My Run-In With Topaz

[SpiderMatt]

Originally Posted by Fiberfolly

I am so happy I ran across your post here. I bought a techy book for my Kindle a couple days ago and I cannot see screenshots or tables well enough to really get full use out of it. I though I was gong to have to eat the $25 I paid for the Kindle version and get the paper version, but i called Amazon and they refunded my money. Thank you very much!!!!

Great! I'm glad you found the post was useful. This whole site is full of useful information about ebooks and various readers (especially the Kindle and the Sony Reader).

[andrys]

Originally Posted by Damætas

Yes. On the Kindle, you cannot search the notes of a Topaz book and you cannot change the line-spacing.


To the OP: The free sample will also tell you whether a title is Topaz or not, so that you don't have to make a return after purchasing one.

Did something change? I have two Topaz books only, but I can search both for notes I made, searching from my Home screen.

I like to make notes for categories so I can find them.

Like xgombrich, xegypt

And searching from the Home screen finds those notes...

Apparently, some of the public domain ones use Topaz but they're in normal-looking text format.

I can change font size but not spacing between lines -- on my Kindle 2. And it's just the default font and very clear.
Currently I'm looking at one on my DX and I can change font size there too and can change Words per line also.

[chip]

Originally Posted by Elsi

Although you cannot open the Topaz book on your computer, you *can* copy and paste from them. Use the "highlight" function to select the text you'd like to copy. Then, download the "My Clippings" file from the Kindle to your PC. You'll find the highlighted text in that file ready for you to copy/paste into another document. Here's a piece I highlighted to show a problem with the OCR conversion for a Topaz book: That was supposed to be "Mrs. Van Alstyne"

How do you copy from a kindle? Do you mean that you simply highlight the text and then push the center button and that copies it to the clippings file...just like a highlight?

thanks

[Mak'em Lad]

I am at present looking at getting a Kindle as there are a number of books I would like to read but find paperbacks uncomfortable to read for long periods due to text size & needing glasses.

The fact you can adjust the text size is great as that makes things easier.

I am at present testing on an Iphone, a PDA & my computer.

It's well known that PDA and computer screens are harder to read in bright sunlight although the Iphone is not too bad. The eInk devices on the other hand a easy to read in full sunlight.

My main concern is DRM, I feel that if I buy an ebook I should be able to read that at any time in my lifetime & do so with any divice I have at the time.

Yes DRM can be removed & the file converted but the Topaz format prevents that. As others also point out it looks crap.

Retailers should tell you what you are about to purchase therefore show in their product description the format & if DRM is present. That way it's your choice.

I understand they don't wish the files to be pirated & some have said they will refund if you complain.

I personally see no problems in making copies of any electronic data (books, music, programs etc.) provided that you

1: Retain the original & all the copies.
2: Pass on or distroy the copies if you pass on or sell the original.

At the moment an ebook can cost up to double the price of the hardcopy yet should Amazon ever go bust or stop selling readers that work with the Kindle format then all your ebooks are lost.

I for one will not buy any book in Topaz format & will think twice about any with DRM that can't be removed and/or converted.

[abookreader]

Topaz eBooks can now be liberated from DRM. It still looks like crap though.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Mak'em Lad

Retailers should tell you what you are about to purchase therefore show in their product description the format & if DRM is present. That way it's your choice.

Topaz files tend to have a page count where mobi files have a file size -- when looking at the Product Details.

Also, get in the habit of downloading the sample. You can open it in a text editor and look for TPZ0 at the beginning. That's a Topaz book.

I agree that they should just flat out tell you, but since they won't... there are ways to take matters into your own hands.

Originally Posted by Mak'em Lad

At the moment an ebook can cost up to double the price of the hardcopy yet should Amazon ever go bust or stop selling readers that work with the Kindle format then all your ebooks are lost.

Woah! Double the cost of hardcopy? That's gotta be a pretty rare occurrence... and most definitely an oversight that will get corrected. I don't doubt that you'll point out an example, but I've never seen an ebook that cost double the hardcopy price.

[Barty]

OCR = fail
Not using my alt font = fail

[chyron8472]

Originally Posted by abookreader

Topaz eBooks can now be liberated from DRM. It still looks like crap though.

Worse than converting from PDF?

[abookreader]

Originally Posted by chyron8472

Worse than converting from PDF?

eh, well you don't usually have the Header/Footer and page numbers that have to be eliminated.

But anything that was italicized almost certainly is riddled with errors so the first trip through the book you're pretty much proofreading and correcting.

Thankfully it is a format that really never caught hold and I don't see to many books that utilize it. I mostly see those Christian Publisher freebies and when I catch them I just skip them or delete them.

[Mak'em Lad]

Diap Dealer have a look at this book on Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-and-Lau...022115&sr=1-14

incase the link doesn't work it's 'Life and Laughing' by Michael McIntyre

Kindle Price £12.98 Paperback £5.99, that's actually more than double. Ok some of it is because there's vat on ebooks but not on hardcopy. At 20% that makes the ex.vat price £10.81 which is 1.8 times the hardcopy price.

If DRM is present then you are paying more than double for something very restrictive compared to a book. If, after paying double, you then found it was Topaz format how would you feel?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mak'em Lad

Diap Dealer have a look at this book on Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-and-Lau...022115&sr=1-14

incase the link doesn't work it's 'Life and Laughing' by Michael McIntyre

Kindle Price £12.98 Paperback £5.99, that's actually more than double. Ok some of it is because there's vat on ebooks but not on hardcopy. At 20% that makes the ex.vat price £10.81 which is 1.8 times the hardcopy price.

The paperback has not yet been released, as that page you link to very clearly states. The eBook price will almost undoubtedly fall when the paperback is released.

This is a case where the eBook is still a little more expensive than the hardback, but only because the hardback has been discounted. The list price of the hardback is £20, against which the eBook price of £12.98 is not unreasonable.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The paperback has not yet been released, as that page you link to very clearly states. The eBook price will almost undoubtedly fall when the paperback is released.

Exactly. You can't compare the ebook price to the price of a physical format that you can't currently buy.

You can only compare the ebook price to the currently available incarnation of the physical book. And in this case... the ebook is still cheaper. Like Harry said... the ebook price will drop when the paperback is released and available.

[Mak'em Lad]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The paperback has not yet been released, as that page you link to very clearly states. The eBook price will almost undoubtedly fall when the paperback is released.

This is a case where the eBook is still a little more expensive than the hardback, but only because the hardback has been discounted. The list price of the hardback is £20, against which the eBook price of £12.98 is not unreasonable.

I did say that ebooks can cost up to double, not that all of them did, and yes many are cheaper. Regardless of 'list price' it is the price you pay 'at the till' at the time of purchase that you compare otherwise they could put a 'list price' of £50 hardback, £25 paperback £15 Kindle but actually sell for £16, £7 (not released yet) & £15 (less the 1p 'con factor' of course) and make the ebook a saving of £35 (in reality £1).

As for the 'not released', it's actually pre-order but you have to wait a couple of weeks to save £6.99

That is not strictly the issue, it's the fact that Amazon don't include the file format & DRM status (whether present & how many devices etc.) & you could end up with a Topaz format book (reduced quality) with DRM (very restricted use) costing more than hardcopy without restrictions (other than standard copyright).

You can give away, sell, lend or pass on as inheritance any book you buy that is not so easy with ebooks especially if you can't remove DRM & convert the format should Kindle 'cease to be'.

I don't want to dole out pirate copies willy nilly (or at all for that matter) but do want to be able to read them on any of the 7 electronic devices I personally own, some of which are windows mobile devices (PDA) for which there is no kindle app. Bigger firms than Amazon have gone bust in the past and others may do in the future.

[HarryT]

The hardback is actually £9.99 - Amazon have discounted it. But the eBook is considerably cheaper than the £20 list price of the hardback.

[Mak'em Lad]

Forgot to say

You can buy the paperback now (pre-order), you just have to wait longer for it to be delivered.

When you think about the savings on printing costs (including printers profits), transport, delivers network costs, storage etc. of hardcopy then ebooks should alway be cheaper.