CREATING IBOOKS WITH

IBOOKS AUTHOR
WALTERS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WELCOME! HOW TO USE THIS IBOOK...

1. VISIT EACH CHAPTER IN ORDER
AND READ THE INTRODUCTORY
TEXT.

123456

2. WATCH EACH VIDEO AND ENLARGE THE VIDEO BY CLICKING IN

THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER.

3. IF POSSIBLE, FOLLOW ALONG

WITH THIS IBOOK ON YOUR OWN
COPY OF IBOOKS AUTHOR

4. AFTER WATCHING EACH CHAPTERS VIDEOS, TAKE THE CHAPTERS

SELF-ASSESSMENT TO ADVANCE
i

ACCESSING
IBOOKS AUTHOR
By the end of this chapter,
you will be able to...
Discern the right hardware and software for
making iBooks

Navigate comfortably
around the OS X operating system
Download and launch

The desktop of an Apple computer

running OS X Mavericks

LESSON 1: WHERE DO I START?

In the 15th century, a German inventor named Johannes Gutenberg created the worlds first mass producing
printing press. Using a small team and heavy equipment, Gutenberg was able to produce 240 copies in an hour.
In the 21st century, however, an educator equipped with nothing more than an Apple computer and a little training can publish to millions (or selectively to their class) in minutes.
Before you begin this exciting journey of creating your own iBook, you not only need to ensure that you have the
right hardware and software in front of you, but you also need to know how to comfortably navigate within the operating system and how to download and install applications. This chapter seeks to help you accomplish these
tasks.
Johannes Gutenberg - Public Domain

Section 1.1 System and Software Requirements

Click on the following lessons and follow along on your Apple computer (if
available). When finished, complete
the self review below to see if you are
ready to advance to the next chapter.

Chapter 1 Review: Check Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
iBooks Author can run on Windows
PCs and Apple computers

Timeline (Total 9:57)

0:34 - Needed Hardware
6:12 - Needed Software
Section 1.2 Navigating Comfortably in OS X

Section 1.3 Downloading and Launching iBooks Author

Timeline (Total 19:25)

0:55 - The Trackpad
8:30 - Launching Applications
13:00 - Quitting Applications
16:47 - Finding and Accessing Files

Timeline (Total 5:06)

0:26 - Download applications via Mac
App Store
3:15 - Download applications via the
Internet

A. True
B. False

Check Answer

USING TEMPLATES

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to

* Select a template from the Template Chooser

* Import a template from the Internet
* Expand your template by adding chapters, sections,
and pages.

A selection of the pre-installed templates available in iBooks Author

LESSON 2: TEMPLATES
Less than a thousand kilometers from Gutenbergs home town of Mainz, Germany, an Italian cathedrals bell tower
in the province of Pisa stands as a reminder of the importance of a strong foundation.
Templates are the foundation for which you will build your iBook. Just like any foundation in construction, ensuring
you have a strong foundation is vital to the structural integrity of the entire building project. Creating iBooks is no
different.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa by

Alkarex Malin ger, Creative
Commons 3.0 Share Alike

Templates give you pre-formatted chapters, sections, pages, styles, fonts, and place-holder images. If you like a
template overall but wish to change certain elements, this is certainly possible. You can even then Save as
Template...and make the new modified template your own. Templates can also be imported from the Internet.
Selecting a template, however, should not be your first step in creating your iBook. It is highly encouraged that you
outline the chapters and sections that you plan on incorporating into the iBook. This will greatly help you with template building.
6

Section 2.1: Selecting Templates from the Template

Chooser Lorem Ipsum dolor amet, consectetur
Click on the following lessons and follow along on your Apple computer (if
available). When finished, complete
the self review below to see if you are
ready to advance to the next chapter.

Chapter 2 Review: Check Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What is the quickest way to launch
the template chooser?

A. Search Template
Chooser in Spotlight

Section 2.2: Importing and Saving Templates

Section 2.3: Expand your template by

adding chapters, sections, and pages

B. Launch iBooks
Author
C. Click on Template
Chooser on the Desktop

Check Answer

CREATION TOOLS
By the end of this chapter,
you will be able to...

* Use the tables tool to

add and format tables

* Use the text tool to add

and format the text

* Comfortably use the

charts tool to add and
format charts

* Use the shapes tool to

add and format shapes
and borders

* Use the widgets tool to

add interactive content

LESSON 3: CREATION TOOLS

Johannes Gutenberg had multiple pieces of heavy equipment needed to create text. The first
was the bulky room-sized press in itself. The second was Guttenbergs movable type. These
tools required a small staff trained on how to use the printing press.
While Gutenberg had these tools, you will be using the much more flexible and functional Text
Box, Shapes, Table, Charts, and Widgets tools. While it may be surprising that advanced
iBooks can be created with these icons alone, there is certainly more than meets the eye with
these tools.
This chapter hopes to stack your tool belt with everything you need to begin designing great
content.
WikiRigaou, CC 3.0
9

Section 3.1: The Text Tool

Section 3.2: The Shapes Tool

Click on the following lessons and follow along on your Apple computer (if
available). When finished, complete
the self review below to see if you are
ready to advance to the next chapter.

Chapter 3 Review: Check Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
The easiest way to add text is to...

Section 3.3: The Tables Tool

Section 3.4: The Charts Tool

A. ...click on Text Box in

the menu bar
B. ...choose Format->
Text

Section 3.5: The Widgets Tool

C. ...drag text from a Microsoft Word document

Check Answer

10

MEDIA AND
INSPECTION TOOLS
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to...
* Comfortably use the Inspector tool
* Find and Insert media using the Media panel
* Manipulate colors using the Colors panel
* Change fonts using the fonts panel

CHAPTER 4: PERFECTING YOUR IBOOK

Gutenberg did not have the ability to add widgets to his books like you just did in Chapter 3.
If he was able to change the world in monochromatic text, how much more will you be able to transform
your classroom with the graphic design options afforded to you with this program?
In this chapter, we will discuss adding flare to your content with the Inspector, Colors, and Fonts tools and
we will also be discussing the Media tool, which is designed to aid you in finding and adding multimedia
content to your iBook.
We are hoping that this is where you tap into your creative potential and create an iBook that is easy on the
eyes and the learning process.

12

Section 4.1: The Inspector Tool

Click on the following lessons and follow along on your Apple computer (if
available). When finished, complete
the self review below to see if you are
ready to advance to the next chapter.

Chapter 4 Review: Check Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
Which of these launches the Inspector Tool?

Sections 4.2: The Media Tool

Check Answer

Sections 4.3 & 4.4 : The Colors and

Fonts Tools

13

PREVIEWING, PRINTING,
AND PUBLISHING.
By the end of this chapter,
you will be able to...
* Preview how your book
will appear on iMacs,
MacBooks, and iPads

* Export and Print a draft

of your book to PDF and
other file formats
* Recognize the steps
needed to publish your
iBook to your classes
and to the world

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna.

LESSON 5: IT IS TIME TO PUBLISH

Brace yourself: You are about to become a published author. While aspiring authors had to wait weeks and pay large sums of money to have
Gutenbergs team print and publish their materials, you will be able to do this in minutes.
Before you publish, it is vital that the book is previewed to ensure that it is displaying correctly. While iBooks Author has a WYSIWYG editor,
you cannot truly experience the iBook while you are an editing mode--many interactive features are not functional, borders and margins are
difficult to proof, and usability testing is nearly impossible.
Once you have previewed the text, it will be ready to publish to students using the iBooks Store, iTunes U, locally, or even exported to other
file formats, such as PDF. This chapter will walk you through all of these processes.

15

Section 5.1: Previewing your iBook

Click on the following lessons and follow along on your Apple computer (if
available). When finished, complete
the self review below to see if you are
ready to advance to the next chapter.

Chapter 5 Review: Check Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
Which of these devices can you not
see a preview your iBook?

Section 5.2: Exporting your iBook

Section 5.3: Publishing your iBook

A. Your Macbook/iMac
B. iPhone
C. iPad

Check Answer

16