Top Five Ways You Can Make Your E-book Reader Friendly

Electronic books are gaining in popularity as more and more people turn to the internet to find information. Ebooks offer immediate or near-immediate access for the reader, and they give the writer the opportunity to present information and insights without the formidable process of traditional publishing. However, this easy access can also mean that the products offered are less than they could be. With a little care, some reasonable research, and a lot of editing, online products can provide great value to both reader and writer. Here are five things to consider before you publish your masterpiece.

1. Be very careful with your graphics.

You may have the latest in computing technology, but chances are many of your potential readers do not. I'm writing this on a 6-year old laptop computer that is considerably slower than what's available now. It is extremely annoying to start downloading a book and then wait while my hardrive churns trying to get everything on screen. Your pictures and background graphics look very nice once the darned thing is opened, but they give me heartburn. A case in point is a recent book I purchased. The pages are blue, there are pretty borders on each page, and there is a lovely graphic behind the text. However, the pages load and scroll verrrrry slowly. Rather than my delight at discovering new, helpful information from this writer, she's made sure that I'll be unlikely to buy from her again.

2. Edit, edit, and edit again.

It is impossible for you to read your own work and catch all the problems with syntax or continuity. After a few times re-reading your work, your eyes start missing those odd words that got left over from a cut and paste or misplaced commas and periods. It's very important that you find fresh eyes to look at your work before you call it good and publish it. As a reader, and particularly as a purchaser, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect you to take some care in what you're offering to me.

3. Pay attention to grammer, spelling, and punctuation.