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Planning a Book

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In Typemill, it’s important to remember that your content can be published in multiple formats: as a website and as a book in PDF and EPUB format. To ensure both versions work smoothly, you should plan and structure your content with both formats in mind.

Think in Books

The eBook plugin provides multiple options to generate eBooks. You can export eBooks from:

  • The entire website
  • Projects
  • Folders
  • Single pages

However, in this guide, we focus on eBooks generated from projects. Using projects is the most structured way to manage multiple independent publications. It also ensures that each author can only view and edit their own work.

Plan Your Publication

Typemill supports nested folders and files, allowing you to create very detailed hierarchies. However, deeply nested structures can make eBook generation more complex, especially because headline levels must adjust based on the folder depth. Although Typemill provides features to adjust headline levels in eBooks, it’s often clearer and easier to plan your structure in advance and keep it as flat as possible.

Before you plan the structure of your content, you should also familiarize yourself with the different eBook layouts for the PDF version. Some layouts work fine with all kinds of structures, while other layouts require a specific structure of your content. For example, the Folio layout uses two columns and special sections for main chapters. It works best with two-level structures and very short introduction text on the first level.

For our training material, we will use the Report layout. This is a simple layout that works fine with any kind of content structure.

Example: One Level Structure

This guide about "Publishing Training Material" is structured only with pages on the first level. It’s the simplest structure a publication can have:

├ PROJECT: Book Series
├── FILE: Home
├── FILE: Your Publishing Goals
├── FILE: Introducing Typemill
├── FILE: Setting up Typemill
├── FILE: Setting up Projects
├── FILE: Adding Authors
├── FILE: Planning a Book
├── FILE: Creating Content
├── FILE: Publishing Websites
├── FILE: Creating eBooks
├── FILE: Publishing eBooks
└── FILE: Managing Permissions

Since all files contain a headline and subheadings, the Table of Contents in the eBook will look like this:

### Table of Contents

h1 Modern Publishing for Organisations
h1 Your Publishing Goals
    h2 Goal 1: Budget-Friendly Process
    h2 Goal 2: Multiple Publications
    h2 Goal 3: Multiple Authors
    h2 Goal 4: Multiple Formats
    h2 Goal 5: Flexible Access
    h2 How to Reach Your Goals
h1 Introducing Typemill
    h2 A Modern Publishing Mindset
    h2 Simplified Publishing with Typemill
    h2 Principles of Typemill
    h2 Limitations of Typemill
h1 Setting up Your Publishing Platform
    h2 Install Typemill on Your Server
    h2 Configure the System
h1 Setting up Projects
    h2 Configure Projects in the Settings
    h2 Switch Between Projects
h1 Adding Authors
    h2 Create New User Accounts
    h2 Restrict Access to Projects
h1 Creating Content
    h2 Navigation (Left Sidebar)
    h2 Content Area (Right Side)
    h2 Publish Controller (Bottom Toolbar)
    h2 Tabs (Above the Editor)
    h2 Media Library (Top Right)
    h2 AI Assistance (Next to Media Icon)
h1 Publishing Websites with Typemill
    h2 Choosing a Theme
    h2 Configuring Your Theme
    h2 Publishing Pages
    h2 Managing Metadata
    h2 Project Switch
h1 Creating eBooks with Typemill
    h2 Install the eBook Plugin
    h2 Plugin Configuration Options
    h2 Create an eBook
    h2 Step 1: Create a Book Project
    h2 Step 2: Select Content
    h2 Step 3: Configure the PDF
    h2 Step 4: Generate the PDF
h1 Managing Permissions
    h2 Permissions for Authors
    h2 Restrict the Full Website
    h2 Restrict Access to Single Pages
    h2 Restrict Access for Individual Files
    h2 Use the Register Plugin

This approach keeps your book and website consistent, clear, and accessible, ensuring that readers can easily follow the hierarchy and navigate your content without confusion.

Example: Two-Level Structure

Sometimes it makes sense to use a two-level structure, especially if you have a larger publication project, or if you decide to use a special layout like Folio, that works best with a two-level structure and short introduction snippets. Here’s an example Table of Contents for a handbook called “Community Health & Wellbeing: A Practical Guide.”

### Table of Contents

0. Foreword

1. Introduction  
   1.1 Welcome Message
   1.1.1 ...
   1.1.2 ...
   1.2 About This Handbook
   1.2.1 ...
   1.3 How to Use This Guide 
   1.3.1 ... 

2. Healthy Communities  
   2.1 Defining Community Health  
   2.2 Key Challenges in Urban Areas  
   2.3 Case Study: Local Food Initiatives  

3. Programs and Strategies  
   3.1 Education and Awareness  
   3.2 Mental Health Support  
   3.3 Physical Activity Programs  
   3.4 Partnerships and Local Networks  

4. Measuring Impact 
   4.1 Data Collection and Surveys  
   4.2 Reporting and Transparency  
   4.3 Continuous Improvement  

5. Appendix  
   5.1 Glossary  
   5.2 Resources and Further Reading  
   5.3 Acknowledgements

Below is the corresponding Typemill folder and file structure for this publication:

├ PROJECT: community-health-guide
├── FILE (Home): Foreword
├── FOLDER: Introduction
│ ├── FILE: Welcome Message
│ ├── FILE: About this Handbook
│ └── FILE: How to Use this Guide
├── FOLDER: Healthy Communities
│ ├── FILE: Defining Community Health
│ ├── FILE: Key Challenges in Urban Areas
│ └── FILE: Local Food Initiatives
├── FOLDER: Programs and Strategies
│ ├── FILE: Education and Awareness
│ ├── FILE: Mental Health Support
│ ├── FILE: Physical Activity Programs
│ └── FILE: Partnerships and Local Networks
├── FOLDER: Measuring Impact
│ ├── FILE: Data Collection
│ ├── FILE: Reporting and Transparency
│ └── FILE: Continuous Improvement
└── FOLDER: Appendix
│ ├── FILE: Glossary
│ ├── FILE: Resources
│ └── FILE: Acknowledgements

Final Recommendations

When planning a publication with Typemill:

  • Familiarize yourself with the different layouts of the eBook plugin first.
  • Start by designing a clear structure before writing any content.
  • Test your setup on the website and with the selected eBook layout to ensure both outputs work seamlessly.
  • For most projects, a simple one-level structure is ideal.
  • For larger works, use a two-level structure with top-level folders and files inside each folder.

This approach guarantees that your content remains easy to navigate, export, and maintain, whether published online or as an eBook.