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Chapter 1: Getting Started with Pressbooks

Section 1.1: Introduction to Pressbooks

Pressbooks is an open-source platform designed for creating and distributing digital books. It is widely used in education for publishing Open Educational Resources (OER) and provides a simple yet powerful interface for organizing content, adding multimedia, and formatting books for different platforms. Whether you’re publishing an eBook, a PDF, or an online resource, Pressbooks offers flexibility and control over every aspect of your project.

Why Use Pressbooks?

• Easily format books without needing coding knowledge.
• Publish in multiple form, download a copy (PDF, ePub, Webbook).
• Integrate multimedia, tables, and interactive content.

Digital Accessibility Adapted from Person Showing Online Book by indypendez, Canva.com © 2024 by Megan Zara is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Section 1.2: Setting Up Your Book

• Creating a new project in Pressbooks is simple. After logging into your account, click on “Create a New Book.” You will need to provide a title, a brief description, and choose a URL for your book. This is also the stage where you can choose a basic theme, although this can be changed later.
• Create a New Book
• Add Book Information (title, description, author details)
• Choose a Theme

Section 1.3: Overview of Features

Before diving into content creation, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the Pressbooks dashboard. The key features you’ll be working with include:

Text Editor: Allows you to add and format text.

Media Uploader: For adding images, audio, and video.

Organize Tab: Lets you structure your book into chapters and sections.

Export Options: Multiple formats available for download, including PDF and ePub.

Chapter 2: Importing Content

Section 2.1: Supported File Types

Pressbooks supports the import of content from several file formats:

Word Documents (.docx): The most common format for text-based content.

HTML Files: If your content is web-based, importing via HTML ensures that the basic structure is maintained.

ePub Files: Ideal for adapting existing eBooks.

Section 2.2: Importing a Word Document

Pressbooks makes it easy to import content from Word. To begin:

Click on Tools > Import from the left menu.

Choose the Word (.docx) option.

Upload your Word document, making sure it is correctly formatted using Heading styles.

Once imported, you may need to clean up any formatting issues such as incorrect headings or misplaced images.

[Insert Table 1: Common Word Import Formatting Issues]

Section 2.3: Troubleshooting Import Issues

When importing, it’s not uncommon to encounter some issues, particularly with complex documents. Some common problems include:

Headings or lists not converting properly

Loss of special formatting (e.g., custom fonts or colors)