If you publish online, you need to read this! Online publications or ePublications (e-books, e-forms, e-zines, e-reports, etc.) are now a standard method of delivery in today’s market, as this medium is cost effective for the author and provides instant gratification for the reader. Business owners are using ePublishing as a means of getting information about their products or services in front of prospective customers; often in the form of opt-in rewards. However, there are special considerations when ePublishing that often get overlooked and can result in a disappointing experience for your reader. Below are the 7 Deadly Sins of ePublishing. Make sure you are not committing any of them!
Sin #1: Assuming Your e-Publication will be Read Online
Just because a consumer prefers an electronic delivery method, doesn’t mean they prefer to read your publication online. There are still many people who prefer good old hard copy when reading publications. I, for one, have a hard time reading long documents online and I prefer to print out ebooks and articles. One main reason is that I often get inspired as I read and take notes. Also, my retention is better when I read hard copy. Nothing is more frustrating than downloading an epublication where the author has clearly given little thought to the hard copy reader.
Sin #2: Not Using Page Numbers
This may sound basic, but more often than not, I download a very usefully epublication and scroll down only NOT to find page numbers. Think of page numbers as the address numbers on houses. You may know what street you’re on, but without the house numbers, how are you supposed to figure out which house you’re looking for? In addition, the page definitions in pdf readers can differ from the actual document (the screen may show you’re on page 8 but the in the document, it is really page 9) and can mean serious frustration for a reader looking only to print a specific page of your epublication and can result in your readers wasting ink and paper. Remember, page numbers are a must.
Sin #3: Over Use of Images & Color
Visual appeal of epublications is extremely important, and nothing adds that “pop” like great images and color. However, it is a bit arrogant to create an epublication so graphically intensive that the “hard copy” consumer has to go out and buy new ink cartridges just to print out your publication; now you’ve cost them money before they know the value of your product or service. In addition, epublications full of graphics and images take longer to download and take up more storage space. At the very least, create a “print-friendly” version for your readers (see sin #4).
Sin #4: Not Creating a “Print-Friendly” Version
Some time ago it used to be the norm to have a “print-friendly” version of an online publication. I don’t know when or why this changed, but it should be a standard for any ePublisher as it let’s your reader know you’re considerate of their resources. Simply converting your blog, webpage or document to a pdf does not alone make it “print-friendly.” A “print-friendly” epublication has 3 critical elements: 1) fewer, smaller or, no graphics/images, 2) is in grayscale 3) single line spacing (see Sin #5). Keep in mind print-friendly versions take less time to download, print and take up less storage space.
Sin #5: Using Wrong Line Spacing for “Print-Friendly” Versions
Most word processors are now using 1.15 line spacing as a standard. This is fine for short online publications or 1-2 page hard copy publications. But for any “print-friendly” epublication longer than two pages, single spacing should be used. The reason is that while the extra line spacing looks great, it also causes your epublication to print on more pages. Help your “hard copy reader” save paper and use single space line spacing for print-friendly versions.
Sin #6: Not Using Enough Formatting
I understand that we are all busy and great content for epublications often comes from existing sources like a website or blog. However, while the content may be re-purposed, you still need to take your epublication’s formatting seriously. Formatting serves a very important purpose: to increase your epublication’s readability and retention. Using to little formatting (just like using too much) actually gets in the way of your reader’s ability to read and retain the information. Everything from the types and sizes of fonts, the use of bulleted/numbered lists, the control of text flow to the use of white space and color needs to be carefully considered.
Sin #7: Not Following Web Formatting Guidelines
Just like not using enough formatting can get in the way, so can using the wrong formatting for the delivery method. Some print formatting techniques don’t translate well to epublications. Here are a couple of guidelines: 1) Underlining should not be used in an epublication unless it is a hyperlink, as readers will think they can click on it and it confuses them if it is not a link. 2) Italics and script type fonts should be avoided as they are hard to read in an online publication. 3) Use san serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica for online publications, but for “print-friendly” version, use serif fonts (like Times New Roman which is the norm for print publications).
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