In short, it’s a pain–at least if you want to do it right. Sloppy is easy, right is hard. (From ebooks I’ve purchased in the past, even some of the major presses are occasionally content with sloppy. Why???)
Cleaning up the mess Word’s HTML makes…yeah, not my usual idea of a great time. Plus, I wanted to add some nice touches to the ebook, such as including the pretty cover (especially since the Kindle for Mac/PC/smartphone apps can see it in color), having the book open at the right place, and giving some polish to the design so the reader’s eyes will be happy.
I’m stubborn (and a perfectionist), and I think the finished version of Kismet’s Kiss is beautiful. With luck, readers will agree. My next formatting job should be much faster since I kept notes on what worked and what didn’t.
I’m uploading it to my Kindle to make sure every page is right, and I’ve been checking it within the Kindle for Mac and PC applications, too. The Kindle for iPhone and Android apps can only read actual Amazon purchases, so I can’t check Kiss on them until it’s for sale, but I will. (Did I mention my perfectionism?) There’s no iPad near me, alas, but after checking everything else, I’ll be feeling pretty solid about that, too.
I’m on target for an official release of Kismet’s Kiss in six days, on August 27!
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