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Build a Table of Contents
Prepare your document with a table of contents in mind. It is all done by using the Heading 1 style . For example, say you are creating a Recipe book. Give the title of each recipe a Heading 1 style. This is what Mobipocket Creator will use to create your Table of Contents and make it clickable in your finished ebook.
Highlight the title or heading for each recipe. Look at the top of your word processing program for the word Default or Normal. If there is an arrow to the right of that, click it and look for Heading 1. Click Heading 1 to set the formatting style for that title. You will notice it will be bold and larger than your normal text. This is fine. Do this for every title or item you want displayed on your Table of Contents. When it is all done, your table of contents will be listed in the order each item appears in your document.
I used OpenOffice to create my rtf file, mainly because it is so easy to select and use Heading Styles, but if you have MS Word, that will work too. You need to find how to use Heading Styles (it is different in the newest version) and choose Heading 1 style for your selected text. If you are using Office 2007, use the keyboard command CTRL+Shift+S to easily bring up the styles box. Highlight the text you want in your table of contents, then use the style box to select Heading 1 for it. Do this for each item you want tracked as a Table of Contents item.
Click the word File at the top of the document window. Save the file as an .rtf file or export it as an html file. Either file format will work. This way the H1 (heading 1) style will be embedded in the file and you will be able to refer to it later when you go to create your final ebook in Mobipocket Creator.
Mobipocket Creator
This is a wonderfully easy to use application. Download it for FREE at http://mobipocket.com and install it. If you have been reading my tips you already have the Mobipocket Reader (free) software. The reader is good, and can do a lot of easy converting, but the Creator will go a few steps further. As you work with it and spend some quality time getting to know it, you may end up publishing something to sell on Amazon.
I plan to (soon) begin a new project and gather and organize all the interesting tips I have shared so far in this blog so interested Kindlers will have access to it on Amazon as a new (inexpensive) ebook with a nice clickable table of contents.
Use Mobipocket Creator to compile the .rtf or .html document for the kindle.
It will create a Table of Contents out of the Heading 1 elements of your document, with links to each item in your document.
- Open Mobipocket Creator
- Move your mouse pointer to the Import From Existing File area and click MS Word document (if it is an rtf file)
- Drag your rtf or html file to the little white box to the right of the words Choose a file (or click the browse button to the right of that and find your file and click on it)
- Click the Import button
- Mobipocket Creator will convert the file to an html (web) file and preserve your H1 headings. When finished, you will see your file listed in the Publication Files area
- In the View area, click Table of Contents to go to the Table of Contents section
- Click the Add a Table of Contents button
- In the first box to the right of the words First Level, type h1
- Click the Update button (you may need to scroll down a bit to find it)
- You should have two files listed in your Publication Files area
- Back to the View area, click the word Metadata and add any extra information you want. You can even add a cover image here if you have one.
- Click the Build button at the top of the main window when you are ready, take all the defaults selected, then click the Build button in this lower area.
- When it is finished you will have an ok button. Click this to see what your book will look like in the Mobipocket Reader. The file is finished and in your ebooks folder, ready for you to put on your Kindle.
.....with a nice new clickable table of contents!
Caveat: Mobipocket Reader and Creator is only for PCs. I am keeping an eye out for a nice freeware program that will help you build your ebook with table of contents for Macs. When I find it , I will shake it down good and share!
