How do I prepare a book for multiple formats?
- All formats should derive from one canonical manuscript.
- Each format has its own production spec and file requirements.
- Ebook reflows; print is fixed layout; audio is recorded.
- Metadata and content must stay synchronized across formats.
- A change to the source means re-exporting affected formats.
Prepare a book for multiple formats by keeping one canonical manuscript as the source, then producing each format to its own requirements: a reflowable ebook (EPUB), a fixed-layout print interior with proper trim and margins, and a recorded audiobook. Keep content and metadata synchronized so a correction in one propagates to all. The discipline is single-source-of-truth production — derive every format from the same master, never edit them independently.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Authors who edit formats independently end up with versions that drift apart — a typo fixed in the ebook but not the paperback, mismatched front matter, inconsistent metadata. Producing every format from one canonical source keeps them aligned and makes corrections manageable. Understanding that each format has distinct specs while sharing one source is what lets a book ship cleanly across ebook, print, and audio.
Chapter ii·What to include
- One canonical manuscript as the source.
- Ebook (EPUB) produced to reflowable spec.
- Print interior to trim, margin, and bleed spec.
- Audio recorded and produced to spec.
- Synchronized metadata across all formats.
- A re-export process when the source changes.
Chapter iii·Example
An author keeps one master file and derives each edition from it: an EPUB for ebook, a formatted PDF for print, and a script for audio. When she fixes a name on page 50, she updates the master and re-exports the ebook and print files together — so no format is left carrying the old error.
WriteLoom keeps one canonical manuscript and its formats in sync, so a fix in the source reaches every edition.
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