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From LibreOffice Labyrinth to ePub Escape: My Hilariously Difficult Journey (and How YOU Can Avoid It)
Lost in the formatting jungle?
Ever dream of self-publishing a masterpiece, only to get lost in the formatting jungle? Yeah, me too. I started with the best intentions, armed with trusty LibreOffice and visions of a perfectly formatted book for both print and ePub. Let's just say my journey with IngramSpark turned into a hilarious (and slightly tear-inducing) odyssey.
Act I: LibreOffice - The Land of Mystery
LibreOffice seemed like the perfect knight in shining armor – free, powerful, and ready to conquer any formatting foe. Except, those foes turned out to be sneaky little gremlins. Columns? Elusive. Right-hand starting chapter pages? Vanished into the digital ether. The built-in table of contents and index features? Treacherous sirens that lured me into a nightmare of blank-page-induced chaos. And don't even get me started on images with a mind of their own, teleporting across the document like mischievous digital hobbits.But the ultimate boss battle? Styles. These mythical formatting creatures held the key to success, but their language remained an ancient riddle. After hours of wrestling with them (and feeling like I was scaling Mount Everest in flip-flops), I thought I had the document tamed. Oh, the sweet summer child I was.
Act II: The PDF Triumph...Short-Lived
IngramSpark's error messages were cryptic pronouncements that left me feeling like a contestant on a reality show where the only prize was utter confusion. Stripping out all the formatting felt like starting from scratch, and two frustrating days later, I surrendered to the user-friendly embrace of Reedsy (thank the digital heavens) to finally get an ePub accepted.
Lessons Learned (the Hard Way, with a Side of Laughter):
- Master the Styles: They may seem like formatting overlords, but trust me, conquering them saves a world of future pain.
- Separate Files for Separate Worlds: For fancy formatting like TOCs, indexes, and quirky layouts, consider creating separate files for print and ePub. It'll save you from epic conversion headaches.
- Content First, Fancy Formatting Later: Focus on writing your masterpiece first. Tables of contents and those pesky indexes can wait until your manuscript sings its glorious song.
- Free Isn't Always Easy: LibreOffice is fantastic, but for beginners tackling complex formatting, a user-friendly editor with built-in ePub conversion might be a smoother path (and save your sanity). (See my next post for some options.)
The Takeaway:
While I finally have a formatted template for future books, the LibreOffice to ePub experience was an adventure, to say the least. For authorial comrades new to self-publishing, consider exploring user-friendly editors before venturing into the wilds of LibreOffice. But hey, if you're feeling adventurous (and have a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor), by all means, give it a shot! Just remember to pack some patience, a good sense of humor, and maybe a stress ball (or two).Stay tuned! In our next post, we'll explore some additional software options and provide a handy flowchart to help you choose your perfect free formatting champion!
In the meantime, have you wrestled with any formatting foes in your self-publishing journey? Share your war stories (and formatting tips) in the comments below!
Now go forth and conquer the self-publishing world (with a healthy dose of laughter)!P.S. Here are some helpful resources for those brave souls who choose to tackle LibreOffice:
Beginner's Guide: https://documentation.libreoffice.org/assets/Uploads/Documentation/en/GS7.0/GS70-GettingStarted.pdfLibreOffice Guides: https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/english-documentation/
Printing Press Image by Franz P. Sauerteig from Pixabay
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