Overview

The Jekyll Book Boilerplate is a self-publishing tool designed for authors looking to create and publish books. It is based on the Jekyll blog platform and provides a variety of features to make the book creation process easier and more efficient.

Features

• Table of contents: The boilerplate includes a table of contents feature, allowing readers to easily navigate through the chapters of the book.
• Buttons for previous and next chapter: The tool provides buttons for readers to move to the previous or next chapter, enhancing the reading experience.
• Scripts for spellchecking and converting: The boilerplate includes scripts for spellchecking the book and converting it to various formats, making it easier for authors to ensure the quality and versatility of their book.

Installation

To use the Jekyll Book Boilerplate, follow these steps:

1. If you are already familiar with Jekyll, copy the boilerplate code.
2. Place your book chapters in the “_chapters” folder.
3. Edit the “_config.yml” file, specifying the name and description of your book. If you followed the Github guide, set the baseurl property to “<your_book_title>”.
4. Create a Github account if you don’t have one.
5. Generate a new repository from the boilerplate by clicking on the following link: https://github.com/boris-marinov/jekyll-book-boilerplate/generate.
6. Fill out the “Repository Name” field and click “Create”. Your repository should now be available at “https://github.com/<your_username>/<your_book_title>”.
7. Enable Github pages by going to the profile of your repository at “https://github.com/<your_username>/<your_book_title>”, clicking on “Settings”, scrolling down to “Github pages”, and selecting “main” under the “Source” dropdown menu. Your book should now be accessible at “https://<your_username>.github.io/<your_book_title>”.

To convert the book to epub format:

1. Install Pandoc.
2. Edit the “/title.txt” file.
3. Start the convert script. Note that for MacOS, you may need to install GNU sed instead of the sed that comes with the operating system.

To perform spellchecking:

1. Install npm and the spellchecker-cli npm package.
2. Start the spellcheck script.
3. Exclude any words from the spellcheck by adding them to the “/dictionary.txt” file.

Summary

The Jekyll Book Boilerplate is a powerful tool for self-publishing books. With features like a table of contents, buttons for chapter navigation, and scripts for spellchecking and conversion, it simplifies the book creation process. By following the installation guide, authors can easily set up their book’s website on Github and utilize the various features offered by the boilerplate.