Open a new Web browser window and log in to your Google eBooks account. Go to the “My eBooks” page. Click on the title of a book. An overview screen opens. Select “Read On Your Device.”
Select the EPUB or PDF link to download the file to your computer. Select an EPUB file over a PDF if you have a choice. EPUB files are generally easier to clean up than PDF files.
Open a new Web browser window and go to calibre-ebook.com. Click the “Download” link, select your operating system and click the download link. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install Calibre to your computer.
Click the “Add Books” icon at the top of the Calbre window. Navigate to the book and click “Open.”
Click the book in the center menu and click the “Convert Books” icon. Select “RTF” in the “Output Format” menu to convert the book to Rich Text Format. Click “OK.”
Click the arrow beside the “View” menu and select “View Specified Format.” Select “RTF.” The file opens in your default word processor. Alternatively, navigate to the “Calibre Library” to locate the RTF file. Books are organized in author folders inside the Calibre Library folder.
Press “Ctrl-A” to select all of the text, then apply the font and paragraph formatting desired. Doing this first will make it easier to spot faulty paragraph breaks and hyphenated words.
Proofread the entire text for missing paragraph breaks, unusual characters, hyphenated words and missing tabs.
Copy any unusual characters you may find in the document by highlighting it and pressing “Ctrl-C.” Press “Ctrl-F” to find other instances of this character. You can then quickly delete all instances of the character, or use the Search and Replace function to replace the unusual character with a space or the proper character.
Verify the required format and page size required for your print on demand service. Most services accept Word DOC format, RTF, or PDF. Proofread the book again before submitting it for printing.