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A step-by-step guide for creating an ebook from a Microsoft Word file
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Do you have a Word document that you need to convert to EPUB for use on an e-reader? This might seem complicated since it's not easily done within Word itself. Thankfully, there are a few simple ways to do this with programs you can download, or right online. In this article, we'll walk you through all of these methods.
Ways to Convert a Word Document to EPUB
- Use a site like Convertio or CloudConvert to convert your file to EPUB online.
- Download Calibre to convert your file to an EPUB with more options.
- Calibre can be used for general ebook management and document conversion.
Steps
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1Download WordToEPUB. WordToEPUB is a program created by the DAISY Consortium that allows you to export Word documents as EPUB files directly from Word. [1] X Research source
- To download WordToEPUB, go to the DAISY Consortium website . [2] X Research source
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2Install WordToEPUB. When installing, follow the on-screen instructions in the installation wizard. On the last page of the wizard, ensure that the option to install the Word ribbon addin is checked.
- Once you finish up with the installation wizard, Word will then install the addin. Follow any on-screen instructions to finish that installation.
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3Open your document in Word. If Word was open when you installed WordToEPUB, save your progress on your document and restart Word.
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4Click WordToEPUB in the upper-right corner. You'll see a section on the ribbon called "daisy.org" with the WordToEPUB button. Once you click this button, you'll export your current Word document as an EPUB directly from Word.
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Install Calibre. Calibre is a free program with a suite of tools for managing ebooks on your computer. With Calibre, you can easily convert Word documents to EPUB files so you can put them on your e-reader.- Download Calibre from their website , then install it.
- Once Calibre is installed, open it.
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Click Add books in the top bar. It has an icon of a green book with a plus sign on the cover. -
3Choose your Word document. If you don't see the document, click the file dropdown and choose Wordprocessor files (*.odt; *.doc; *.docx) .
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4Highlight your document. After uploading, it should be highlighted automatically. But, if it isn't, simply click on the file name in your library pane in the middle of the screen.
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Click Convert books in the top bar. It has an icon of a brown book with two arrows on the cover. -
6Choose "EPUB" from the dropdown in the upper-right corner. If you'd rather convert your file to a MOBI file (or any other type of file), choose that file type instead.
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7Edit the metadata, if desired. Metadata is data about a file. In the case of an ebook, metadata includes the title, author(s), publisher, and more. If you'd like to edit the metadata of your file, edit it in the Metadata tab (which is highlighted by default).
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Tweak the ebook's look and feel. In the Look & feel tab, you can edit how your final ebook looks. There are options to edit the font, tweak the text and layout, add styling, and transform styles and HTML. Click through each tab and adjust settings as necessary, or skip it entirely if you don't want to make any edits. -
9Enable heuristic processing, if desired. In the Heuristic processing tab, you can enable heuristic processing, which can fix some common issues in your document. However, it can also make a document look worse. If you'd like to use heuristic processing during the conversion process, click the checkbox to enable it, then enable or disable the fixes you want Calibre to do with heuristic processing.
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10Choose the proper page setup. In the Page setup tab, you can choose an output profile that matches your e-reader. This will ensure the final EPUB file looks the best that it can on your e-reader.
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11Enable any additional settings. Click through the Table of contents , DOCX input , and EPUB output sections. If there are any settings that you'd like to enable, enable them now.
- You likely won't need anything in the Structure detection or Debug menus, but feel free to click through them if you'd like.
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12Click OK to convert your document. This button is in the bottom-right corner of the window. [3] X Research source
- The conversion process will take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, though it could take a lot longer if your Word document file size is very large.
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1Navigate to a file conversion website. There are a few different conversion websites out there. Two of the most popular are CloudConvert and Convertio . Despite being separate websites, these sites are laid out very similarly and do the exact same thing.
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2Upload your file to the conversion website. The site will automatically detect what format your document is in.
- On CloudConvert, click the red Select File button.
- On Convertio, click the red Choose Files button.
- If you're using a different conversion site, look for a similar button on the front page of the site.
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3Choose to convert your document to an EPUB file. On both CloudConvert and Convertio, click the dropdown above your file that has a "...". Then, choose the EPUB file type.
- If you're using a different conversion site, look for a similar dropdown or option to change what file type you're converting your document to.
- If you're looking to convert your Word doc to a MOBI file, you can select MOBI instead. MOBI is another file type used on e-readers.
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4Click Convert . On both Convertio and CloudConvert, it's a big red button next to your file. After a few moments, the converted EPUB file will be ready for download.
- Note that this method of converting a Word document to an EPUB file may result in the final file being formatted incorrectly, or it may have a bunch of weird/extra characters. It all depends on how the original Word file was formatted.
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QuestionHow do I send the file in an email?Community AnswerCreate a zipped folder by right clicking on a destination, selecting "New..." and select "Compressed (Zipped) Folder". Place your file in this folder and attach the folder to the email. The email can now send the compressed folder.
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