What the Heck is an Ebook Template?

If you've ever searched the Internet looking for information about making your own ebook, you've probably run into sites pitching their ebook templates.

Here's the short explanation of what they are. An ebook template is a premade embellishment for the inside of an ebook. I've seen them in Microsoft Word, HTML, and PowerPoint flavors, depending on what type of ebook you want to make. Some of them are gorgeous, and some not so much. There are a lot of bewildering choices either way, so I'm going to offer some advice to you.

I have never bought an ebook I had to read with a web browser. Most HTML based information I've read is on its HTML web sites with URLs. I've certainly never gone to a sales letter page and read "My ebook is available in HTML format".

PowerPoint is a good program for presentations, but miserable for ebooks. Yes, I've read an article about using PowerPoint to make ebooks, and while it was thorough, it wasn't remotely useful. You could spend hours doing it, then find that no one wants to buy your ebook in PowerPoint format because they like reading them in their favorite PDF viewer, or printing them out.

If you want a template to improve an ebook someone will buy, you have two option: PDF format, and EXE format. Most of the ebooks I've bought are PDFs, and a few are EXEs. Frankly, I wasn't impressed with the EXE formatted ebooks. While they had menu bars and other features not offered by a basic PDF, they also looked cheap and unprofessional. Plus, you're cheating yourself out of Mac-using customers that won't be able to read them.

I recommend choosing a template or templates you can use with programs that can make PDF files, because PDF ebooks are most commonly distributed. Otherwise, you'll find yourself with a pack of templates that aren't good for anything but taking up disc space. It's not a lot of fun when that happens, as I can tell you from personal experience.

You should also be happy with the template previews before you buy. Buying the templates doesn't make them any prettier, so they won't be any more acceptable to you once you've purchased them. If, by some odd chance, you can't view the templates before buying them, find another set of templates you can use instead. I've never run into templates I couldn't view before buying, but you never know.

Since ebook templates can be used over and over again, it's easier just to buy a pack and then 'industrialize' your ebook and report creation, rather than take the time to make your own. You could be using that time to do something more productive, and they'll pay for themselves one way or another eventually.

If you're not graphically inclined, ebook templates can help you spruce up the insides of your ebooks just by buying and applying them. Find the ones you can use, pay the initial cost, then get to work making the insides of your ebooks more pleasing to your customers.