting up the template correctly and then exporting to Kindle can be a nightmare.

I have already designed the pages in PS and Illustrator. I just need to get the pages into book form to export to Kindle. Since I'm not very experienced with In-Design (and new to the Kindle platform), I'm worried.

Can anyone point me to a good, reliable tutorial with step-by-step instructions for setting up an In-Design template plus how-to export to Kindle? I've watched several online but they are either outdated, incomplete or presume I'm smarter than I really am.

Or if there was an accurate, ready-made template for In-Design (or even Power Point) that I could plug my pages into and successfully export to Kindle?

Thanks all!

Report · Jun 17, 2023

It's not a matter of templates, although I suppose there might be a few out there. EPUB export, to its own end or for Kindle, is a complex process with many steps that only begin with a layout in InDesign or any other app.

I don't know of any resources for exporting to fixed-page layout (FXL) EPUB other than the fairly amateur level ones you seem to have already found. It's an obsolete format good only for a niche of "picture page" books such as graphic novels, children's books and some image-centric kinds of how-to books. Everything else should be designed for, and exported to, the reflowable EPUB format.

(To be fair, though, FXL is simple in that you either get a nearly perfect export from ID, or you have horrendous problems due to layout, font and other technical faults. There is very little room or need for doing anything with the EPUB export; it will either work, and import to Kindle, or not. If not, you start over.)

As for low-content books, I am not sure what you've heard, read or thought, but the window for success with those opened and closed years ago. You can list as many planners and diaries and sketchbooks and such as you like; don't count on selling any and certainly don't count on the windfall of riches some blogs and "secret how to" pages still promise. Not only did the market quickly saturate (although a small number of people did make significant money at the very beginning), but Amazon compartmented LCBs into their own ghetto. You will be competing with tens of thousands of other "publishers."

If you're serious about reflowable Kindle publishing, or dual-format (paper and Kindle) publishing, I in all humility don't know of a better reference than my book, noted in my sig. It is not for raw amateurs, though; it assumes reasonable expertise with InDesign and at least working familiarity with the support technologies for EPUB, HTML and CSS. But it might have many of the answers you're looking for.

Happy to answer further questions, too. But start with the understanding that EPUB is complex, Kindle is tricky, and the market for "non books" is non existent. Very little at the ID level (such as templates) changes that; as with all publishing, the process assumes you have a work ready to go to that step. And, harsh reality, the market assumes you have something worth buying.

Report · Jun 18, 2023

Thanks, James. Sounds like I'm behind before I even start. But I do feel I've designed a quality product that is the first in a series of children's educational activity books. I've been a freelance writer, illustrator and photographer for 30 years but have always worked behind the scenes creating for other people. Recently retired and floundering a bit, I'm trying to create something for myself. Of course, I'd prefer to find a real publisher but, with no contacts in the "biz", my chances are probably just as slim as kdp.

I don't have any further questions at the moment but thanks so much for your offer. I may take you up on that down the line! And please toss out suggestions or ideas you have on the subject of publishing. It is a quadmire to me!

Report · Jun 18, 2023

Didn't mean to be harsh, just honest. There is a vibe out there, fueled by a community that's half newcomers and half participants with questionable motives, that present e-publishing as some kind of easy, get rich quick hobby. Perhaps because it bypasses all the hurdles of traditional publishing, the notions have extended to include the idea that no skill or experience is needed at any part, including writing/creation, marketing, and the actual publishing process.

It can be VERY rewarding to write books for a small niche and actually publish them via Kindle, even if the potential audience is small. But you have to know something worth writing and telling, be able to write it down effectively, work with at least one editor to help shape and polish it, and then have some mastery of KDP print publishing, Kindle publishing, or both. Just because they are online and use apps don't make them 1-2-3-E-Z... and I rage at the 'gurus' out there who promote that they are... that now anyone can publish an e-book, even if they don't have two useful thoughts rattling around their head and can barely type a letter in Word.

So don't let me discourage you... if you are interested enough to ask questions this far, just know that the real road to success is a little harder and a little longer than the online community tends to make it. but it can be quite worthwhile. And as long as you're using InDesign, this community will help in every way, with both generalities, the specifics of KDP and other printer/publisher services, and what can be a very simple path to EPUB and Kindle publication.

And you're absolutely right about this being the best/only path for newcomers. Traditional publishing may as well not exist unless you are so dedicated and established, through years of work, to have an agent. The days of looking up a publisher in Writer's Market and having a chance at blind submission are... long gone.

Report · Jun 18, 2023

Thanks James, for an excellent, honest overview of the industry.

And @debrap1369268, I heard you make a solid argument for continuing your pursuit of self publishing. One niche that is strong is childrens' books because the majority of preschoolers are using tablets and today, most childrens' reading books and educational materials are digital. So that niche isn't as weak as others.

I want to reinforce what James said about InDesign: it's a powerful tool, but you have to learn how to use it and your work in AI and PS has not prepared you for InDesign.

And EPUB itself has speicific technical requirements that are not intuitive or easy to achieve without good training. And accessibility is a major part of all EPUBs: the file format developed out of the original digital format created for those who are blind (the format was called DAISY) so at least the basics of accessibility must be in the file.

There are some good online courses in InDesign and EPUBs and I recommend those by two colleagues on LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com): Anne Marie Concepcion and Laura Brady. With James' book and them, you'll have the best in the industry.

Best to you.

Can't wait to see the final published book!