Behind the Scenes:
The Making of My Illustration eBook
The eBook Assembly Line
Creating an eBook is a meticulous process involving several key steps. My journey started with Procreate, a digital illustration app where I transformed my ideas into vivid art. I then drafted the words in Google Sheets. The sheet layout enabled me to organize text efficiently and separate languages, essential for my plan to publish the book in Japanese, English, and Chinese.
With the assistance of ChatGPT, I ensured that spelling and grammar were accurate for all languages. Once the content was prepared, I used Adobe InDesign for layout and formatting. Finally, I employed the Kindle Comic Creator to transform my work into a compatible eBook format.
A Paperless Venture
Each device in my toolkit had a unique role in the eBook creation process. I used the iPad Mini for spelling and grammar checks via ChatGPT, the iPad Pro M1 11″ for illustrations via Procreate, and the MacBook Air M2 for text creation and layout design using Google Sheets and Adobe InDesign, respectively. The DiffusionBee app was instrumental in generating AI images for the background. This project was completed without using a single piece of paper – 100% paperless venture.
Something about Cover Design
Unlike physical books, which can be flipped through in a bookstore, the cover is the only visual representation of a Kindle eBook, making an attractive design crucial. My cover design process began with a simple hand sketch in Procreate. The idea was to depict myself looking up at the sky while riding a bicycle, viewed from above. To ensure the perspective was correct, I used a bicycle 3D model from the SketchUp app as a reference for tracing the angles.
A Tale of Two Versions
While creating the Japanese and English versions of the book, I encountered a challenge. I had included popular quotes from Japanese dramas in the Japanese version, but found these difficult to translate effectively into English with my existing language skills. For the English version, I decided to replace these quotes with a list of recommended dramas instead. Since I didn’t need to translate the titles, I was able to search for them online easily.
After 20 days of diligent work, my illustration book is now available in both English and Japanese on Amazon Kindle. I invite you to join me on this journey and enjoy reading my book.
Kindle book links:
