Specifically, creating two separate columns, and incorporating images in specific and strategic areas.
I’d like to make the ebook look like a real book in pdf form. As opposed to some ebooks that look like a word document slapped together and put into pdf form.
. Any other advice on what should be avoided and included to make an ebook visually impressive??
InDesign is pretty easy to get to grips with once you understand the basic principles. The majority of work is done with a few basic tools and you don’t need to master much to be able to layout text with visual elements.
There are some good resources for ‘cheating’ on good combinations of layout/fonts/style etc. If you are serious about putting together a good book and also about any future projects I would seriously consider reading up a little and experimenting before launching into the book. Inevitably you will get better as the book progresses, so it is actually more important that the text and any accompanying image material is prepared ahead of time than in the layout stage. Layout is comparatively easy once all that prep is done.
At the end of the day tight content and concise reading is better than a long winded chuck everything in approach that can be afforded by digital distribution. I’d write as though it was going to the printing press where every page is costing you money to produce. Your readers will thank you.
Oh I should mention that you can always copy the combination of a book layout that you enjoy reading. You should be able to match the font, spacing, headings and general feel without too much effort.
MS Publisher is actually capable of doing such layouts. But if you want something with more flexibility, I would suggest that you go for the higher end software like InDesign.