MS Word to Kindle Quick Look: Create Kindle eBook Sample

Now that we have a perfectly-formatted MS Word file, we are ready to upload it to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to get a sample of our ebook.

We aren't ready to actually publish... we need to do a lot of testing first, but we will go through some of the same steps.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Self-Publishing Dashboard

1. Enter Your Book Details

Enter the name of your book... or a name you want to use for this sample.

You will have to fill in all the fields before Amazon will accept your book for publishing, but for this sample, you can leave most fields blank.

Enter the Name of Your Book
4. Upload Your Book Cover

You don't have to upload cover now, but it's a good idea to do so.  It helps you to see the whole picture.

First, create a sample to test on your Kindle, review, correct, and proofread for a final time:

MS Word to Kindle Quick Look: Create Kindle eBook Sample

Then come back here to upload and publish your Kindle eBook, with the help of the articles below:

Upload Kindle eBook to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Overview

Upload Kindle eBook to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Step-by-Step

Upload Kindle eBook to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Rights & Publishing
Upload Your Book Cover

5. Upload Your Book File

Select a digital rights management (DRM) option: (What's this?)
  Enable digital rights management
  Do not enable digital rights managemen

Notice, at this step, you must choose or reject DRM.  Only then, will the Browse for Book button be enabled... and only after you have browsed for and selected your book, will the Upload Book button be enabled.


Upload Your Book File

6. Preview Your Book

This is the most important step in this "create a sample" process.  The buttons will not become visible until you have created the steps above.

While you can view your sample in the Online Previewer, it's a better idea to download the just made mobi file and view it in the  "Downloadable Previewer".

Both are available at this step.  The files will be downloaded to your default "Downloads" directory or folder.  To be sure, look at the lower right-hand corner of the screen, for the words "Show all downloads". 

Since all we wanted at this point was to create a sample book for you to preview we did not fill out all the steps.

You will see a "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page, but, if you have not filled out all the entries on this page, you will not be able to go further.

You will, however, have an excellent preview of your final book.

Then, when you have proofed and corrected any errors, come back here, complete all the entries, and proceed to PUBLISH.
Download Your Preview File

First, create a sample to test on your Kindle, review, correct, and proofread for a final time:

MS Word to Kindle Quick Look: Create Kindle eBook Sample

Then come back here to upload and publish your Kindle eBook, with the help of the articles below:

Upload Kindle eBook to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Overview

Upload Kindle eBook to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Step-by-Step

Upload Kindle eBook to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Rights & Publishing

2 comments:

  1. Your website is very helpful!
    My question is, there seems to be a frequently occurring glitch regarding chapter headings or titles. Even though they are done right in Styles, centered, sometimes they don't look centered on Kindle. My chapter headings are all fine, but the Title on my second page above the copywrite info looks over to the left on the Kindle previewer. It's got the same Style as the Title on the first page, which is centered. Others have mentioned this before, and you suggested to someone that he might have to go with left justified chapter headings; but I can't do that with my title page. I could perhaps just delete that title since the title appears on the first page.
    any suggestions?
    thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you are right... this is a continuing problem that seems to be solved, then it happens again.

      I think what you will see is that if you page back and forth through your book, some centered headings seem to jump back and forth.

      Some people say that if they put the tag (H1 or whatever) on the line BEFORE the actual title, then the title will stay put.

      Why don't you try that and report back the result?

      Delete