Breaking news!!!!! Sony to sell Epub only

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

So who sells epub books right now? I thought I had read someone say that "all the big regional ebook vendors sell epub" but I can hardly find any epub books anywhere except for the free ones via Google. Fictionwise doesn't seem to sell any. Books on Board has some. Are there are other big vendors out there?

Many UK ebooks are ePub only. I use WHSmith but their are other stores.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Many UK ebooks are ePub only. I use WHSmith but their are other stores.

Waterstones is where I buy mine from

[RJ_Cruze_Jr]

Just my two cents -- and they're probably barely even worth that.

Now, on reading this, I was a bit disappointed, mainly because I've finally got my .lrfs coming out of calibre exactly the way I want them (so, definite self-interest there). Also, I'm not really that impressed with the epub format as it stands (I can go either way on justification, but I do find the pagination style annoying).

However.

That said, in my opinion, Sony getting on board with epub might be just the push it takes to force improvements in the format. The more people that are using it, the more incentive there is to fine-tune it. And that's a Good Thing.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

What I don't understand in this whole argument is the comparison to the real world and the digital. I don't read newspapers or magazines in print, haven't for a long time, the web versions are suited to a different medium and I wouldn't want them trying to replicate the physical medium. What works in the physical world, especially design wise, cannot be rammed into the digital where 're-flow' and 'fluidity' are the cornerstones of the design ethic. Websites, as with ePub have to degrade and upgrade gracefully. PDF cannot do this, and I don't see a point in the future where this function (the most important for one-file-many-viewers) will be replicated.

For me, the problem is most that most of commercial e-books I have seen try to reproduce the look of printed page. Including:
- ridiculously wide margins - up to 15mm
- use of serif font - the low resolution displays work much getter with a heavily hinted sanserif
- full justification with too few words on page - that combined with the lack of hyphenation leads to wildly varying width of space between words

Each of us has a different taste. I simply fail to understand why can't things like:
- font
- font size
- line space
- space between paragraphs and first line indent
- margins
- page numbers placement (or lack of)
- JUSTIFICATION
be user configurable and overridable.

If you like the book as it was laid out (or slapped together), fine. But if you do not like it, why should you suffer just because the book happens to be DRM crippled?

In modern browsers you have one central css file that can override anything on page or in original css files. This way you can force browser to do various interesting things with content (including filtering of advertisments).

Why can't an e-pub viewer have one file UserContent.css that would override anything that is in css file inside epub file. This way Ahi could switch off that annoying page numbers, while scholars that need to refer to the original page numbers could keep the numbers visible. I could make all my books left justified, because I prefer words with even spaces to aesthetically pleasing text box (with very un-aesthetic rivers and wildly varying typographic gray). I could use my loved heavily hinted sanserif, while Ahi could use the fanciest font from his extensive collection of typographically perfect fonts.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by kacir

Why can't an e-pub viewer have one file UserContent.css that would override anything that is in css file inside epub file. This way Ahi could switch off that annoying page numbers, while scholars that need to refer to the original page numbers could keep the numbers visible. I could make all my books left justified, because I prefer words with even spaces to aesthetically pleasing text box (with very un-aesthetic rivers and wildly varying typographic gray). I could use my loved heavily hinted sanserif, while Ahi could use the fanciest font from his extensive collection of typographically perfect fonts.

They certainly could have and I agree that they should have much more control over the eBooks presentation. They could support a master CSS file that overrode the other settings.

Dale

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by kacir

For me, the problem is most that most of commercial e-books I have seen try to reproduce the look of printed page. Including:
- ridiculously wide margins - up to 15mm
- use of serif font - the low resolution displays work much getter with a heavily hinted sanserif
- full justification with too few words on page - that combined with the lack of hyphenation leads to wildly varying width of space between words

Each of us has a different taste. I simply fail to understand why can't things like:
- font
- font size
- line space
- space between paragraphs and first line indent
- margins
- page numbers placement (or lack of)
- JUSTIFICATION
be user configurable and overridable.

If you like the book as it was laid out (or slapped together), fine. But if you do not like it, why should you suffer just because the book happens to be DRM crippled?

In modern browsers you have one central css file that can override anything on page or in original css files. This way you can force browser to do various interesting things with content (including filtering of advertisments).

Why can't an e-pub viewer have one file UserContent.css that would override anything that is in css file inside epub file. This way Ahi could switch off that annoying page numbers, while scholars that need to refer to the original page numbers could keep the numbers visible. I could make all my books left justified, because I prefer words with even spaces to aesthetically pleasing text box (with very un-aesthetic rivers and wildly varying typographic gray). I could use my loved heavily hinted sanserif, while Ahi could use the fanciest font from his extensive collection of typographically perfect fonts.

All very valid concerns. I would say that we're really in the first steps of ePub and I'd think most, if not all those concerns will eventually be ironed out. Some of it will be achieved by the companies and the publishers who take the time to make a great product, hire the right kind of people to do the job. And some of it will be done by volunteers and end users.

I know which horse I'm putting my money on

[DaleDe]

Check http://www.computerworld.com/s/artic..._pm_2009-08-13

for an article by computer world on the Sony decision.

Dale

[Robertb]

Dear All:

Astak agrees with Sony's decision to fully support the ADE format in eBooks. ALL Astak devices are ADE. Astak has been quietly gathering information from numerous online eBook sites (such as Powell's Books and Books-On-Board) and composing a list we will post on our www.theEZreader.com website of great ADE booksites.

[K-Thom]

If you like the book as it was laid out (or slapped together), fine. But if you do not like it, why should you suffer just because the book happens to be DRM crippled?

Either pray that all large publishers will drop DRM or strip it off DRM yourself. Then use Sigil. Live hasn't been easier.

[griffonwing]

Kovid!

Is there something, some setting, that you can change in Calibre to remove the page number, or perhaps change the page number to a smaller font?

Maybe, design it so that you have an option to export the ePub file as one huge page, in this way, every page will have a '1' at the top right corner.

[purl4peace]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear All:

Astak agrees with Sony's decision to fully support the ADE format in eBooks.....

/* snark mode on */


At the risk of offending:

Robertb -- must you turn EVERY thread into a free advertisement for Astak?

I've read all the pages of this thread up until now and NOT ONCE did I see anyone ask "Gee, I wonder what Astak thinks about this?"

/* snark mode off */

[sircastor]

disclaimer: I don't own a reader yet, and I've only done a limited amount of reading on my iPhone.

I'm excited about this news. With Sony adopting an already common format as it's main format, it will increase adoption of ePub for the industry. If everyone sells the same books in the same format that can be accessed on any device, a natural outgrowth of that will be competition between sellers for business (just like a physical bookstore, imagine that!)

As for DRM, I don't like it, but I think it'll be with us for as long as the industry thinks it's an effective means of preventing piracy. They're afraid of what's happened to the Music industry (part of their problem is that they don't understand that there's a difference in the type of content that's exceptionally important.) DRM will go away soon enough. (Well, almost soon enough. Soon enough really would have been yesterday.)

Also, I think format behaviors and concerns are not worrisome. Formats grow. With a standardized format, it will likely receive greater scrutiny.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by purl4peace

/* snark mode on */


At the risk of offending:

Robertb -- must you turn EVERY thread into a free advertisement for Astak?

I've read all the pages of this thread up until now and NOT ONCE did I see anyone ask "Gee, I wonder what Astak thinks about this?"

/* snark mode off */

purl4peace:

I said I support what Sony did! I said we are compiling a list of websites where end users can go to buy ADE books. How on earth am I advertising for Astak with that? I am trying to say: "Good, Sony, we like your style there". Then Wallcraft asked where else you can buy ADE ebooks and I tried to answer.

I think I also have a right to state my opinion. Still, I see your point and appreciate your comments.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by kacir

For me, the problem is most that most of commercial e-books I have seen try to reproduce the look of printed page. Including:
- ridiculously wide margins - up to 15mm
- use of serif font - the low resolution displays work much getter with a heavily hinted sanserif
- full justification with too few words on page - that combined with the lack of hyphenation leads to wildly varying width of space between words

Like you said, we each have different tastes. I personally prefer a serifed font. Your other two points I agree wholly on. Compare the different versions of say, Pride and Prejudice, and the official Sony has the font and margins cranked up way huge in comparison. Way more pages.

Originally Posted by kacir

Why can't an e-pub viewer have one file UserContent.css that would override anything that is in css file inside epub file. This way Ahi could switch off that annoying page numbers, while scholars that need to refer to the original page numbers could keep the numbers visible. I could make all my books left justified, because I prefer words with even spaces to aesthetically pleasing text box (with very un-aesthetic rivers and wildly varying typographic gray). I could use my loved heavily hinted sanserif, while Ahi could use the fanciest font from his extensive collection of typographically perfect fonts.

There is no reason why this can't be done. The only thing is most use the Adobe rendering engine for epub, and adobe I guess just hasn't thought (or cared) to add it.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear All:

Astak agrees with Sony's decision to fully support the ADE format in eBooks. ALL Astak devices are ADE. Astak has been quietly gathering information from numerous online eBook sites (such as Powell's Books and Books-On-Board) and composing a list we will post on our www.theEZreader.com website of great ADE booksites.

This is you quietly gathering information? if so, I'd hate to see you noisily gathering it!