For the do-it-yourselfer, here is my list of FREE eBook conversion software.
Each of these starts with text (.txt, .doc, .html) as input and produces an eBook for the
specified platform. This page has been revised and links validated 6-JUN-2009.
- Adobe PDF [.pdf]: Adobe PDF is the king of the eBook hill, at least
as far as traffic to this site is concerned. More PDFs are downloaded from
this site than all other formats combined.
There are quite a number of options for creating
PDF, and the geography seems to change daily. If you have deep pockets,
you can go to Adobe and purchase Acrobat.
Foxit Software has
a PDF creator/editor for sale, as well as a very good, compact, small, lightweight,
fast and nimble (compared to Adobe Acrobat Reader bloatware)
FREE PDF reader.
For PDF creation I recommend (and use)
Ghost Script. This is
shareware that's FREE for non-commercial users.
It lets you convert a PostScript
print file from any source into a PDF document. The product also offers a
GUI front end, GS/View, available from the same site. Ghost Script and
GS/View are available for a variety of platforms.
This is not a novice's software package, but if you're comfortable
with the technology it's a good product because you can convert
anything you can print into a PDF file.
The steps you need to take are:
- Install GhostScript and GS/View
- Install a "generic" PostScript printer driver. Go to your Printer
Setup menu, and add printer.
Name it something like "generic PS printer".
Select any output device (LPT, COM1, it doesn't
matter) and pick one of the PS drivers (I use the HP Color LaserJet 5/5M PS
driver packaged with Windows -- you might need your Windows install CD).
Make sure you configure it to output to a disk file.
To create a PDF file:
- Create the document
- Print it, picking the PostScript printer you just set up
- Save the printer output to a file with a .PS extension
- Open the .PS file using GS/View
- Pick the menu option convert, pick PDF Write
- Enter the name for your output PDF file.
Like I said, you can use this for anything. I have created PDF copies
of sheet music using it in conjunction with a musical notation editor. Anything
that prints can output to a PS printer, and can be converted. This is a very
handy general-purpose utility.
- MobiPocket Reader [.prc]: This format is making strides as THE defacto standard
for eBook devices. MobiPocket readers are available for nearly all PDAs and SmartPhones.
It's also the native format for Amazon's Kindle reader.
To create MobiPocket files, the best choice is
MobiPocket
Creator from MobiPocket.com. The current version is offered as
FREE software.
This is a clunky piece of work that operates in conjunction with Internet Explorer (expect
it to be big, slow, and tempramental), but it gets the job done.
Another package that creates MobiPocket eBooks is Stanza from LexCycle. This product currently
is in Beta, and the Beta version is FREE.
This is a versatile format converter (and a
BIG download -- ~50MB) that can convert between most of the popular formats.
Being Beta quality software, it's a bit buggy. I suspect once this product is out of Beta
it will cease being free.
- Open Ebook [.epub]: Like most Open Source initiatives, this format hasn't developed
the traction that for-profit funded efforts like PDF and MobiPocket have. However, it is
the format for the Sony eBook Reader.
The format is based on HTML and XML. You can hand-code a .epub eBook if you follow the
standards. Then, put everything into a .ZIP archive, rename it with the .epub extension
and you're done.
For those of us not willing to go through that level of pain, some converters are available.
Adobe has a studio program for professionals, complete with a professional price tag.
Stanza
also supports the Open Ebook format.
Calibre is a FREE
(supported by donation -- and he won't let you forget it!)
package that converts from nearly all the formats listed herein to .epub and .lrf (Sony Reader
proprietory) formats. It seems to do a particularly good job converting from MobiPocket (.prc) to
Open Ebook. Calibre's UI has a very strong Mac odor to it, which is either a good or a bad thing
depending on your opinion of Macintosh.
- MS/Reader [.lit]: This is my favorite format, despite being a MicroSoft
invention. The books have the best look-and-feel of any of the formats. The .lit
file is compact and efficient.
For producing MS/Reader eBooks the Gold Standard is
ReaderWorks
by Overdrive. A FREE "Standard" version is available that limits your
choice of cover art and imbeds advertising watermarks; a paid version provides
full functionality.
An absolutely FREE converter is
Reader
Studio by Michisoft. This product is tempramental, lacks detailed
documentation and requires a bit of futzing around, but it does work.
If you're running MicroSoft's WORD, you can download the FREE
Read-in-Reader plugin from MicroSoft. This lets you save a WORD document
as a .LIT file (it's the tool I use). It's available for Word 2000, 2002 & 2003
- Palm/eReader Reader [.pdb]: The venerable [and oddly-named]
Drop Book
for Windows is FREE from eReader.com (formerly Palm Digital Media, now part of
Barnes and Noble). This requires
you to format your text into PML (Palm Markup Language) and then run the PML through
DropBook to create a .PDB file.
PML is a markup language similar to HTML that permits you to tag chapters, set fonts,
insert images, etc
(documentation is available).
This is the tool I use. It's rudimentary but it works.
Some clever global replaces can convert a text/WORD doc into PML (mostly) in
quick and easy operations. Creating a macro to do the job is possible, I presume.
Also from ereader.com is eBook Studio.
This is a fully-functional, GUI-based ebook converter that sells for $29.95. You can also download FREE
readers for desktops from the same site.
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