User:CS2012/Books/Collaborative E-book creation using Wikipedia/Step by step

Step-by-step guide

This page shows you how to create a book from Wikipedia articles in four steps. Books can be created in PDF or OpenDocument formats, or ordered for printing on the PediaPress website.

Step 1: Enable the "Book Creator" tool

Fig. 1: First click on the "Create a book" link in the left margin. (Maybe you have to open the "Print/export" box first.)

Fig. 2: Click on the green button to start the book creator.

Step 2: Collect articles

Fig. 3: From now on, this toolbar will appear on top of every Wikipedia article. To add the currently viewed page to your book, just click on "Add this page to your book".

If you open a category page, the "Add this page to your book" will change to "Add this category to your book". Clicking on "Add this category to your book" will add all articles in that category.

After selecting a few articles, you can click on "Suggest pages" and you will be presented with a list of articles that are related to your selection. This helps you to create a more complete book if you run out of ideas, or just want to make sure that you haven't forgotten anything.

Fig. 4: You don't even have to open every page, you want to add to your book. Just hover over a link for a few seconds and click on "Add linked wiki page to your book" in the yellow box that appears.

Step 3: Review Your Book

Fig. 5: Once you are happy with the articles you collected, click on "Show book" to manage your book. You can give your book a title and subtitle, change the order of articles, remove articles, or add chapters to distinguish certain sections of your book.

Step 4: Download or order a printed book

Fig. 6: You can export your book in PDF, OpenDocument, or openZIM format (for Kiwix). Just select the desired format and click the "Download" button.

Fig. 7: To order a printed book, click on "Preview with PediaPress". Further information about printed books can be found in the FAQ.

Saving and sharing your book with others

To save your book, you must be a registered Wikipedia user (see Why create an account? for a detailed explanation). In addition, your user account must be autoconfirmed (usually meaning at least four days old and 10 edits). Then, you can save your book on the "Book" page, which can be reached by clicking the "Show book" link in the menu on the left hand side or in the toolbar.

In the "Save and share your book" section you have to choose whether you want to save your book

in your Wikipedia:User pages or
in the "community-maintained" Books namespace.

Finally, you have to provide a title for your book collection and click the "Save book" button.

Printed books from PediaPress

By clicking the "Preview with PediaPress" button, your collection of wiki articles will be uploaded to PediaPress, a service that prints books based on wiki content. Further information about the printed books can be found on the FAQ page, and at Help:Books/Printed books (including cost and format details).

In 2007 the Wikimedia Foundation and PediaPress agreed upon a long-term partnership aimed to improve the availability of Wikipedia and other wiki-based project content in the form of high-quality print products or text documents in the OpenDocument format.