You’ve all seen them…the thousands of “ebooks” people offer free from their sites as incentives, or what can be worse, as a product you have bought. They all look like they rolled out of the MSWord machine…boring, boring.

Not only boring, but they are difficult to read. For example, take a look at your computer monitor. Is it portrait (longer than wide) presentation? No, it’s not, so why are all the ebooks 8.5 x 11, or even longer? How do you read these? You scroll. You can fit the page in the screen and it’s too small to read the type, so you enlarge it which puts the vertical length off the top and bottom of your screen. Now you get to scroll. How long before it’s simply not worth reading?

Take a look at our illustration, “Anatomy of a Professional Ebook” to see how it should be done.

Still think you can do that with your word processor? Let me give you some reasons why my professionally-designed eBooks not only look better, but do their job.

7 Reasons why eBooks from The eBook Lady are Better

They look like a book. This is no 8.5 x 11 typewriter sheet that looks like a million others. You don’t have to scroll around the page and play with the sizing to be able to read the type – it just fits neatly on your screen and the only key you have to touch is the arrow key to turn the page. It is, quite simply, a book that’s “fit” for reading.

It is branded for your company/product. This isn’t just “pretty” (unless that’s part of your brand); this is about re-emphasizing the company/product in your customer’s mind until they learn to identify the colors, typography and images as a desirable theme.

It looks like a book, it reads like a book…it’s a book! When was the last time you settled into the cushions to read a nice term paper before the fire? Exactly. So why would you expect that your customers would want to? Give them a beautiful presentation and their comprehension of what you’re trying to say will dramatically increase.

Unless you have been a graphic designer before the advent of computers, you may not understand the finer points of typography. There are little things like widows and orphans, type that needs kerning, vertical justification, font utilization and the subtleties of the proper font family to convey a mood or impression. Then we have the theory of color, perceived value, scale, dynamic use of art and the even more dramatic use of white space. You may not understand these terms or how to apply them, but you will know them by sight. They make up the difference between an eBook that is designed by professionals with book design software, vs. an underpaid novice and his handy word-processing talents. If you think these things don’t make a difference, take a look at the example below.

Professionally-written content. Unless you’re a writing professional, you should hire someone who is. All the beautiful website bells and whistles can’t improve bad content. It’s rather like eating a gourmet meal on a dirty tablecloth. Just doesn’t do much for the reputation.

Re-purpose your file. I design all my books using Adobe’s InDesign, a professional-level design software that has no current day equal. It can generate not only a beautiful eBook, but the higher resolution print files needed to print your book in paper. This also allows me to create your book for eBook readers – not matter which eReader you or your customers own.

Premium eBook covers. After all your hard work and investment, why slap on a silly ebook cover template on your work? That’s like purposefully wearing the same dress as the homeliest girl to your prom. The comparison is just not something you want to invite. (my apologies to the homely girls out there — we’re saving you for president!) I’ve been designing book covers for more than three decades and I understand the language a cover speaks. Your eBook will be viewed at 100% and at 10% (thumbnail at the bookstore) — can you allow for premium impressions with either? Do you understand the subtleties of color, of scale and how to compel a viewer to want to buy a product – to judge your book by its cover? What is more, I have a huge library of royalty-free art to work with and I use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create not only a quality, finished product, but all sorts of special effects and base art modifications. Even better is that I can re-purpose your screen-resolution eBook cover to the higher resolution, specified file needed to print your book in paper.

While that’s certainly not a complete list, it’s enough to convince you why The eBook Lady knows her business and how to produce an extraordinary eBook. For more tips, why not sign up for her newsletter, “The eBook Lady Lessons” which will be delivered directly to your email box. It’s full of fun and information, tips and techniques — a great way to spend a break.