Now that your ebook has been packed into a neat little EXE (or PDF) file, it’s time to make it available for download from the Internet.

But, before you send it online, there are two things to do first:

1. Consider compression

You can compress your e-book file to make it smaller (in memory terms) using compression software like WinZip. You can get a shareware copy of WinZip from the WinZip website.

WinZip compresses your files and packages them into a self-extracting ZIP file. When your readers double-click on the compressed file, WinZip will launch automatically. Then they just need to click the extract button, to install the e-book to any folder they want.

You should offer both compressed and uncompressed versions of your e-book on the download page.

This will enable a quicker download for those customers who have WinZip and are familiar with it. By the same token, those who don’t know about using WinZip have the option of downloading the larger file.

You should indicate the file size in both cases, and perhaps give an estimated download time across a standard 56k dial-up connection.

You should also give brief instructions on how to use WinZip and place a link to the WinZip website.

2. Scan for a virus

Don’t risk spreading a virus to your customers through your e-book. Before you send it online for others to download, it’s imperative that you run a virus-scan on it.

Make sure that you use an up-to-date virus scanning software. If you don’t have one, then send a copy of your book to a friend who does.

An e-book compiler is the software you use to pack (compile) your information into a single file that can be easily downloaded and opened on a PC.

There are two main types of e-book compiler:

1.Those that will take content which is contained in HTML files (web pages) and package it into a single EXE file.

2.Those that will take content which is contained in HTML or text files and package it into a PDF file.

Here’s a closer look at both types:

1. Compilers that make EXE books using HTML files

HTML compilers are usually very easy to use. However, before you use the compiler itself, you need to put your information into HTML format (web pages, basically). A little later we’ll be looking at how to do this. Once your content is in web page format, the compiler will take all the pages that make up your book (together with any images, etc. within those pages) and compresses the whole lot in one single file.

The file that is created is an EXE file (a stand-alone executable file) that can be opened by double-clicking on the icon.

Books made using an HTML compiler usually work on Windows PCs only and, in most cases, readers will need to have Internet Explorer 4 (or higher) installed.

2. Compilers that make PDF books using text or HTML files

While there are now a few imitations on the market, the main compiler in this category is Adobe’s Acrobat. The output file is in PDF format (Portable Document File). Your readers will need to have Adobe’s Acrobat Reader installed to read this type of e-book. This can be downloaded for free from Adobe.com.

PDF e-books are more ‘printer-friendly’ than EXEs, but personally I find them a bit cumbersome to read and to navigate.

The main advantage PDFs is that they will work on any platform (Windows, Mac, etc).

If you’d like to see an example of a PDF e-book, you can download a free copy of “Unleashing the Ideavirus” from the Ideavirus website.

Some exceptions

There are a couple of exceptions to these two basic compiler types. There are those that come with a built-in ‘reader’ of their own (so you don’t need to have Internet Explorer or Acrobat Reader installed). There are those that combine aspects of the two basic types described above. For example, some compilers will output an EXE file using text files as the source.

Finally, there are compilers that have a built-in word processor, so you create the contents of the book inside the compiler itself.

Conclusion

If you’re just starting out and you want to keep costs down and keep everything as simple as possible, then go for one of the HTML compilers. When you’re up and running you can look at making the extra investment in a PDF compiler.

I have come across some websites that i wanted to save de page for later review. I found that i was havin’ some problems with certain sites. I found a way around it.

what you need:adobe acrobat 6 pro or better
popupcop

dere may be a simpler way to do this but i found that this works:

when at a webpage that you want to copy (YOU MUST BE USING IE AND HAVE BOTH POPUPCOP INSTALLED AND ADOBE ACROBAT 6 PRO OR HIGHER, ACROBAT ICON MUST BE IN IE TOOLBAR TO CONVERT TO .PDF), slide popupcops popup intensity bar to de far left, now click on adobe acrobat icon to convert webpage to .pdf document. I have yet to find a webpage where this trick does not work.