How is an eBook made??

Catsnkites · 03-15-2011, 01:03 AM

First, I didn't do a lot of searching on this question (ok, any searching) so, I apologize if it's been answered over and over again ...

How do they make an eBook file? Well, I mean, if I were doing it, I would take the ... maybe "Word" file (or whatever the author wrote it in) .... and simply convert it to the necessary format.

However, I don't think that's what was done to most of my ePub files. It almost seems that they were scanned and converted. I base this conclusion on the fact that, in many of the books I read, there are words in the middle of the line that are split, as if they were really at the end of the line. No matter what sized font I choose, these words are always split.

Like: con clusion OR re peat

This is hugely distracting, especially when the first part of the word is a word itself!

So, this got me to wondering how the original file was converted to ePub.

Now, I realize there are old, out of print books that are, indeed, scanned and run through OCR. (sometimes the OCR is horrible ... spacial characters and numbers and such).

Please enlighten me!

Susie
Olathe KS

ATDrake · 03-15-2011, 01:09 AM

It depends on the book.

Like you noticed, the better books are made directly from digital files. Someone who knows what they're doing will assemble a set of HTML files with properly proofread text and formatting and layout (table of contents, footnotes, images and such) and carefully turn it into an ePub or convert it to a Mobi. A few typos may slip through, but overall the job is well done.

Other books, some lazy person just takes an OCR file from a scanned book and slaps it up into an ePub or Mobi, not really bothering to actually read and check for typos or punctuation in the wrong place. Sometimes for bonus amusement, they'll run a search-and-replace for certain words, which can yield unexpected results if the words they replace aren't actually misspelt and they've replaced them with completely different words. Then they wait for reader complaints to roll in, which is apparently when they bother to start fixing things, if at all.

The third approach is taking a Word document and running it through Smashwords' very aptly named "Meatgrinder" to auto-generate the resulting e-book files which are sometimes passed on to Amazon, B&N, Sony, & Kobo via the Smashwords Premium distribution system. Errors are generally not the author/publisher's fault; they did the best they could with what they were given.

Hope this helps.

mr ploppy · 03-15-2011, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catsnkites

Like: con clusion OR re peat

That happens a lot when you convert from PDF to epub. What book is it?

alecE · 03-15-2011, 04:02 PM

Regrettably, whatever method is used, publishers too often seem to be sacrificing quality for speed/economy. Hence the prevalence of typos and glaring errors of formatting. I can (just) accept that errors such as "con clusion" are not of cosmic proportions. I think it's inexcusable to find an entire sentence run together with no spaces between the words, every chapter. (Penguin history of modern China).

I have heard that publishers quite often entrust the ebook creation to a third-party - a digital printer, if you like. I've seen some lamentable results, usually in connection with the correct display of accented letters. Maybe these were just early steps on the learning curve?

03-15-2011, 01:03 AM	#1
Catsnkites Connoisseur Posts: 91 Karma: 8198 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Kansas Device: Kobo Libre	How is an eBook made?? First, I didn't do a lot of searching on this question (ok, any searching) so, I apologize if it's been answered over and over again ... How do they make an eBook file? Well, I mean, if I were doing it, I would take the ... maybe "Word" file (or whatever the author wrote it in) .... and simply convert it to the necessary format. However, I don't think that's what was done to most of my ePub files. It almost seems that they were scanned and converted. I base this conclusion on the fact that, in many of the books I read, there are words in the middle of the line that are split, as if they were really at the end of the line. No matter what sized font I choose, these words are always split. Like: con clusion OR re peat This is hugely distracting, especially when the first part of the word is a word itself! So, this got me to wondering how the original file was converted to ePub. Now, I realize there are old, out of print books that are, indeed, scanned and run through OCR. (sometimes the OCR is horrible ... spacial characters and numbers and such). Please enlighten me! Susie Olathe KS

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
I've Made a new ebook reader for Java Mobile	dumbledore	General Discussions	6	12-12-2010 03:22 PM
Made in...?	mrdini	Which one should I buy?	5	03-01-2008 11:39 AM
PDF documents made from scans on ebook readers?	claudioita	Sony Reader	7	11-28-2006 09:47 AM

03-15-2011, 01:09 AM	#2
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	It depends on the book. Like you noticed, the better books are made directly from digital files. Someone who knows what they're doing will assemble a set of HTML files with properly proofread text and formatting and layout (table of contents, footnotes, images and such) and carefully turn it into an ePub or convert it to a Mobi. A few typos may slip through, but overall the job is well done. Other books, some lazy person just takes an OCR file from a scanned book and slaps it up into an ePub or Mobi, not really bothering to actually read and check for typos or punctuation in the wrong place. Sometimes for bonus amusement, they'll run a search-and-replace for certain words, which can yield unexpected results if the words they replace aren't actually misspelt and they've replaced them with completely different words. Then they wait for reader complaints to roll in, which is apparently when they bother to start fixing things, if at all. The third approach is taking a Word document and running it through Smashwords' very aptly named "Meatgrinder" to auto-generate the resulting e-book files which are sometimes passed on to Amazon, B&N, Sony, & Kobo via the Smashwords Premium distribution system. Errors are generally not the author/publisher's fault; they did the best they could with what they were given. Hope this helps.

03-15-2011, 04:02 PM	#4
alecE Evangelist Posts: 412 Karma: 546196 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: UK canal boat Device: sony prs505, prs650, kobo Glo HD liseuses	Regrettably, whatever method is used, publishers too often seem to be sacrificing quality for speed/economy. Hence the prevalence of typos and glaring errors of formatting. I can (just) accept that errors such as "con clusion" are not of cosmic proportions. I think it's inexcusable to find an entire sentence run together with no spaces between the words, every chapter. (Penguin history of modern China). I have heard that publishers quite often entrust the ebook creation to a third-party - a digital printer, if you like. I've seen some lamentable results, usually in connection with the correct display of accented letters. Maybe these were just early steps on the learning curve?