[exaltedwombat]

OK, that title got your attention!

Any thoughts from the folk here who do commercial eBook design on how clever it's currently sensible to get with layout?

We've all had customers who baulk when it doesn't look "just like the printed book". Quite advanced layout can be achieved in Sigil, and it renders nicely in ADE. But then you transfer to (say) an Android tablet, with its choice of epub readers, and everything falls apart. Not to mention the real-life necessity of having to also deliver a mobi version. And whatever we think of mobi, this is a non-negotiable - the book's GOING to be put on the Amazon shop.

Is there any point in going beyond simple text with inline pictures and graphics? Is it now safe to use simple, non-nested tables? Attempting to include fonts other than generic serif or sans-serif? Is there an official-looking statement I can direct clients to laying out just what features it is reasonable to expect?

Comments from people who create eBooks for general distribution would be of great interest!