Jutoh is an eBook (electronic book) creation application you’ll use to convert your manuscript into an eBook file that you’ll publish. It’s one of several alternatives for creating eBooks, and the one that I use.

This page contains step-by-step instructions for installing Jutoh and the other tools you’ll use to produce eBooks using a PC that runs Microsoft Windows 10. If you use a Mac, you can install Jutoh on it, but I haven’t done that.

The process of creating an eBook using Jutoh is simple:

Creating an eBook using Jutoh

1. Write your manuscript using LibreOffice, Microsoft Word, or another Word Processing application. If you like you can even use Jutoh to write your eBook.
2. Import your manuscript into Jutoh, and edit the resulting Jutoh Project to make it look good as an eBook. This step is similar to the typesetting process a print publisher performs to produce printed Galleys.
3. Use Jutoh to generate an eBook file for each format you want to publish (Mobi, ePub, etc.). In this step, you preview your eBook files with Amazon’s Kindle Previewer and Adobe’s Digital Editions, then go back and adjust the Jutoh project until you’re happy with the look and behavior of the eBook file in each format.
4. Publish your eBook files to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press, Apple’s iBook Authors, and other electronic and print distributors.

The tools you’ll install are:

• I assume you’ve already installed a popular manuscript editing application, such as LibreOffice or Microsoft Word.
• Jutoh and the Kindle-format Jutoh Manual, Creating Great Ebooks Using Jutoh
• KindleGen, Amazon’s tool for creating a Kindle-compatible eBook. Jutoh uses KindleGen to create Kindle eBooks.
• The Kindle App, Amazon’s eBook reader. You’ll use this app to preview your Kindle-format eBooks. You’ll also use it to read the Jutoh Reference Manual.
• Kindle Previewer, Amazon’s eBook testing application. You’ll use this app to see what your Kindle-format eBooks will look like on various types of Kindle devices.
• Adobe Digital Editions, Adobe’s eBook reader. You’ll use this app to preview your ePub-format eBooks.

Let’s get started!

Install Kindle on your PC

1. I assume you have already created a Kindle user account.
2. Browse to https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp
3. Click the black button labeled Download for PC & Mac. It will download the appropriate installer for your PC. This will begin downloading the installer.
4. Wait for the installer to finish downloading.
5. Run the resultant downloaded installer
6. Follow the installation instructions in the installer.
7. Run Kindle and log in using your user account.  Kindle will remember who you are.

Download the Jutoh Reference Manual

First, choose how you want to read the manual. You can either simply buy a copy of Creating Great Ebooks Using Jutoh through Amazon, or you can download that book from the Jutoh site. By buying a copy you can sync it on all your Kindle devices; on the other hand, downloading from the Jutoh site is free. If you’re just getting started, you can download the manual, then buy a copy later if you wish.

To download the Jutoh manual:

1. Browse to http://www.jutoh.com/book.htm
2. Scroll down to Guide for Jutoh 2
3. Click on the link labeled MobiPocket
4. Wait for the download to finish.
5. Copy the downloaded .mobi file from your Downloads folder to wherever you like on your PC. You may want to rename it to something more descriptive than the default “JutohBook.mobi”; for example, you could rename it to “JutohManual.mobi”
6. Drag the .mobi file to your desktop shortcut for Kindle. This will open the book and Kindle will add it to its local library. Note: it won’t sync to your other Kindle devices; if you want to sync across your Kindle devices, buy the book from Amazon.

Install Jutoh

1. Browse to http://jutoh.com/download.htm
2. Click on the Windows 32 bit download (the recommended download for Windows).
3. Wait for the download to finish.
4. Run the downloaded installer.  I prefer to run it as Administrator:
   1. In Chrome, right-click on the downloaded file and select Show in folder The file will be named something like Jutoh-2.51-Setup.exe
   2. In the resultant Windows Explorer, Right-click that Setup.exe file and select Run as Administrator
5. In any case, follow the instructions during the install. I found the defaults useful, so I didn’t change any of the installation settings. Note: When the installer asks if you wish to install KindleGen, say Yes.
6. When Jutoh launches for the first time, you’ll do a little configuration:
   1. Skip the registration for now. You can buy your downloaded copy once you’re happy with it.
   2. Select a folder in which to put your Jutoh Projects. I like something under Documents, such as Documents/JutohProjects.  Don’t worry: when you create a Project, you tell Jutoh what folder to put the project in, anywhere on your PC.
   3. Select View / Preferences… / General, then check the box labeled Check ePub after Compiling – that will make sure you never miss an error.

Install KindleGen

SKIP THIS STEP if Jutoh installed KindleGen during the Jutoh installation.

As mentioned above, the Jutoh installer will help you install KindleGen. If you happened to skip that step in the Jutoh installation, just follow these steps:

1. If Jutoh is running, exit Jutoh (File / Exit)
2. Browse to https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000729511, Kindle Publisher Tools with KF8
3. Under Resources (to the right of the page), click on the link labeled KindleGen.
4. On the resulting page, scroll down to the three buttons labeled Download Now
5. Read the Terms of Use, and if you agree to them, click I agree to terms of use
6. Click on the Download Now button for Windows.
7. Wait for the .zip file to finish downloading.
8. Extract the resultant .zip file:
   1. Right-click on the file in Chrome and select Show in folder
   2. The Windows Explorer (file explorer) will appear, with the .zip file highlighted.
   3. Right-click on the highlighted .zip file and select Extract All…
   4. Wait for the extraction to finish
9. Move the resultant folder, named something like kindlegen_win32_v2_9, to your Documents folder. Some people like to copy such things to Program Files, but I’ve had Permissions trouble with things I copied to Program Files without an installer, so I copy it to Documents. NOTE: remember where you copied it, because next you will tell Jutoh the path to KindleGen.
10. Start Jutoh
11. In Jutoh, Select View / Preferences… / Helpers
12. Under the KindleGen Location section of the dialog, click the Browse button.
13. Navigate in that dialog to the KindleGen .exe file. This tells Jutoh where to find KindleGen
14. Click OK

Install Adobe Digital Editions

1. If Jutoh is running, exit Jutoh (File / Exit)
2. Browse to http://www.adobe.com/solutions/ebook/digital-editions/download.html
3. Under Adobe Digital Editions x.x.x Installers, click on the Windows download.
4. Run the resultant file. I like to Run as Administrator for setup programs (see above).
5. Follow the installation instructions. NOTE: The default installation will install Norton Security Scan on your PC. If you don’t want to install that extra software:
   1. When the installation is nearly complete, the installer will show a dialog labeled Get Norton Security Scan – FREE
      2. In that dialog, UNCHECK the box labeled Include Norton Security Scan.
      3. Click Next (which used to be labeled Agree until you unchecked Include…)

Install Kindle Previewer

1. In Jutoh, select View / Setup Wizard…
2. Walk through the settings until you find Help me install Kindle Previewer
3. Click the button labeled Help me install Kindle Previewer
4. Follow the steps of the Kindle Previewer Installer as it presents them to you.

Next Steps

Writing your manuscript with Jutoh in mind will save you a lot of trouble later. My next page shows a set of tips for Writing a Jutoh-Friendly manuscript.