MOBI files (book.mobi) are for Amazon Kindle. Because Amazon is the big player in the space, they are able to set their own standards that are different from anyone else’s. Mobi files can be a little more complicated to edit, but they’re crucial, as Amazon will be where the vast majority of your books are sold. HOW TO CREATE YOUR EBOOK LAYOUT Like most steps in this process, you have two options: you can do it yourself, or you can hire someone. We’re just going to be blunt about this: unless you decided to go the Vellum route described earlier, don’t do it yourself. Steer clear of any “automated” eBook conversions that involve uploading a PDF or Word file. Ironically, Amazon accepts these formats and will attempt to create a Kindle file from them, but the results are never good. Unlike with print books, the cheap eBook designers do a better job than you will, so it’s not worth messing with. As with some of the other design elements, there are three places we’d turn for varying qualities of eBook. FIVERR As we discussed, Fiverr is a marketplace of services that are all available for $5. Obviously, no matter what you’re getting, it isn’t going to be of the highest quality, but with eBooks, they’re actually passable. I wouldn’t recommend them to an author doing a professional business book, or for a book with a lot of hierarchy and headers (you should go through in Word and tag the headers properly in advance, because a Fiverr designer won’t get them right), but for authors with a seriously tight budget, it’s an option. DESigN yOUr BOOk lAyOUT · 303