Old Li2-Crystals

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Ebooks are all the rage today as is evidenced by the fact that nearly everybody and his brother is publishing them. A large number of them are free and many more are sold every day. An ebook is one of the way that anybody can self publish online. You write your material in either text, html or pdf format and then compile the finished product into an ebook.

An ebook compiler converts your text, html or pdf page into a single ebook. Some ebooks are executable (.exe) stand alone programs and others (most of them I think) these days are PDF type ebooks that work on any platform that supports a PDF viewer.

You can use software such as Microsoft FrontPage, Macromedia Dreamweaver to create an html file that uses your text and graphics. To make this into an ebook you need an html ebook Compiler. Using this type of compiler does require at least a basic working nowledge of html tags and css

Chooseing an eBook Compiler

There's a lot of ebook Compilers being sold, all have glowing sales pages and various levels of tech details. Here's a few things to consider when deciding what ebook compiler to buy:

1. What format did you use to create your source pages, html or pdf? There's a lot more for html, but there is still plenty of perfectly good compilers for converting pdf files into an ebook.

2. How easy is the program to use and how thorough is it's instruction manual. Check to see if the one you're considering offers a free trial version so that you can use it for a while and see if it's right for your needs.

3. Security features. If you're planing to sell the ebook, be sure to check out the security features carefully. Security features need to include: keeping the reader from changing text, only alow access to the pages they've paid for by entering a password.

4. Scripting support. What scripting does it support. Scripting suport lets you create special effects, fancy menus, Etc. You'll also want features like being able to include graphics, search dialogs, forms, surveys, hyperlinks, etc.

5. Pricing. The highest priced are not always the best choice. Choose your ebook compiler based on what you require in the ebooks you create with it.

Make sure the compiler you choose works with your OS. You don't want to find yourself trying to run a linux version on windows. It just ain't gonna happen. This kind of mistake can easily occur when a company sells versions of the same thing for XP, Vista, Linux, mac & so on.

Vendor support. Is there any? How good is it?

You should make certain you can access tech support and get problems dealt with quickly. At three in the morning this can get VERY important. Be sure to check what forms of free tech support they offer.

How long has the compiler has been around. The version number can give you a clue. The higher the version number, the longer it's been around and that means more bugs have been worked out.

When choosing an ebook compiler, don't just jump on whatever incredible promises and fancy sales copy. Do your homework, and then consider all of these factors before committing to buy.

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