My future in eBooks HELL

wannabee · 11-09-2010, 09:23 AM

I have seen a couple of ePubs displayed here and congratulations, nice setting.
But books competing with my author's books have glossy pics, illustrations, maps etc. (print of course)

As a print designer I thought I could jump in with my existing skills and . . . Do it all over again. . . . Just like when web sites were started up in the late 80s and early 90s.

Back then you really had to only worry about 2 or so versions of browsers.

Now you have to cater for many eReaders. And how many are there now. (rhetorical)

Is there a way to publish my more formatted ePub content to more devises? They (clients) are expecting it to go to Amazon and iBooks with all the frills and ribbons of the iPad. Or am I making a rod for my back?
By formal I mean tables and pictures in tables.
I've noticed some issues with pics in tables for iBooks. Is there a work-around?
Here is my previous post requesting assistance.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=105466

Kali Yuga · 11-09-2010, 09:30 AM

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that ePub, MOBI and PDF will cover most of the market.

IIRC Apple, Sony, B&N and others use ePub; and creating a PDF should be a snap.

Unfortunately I don't think you can use the ePub version to make a good MOBI file.

I highly recommend you adjust your pricing to reflect the fact that these tasks are not as simple as making a PDF out of a Word document. Generating ebooks is a specialized skill.... Hopefully that's why they are coming to you, instead of trying to do it on their own.

wannabee · 11-09-2010, 09:36 AM

So, and I suspected this, I have to make multiple versions if I want to sell on iBooks and Kindle?

neilmarr · 11-09-2010, 09:56 AM

Kali's right, Wannabe, in that PDF, ePub and Mobi pretty well covers it for now (that's what our own little indie house produces as well as paperback).

The problem is that each store seems to have different requirements over and above actual formatting. Some want fore-matter and each chapter in separate files, some demand different meta date, etc, etc, etc. And getting into iBookstore, for instance, is not only complicated by darned expensive. We had to buy a Mac specifically for that one store and now we're told we need Apple-publishing software that costs even more than the computer did.

Then there's contradictory contracts and pricing requirements. It's no easy job, even when, like me, you're fortunate enough to have a superb expert and energetic tech partner on your side and a lawyer in the team.

Also, I see that you're based in NSW. All the major new ebook stores disqualify publishers with no 'official' US presence. We're registered in Canada and we spent nine months and a lot of money in legal expenses to register as BeWrite Books LLS, USA, in September. We're only now able to deal direct with the stores.

My field is purely editorial, but please do drop me an email if you think I can be of any help. Cheers and good luck. Neil -- ntmarrATbewrite.net (but use the @ sign)

wannabee · 11-09-2010, 10:11 AM

Thank you for that reply. I'll certainly follow up. It's just after two AM and Although being a night owl, having an employer now, I must get some sleep to sign in on time.
I'll fill you in on more details . We have a US subsidiary. With a bank account.
It's file formatting I'm concerned about because that is why I was hired. The bean counters can help with the legal stuff. ( i saw your post about the time and hassle you went through.) I just want to see my author's books on iBooks and Amazon. At present they are ePubs. Please examine my sample . The link is in my post above.
Good night and thanks. I'll certainly be in touch.

DMSmillie · 11-09-2010, 10:22 AM

Hi Wannabee

Right now, the formatting available on the Kindle is kind of patchy. No text wrapping around images, patchy support for CSS, limited support for tables (so only advisable to use tables for simple tabulated data), greyscale only on the Kindle itself, though the Kindle apps can display colour, etc, etc. Doesn't mean you can't turn out decent looking books, but you won't be able, at present, to do anything too sophisticated.

The Amazon DTP forums are a good source of info and advice on formatting for the Kindle:

http://forums.digitaltextplatform.co...a?categoryID=1

- Donna

11-09-2010, 09:23 AM	#1
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,381 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	My future in eBooks HELL I have seen a couple of ePubs displayed here and congratulations, nice setting. But books competing with my author's books have glossy pics, illustrations, maps etc. (print of course) As a print designer I thought I could jump in with my existing skills and . . . Do it all over again. . . . Just like when web sites were started up in the late 80s and early 90s. Back then you really had to only worry about 2 or so versions of browsers. Now you have to cater for many eReaders. And how many are there now. (rhetorical) Is there a way to publish my more formatted ePub content to more devises? They (clients) are expecting it to go to Amazon and iBooks with all the frills and ribbons of the iPad. Or am I making a rod for my back? By formal I mean tables and pictures in tables. I've noticed some issues with pics in tables for iBooks. Is there a work-around? Here is my previous post requesting assistance. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=105466

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11-09-2010, 09:30 AM	#2
Kali Yuga Professional Contrarian Posts: 2,045 Karma: 3289631 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie	I may be wrong, but my understanding is that ePub, MOBI and PDF will cover most of the market. IIRC Apple, Sony, B&N and others use ePub; and creating a PDF should be a snap. Unfortunately I don't think you can use the ePub version to make a good MOBI file. I highly recommend you adjust your pricing to reflect the fact that these tasks are not as simple as making a PDF out of a Word document. Generating ebooks is a specialized skill.... Hopefully that's why they are coming to you, instead of trying to do it on their own.

11-09-2010, 09:36 AM	#3
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,381 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	So, and I suspected this, I have to make multiple versions if I want to sell on iBooks and Kindle?

11-09-2010, 09:56 AM	#4
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Kali's right, Wannabe, in that PDF, ePub and Mobi pretty well covers it for now (that's what our own little indie house produces as well as paperback). The problem is that each store seems to have different requirements over and above actual formatting. Some want fore-matter and each chapter in separate files, some demand different meta date, etc, etc, etc. And getting into iBookstore, for instance, is not only complicated by darned expensive. We had to buy a Mac specifically for that one store and now we're told we need Apple-publishing software that costs even more than the computer did. Then there's contradictory contracts and pricing requirements. It's no easy job, even when, like me, you're fortunate enough to have a superb expert and energetic tech partner on your side and a lawyer in the team. Also, I see that you're based in NSW. All the major new ebook stores disqualify publishers with no 'official' US presence. We're registered in Canada and we spent nine months and a lot of money in legal expenses to register as BeWrite Books LLS, USA, in September. We're only now able to deal direct with the stores. My field is purely editorial, but please do drop me an email if you think I can be of any help. Cheers and good luck. Neil -- ntmarrATbewrite.net (but use the @ sign)

11-09-2010, 10:11 AM	#5
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,381 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	Thank you for that reply. I'll certainly follow up. It's just after two AM and Although being a night owl, having an employer now, I must get some sleep to sign in on time. I'll fill you in on more details . We have a US subsidiary. With a bank account. It's file formatting I'm concerned about because that is why I was hired. The bean counters can help with the legal stuff. ( i saw your post about the time and hassle you went through.) I just want to see my author's books on iBooks and Amazon. At present they are ePubs. Please examine my sample . The link is in my post above. Good night and thanks. I'll certainly be in touch.

11-09-2010, 10:22 AM	#6
DMSmillie Enquiring Mind Posts: 562 Karma: 42350 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: London, UK Device: Kindle 3 (WiFi)	Hi Wannabee Right now, the formatting available on the Kindle is kind of patchy. No text wrapping around images, patchy support for CSS, limited support for tables (so only advisable to use tables for simple tabulated data), greyscale only on the Kindle itself, though the Kindle apps can display colour, etc, etc. Doesn't mean you can't turn out decent looking books, but you won't be able, at present, to do anything too sophisticated. The Amazon DTP forums are a good source of info and advice on formatting for the Kindle: http://forums.digitaltextplatform.co...a?categoryID=1 - Donna

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