How to Create iBooks without using iBooks Author

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How to Create iBooks without using iBooks Author

Posted 02/06/2012 at 11:45am | by Cory Bohon
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When iBooks Author was announced a few weeks ago, users hoped it would make it easier to publish your work to the iBook Store. However, once those users delved into the EULA, it became clear that to get any exposure outside of Apple's own store, one would have to use a different method of publishing. Fortunately, there are other options. Read on to find out how you can publish an e-book without licensing restrictions.

What You'll Need:

>> Pages '09 or higher
>> Sigil

Creating Content

In either Pages '09 or Sigil, you will be able to use a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor to create your book content. Mark up the pages exactly as you want them to appear when you export the ePubs. We'll fill in the ePub metadata information when we begin the export process.

Exporting ePubs in Sigil

Before we export a book in Sigil, we need to set the Metadata for the ePub file. This include the book name, author name, and a few other basic items. To edit this information, click Edit > Meta (or press Fn + F8). You can click the "More" button to add even more basic metadata including ISBN, etc.

Once you have inserted the appropriate metadata, click File > Save As to begin the export process. Type in the name of your book, and ensure that the .ePub file type is selected in the drop-down menu.

Exporting ePubs in Pages

To export ePubs in Pages, click File > Export. From the Export dialog, select the ePub tab and fill in all of the necessary metadata. You can select the option to have the first page of your document become the cover of the ePub book. When you're done, click the Next button, select a save location, and click the Export button.

Adding a Custom Cover to Your ePub

If you decide later that you want to have custom artwork for the cover of your ePub book, you can add it in iTunes. Simply import your book into your iTunes library, then right-click on it and select "Get Info."


In the Get Info dialog, click the Artwork tab, and paste in any image that you wish; or click the Add button to navigate through your hard drive. When you click OK, iTunes will add the artwork to your ePub book.

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