Smashwords EPUB Direct Update

[VydorScope]

Got this today in email...

Interesting stuff - including mention of a plan to use the EPUB for generating other formats in the future.

Over the last two years, one of the most common feature requests we received was for Smashwords to allow direct uploads of professionally designed .epub files. As you know, .epub is the open industry standard ebook format that is sold by every major ebook retailer except Amazon.

When you upload a Microsoft Word .doc file to Smashwords, formatted per the instructions of the Smashwords Style Guide, our free Meatgrinder conversion system automatically transforms your manuscript into up to nine different ebook formats, including .epub. Our multi-format approach makes your book accessible to readers of any e-reading device.

If you carefully follow the instructions in the Style Guide, you'll produce a professional quality ebook for your readers. Meatgrinder's Word .doc conversion works great on most books, especially fiction and narrative non-fiction. Although Meatgrinder supports a wide range of professional styling, some of our authors and publishers wanted the ability to upload their own hand-coded, professionally designed .epubs.

This is what Smashwords Direct now allows.

Although Smashwords Direct opens up new possibilities for some authors and publishers, I expect the majority of the Smashwords community will continue to favor Meatgrinder's Word .doc conversion system as their preferred publishing workflow. It's fast, free, easy and flexible. You don't need to be a programmer or computer nerd to produce a high-quality ebook with Meatgrinder.

Smashwords Direct is exciting to me because it allows Smashwords to accept and distribute books with more sophisticated formatting than is possible with Meatgrinder. It also sets the stage for us to one day accept future file formats that simply aren't possible with Meatgrinder.

Smashwords Direct is now in live beta. This first iteration of Smashwords Direct supports two methods of direct .epub upload:

1. You can replace your Smashwords-generated epub with your own epub. To do this, click to your Dashboard, then click "Upload New Version," then upload your file.

2. If you're preparing to publish a new book not yet at Smashwords, sign in to your Smashwords account, click the regular Publish link, then fill out the publish page as you would normally, but upload your EPUB instead of a Word .doc. Later, if you wish, you can add more ebook formats to your book page by uploading a Word .doc, formatted to the Style Guide.

It's important to note that if you upload a direct .epub, we do not yet use it to produce other formats. We will likely add this capability in future iterations of Smashwords Direct (most likely for Kindle .mobi) although I don't expect we'll ever be able to match the broad multi-format options already possible when you feed Meatgrinder a Word .doc.

If you're interested to learn more about the Smashwords Direct feature, here are two pages to study first:

1. The original blog post, announcing SWD: http://blog.smashwords.com/2012/12/s...oads-with.html

2. The online documentation for SWD: https://www.smashwords.com/swdirect

We will continue to enhance Smashwords Direct based on your feedback and suggestions.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Got this today in email...

Interesting stuff - including mention of a plan to use the EPUB for generating other formats in the future.

Well...

Our first client to try this has failed abysmally. According to Smashwords, his file has been rejected because:

1. His cover size was too small (his product image--didn't meet Apple's 1400px-wide-on-the-short-side image requirement);
2. His "copyright page" is not correct (I suspect this means that it doesn't say "Smashwords Edition," or "published at Smashwords" as it most certainly asserts his copyright, etc.; it states "Your book doesn't follow the copyright page recommendation in Step 21b of the Smashwords Style Guide Please see our FAQ,");
3. They won't allow him to name his book(s) as they are named, as he uses some words in all upper-case;
4. And, WAIT FOR IT!: He has fonts of varying sizes. This doozy states: "Your book contains some possibly corrupt formatting. If you take a look at the EPUB, you'll notice there are slight font size differentiations. This is caused by your mix of inconsistent on-screen formatting. One option is to do a CTRL-A and change everything to Normal style, then modify the style to enforce the characteristics you want. "

Really? Fonts of varying sizes? I nearly spit when I saw that one. This guy's books are simple, ordinary fiction titles. His Chapter heads are your basic chapter heads, not huge by any means. (1.2ems/120%). I mean, what's the point of accepting ePUB format if all you're going to do is make the same "Word-style" manuscripts that they were already making with Calibre's API? Their advice on how to "fix" this? Use the "nuclear method" of nuking all formatting.

What a load. Of course, the ePUB passes ePUBcheck (2 and 3); there's not a damned thing wrong with it. My head is already hurting from what will inevitably be the outflow from this. We already tell prospective clients that we don't "format for Smashwords" as we don't do Word-file cleanup, and this is just going to be another headache, if they don't get their act together. Differing font sizes referred to as a "corrupt file?" Corrupt file my BUTT.

Hitch

[VydorScope]

Hence why it is called a live BETA - write up your experiences, and contact them with your results.

[gmw]

Hitch, Could it be that the font-size stuff was done directly in the text rather than via styles? I'm not sure what the EPUB standard has to say on that aspect, but wondering if it could be the reason for the rejection.

Cover size is fairly understandable, some reseller sites are pretty clear on that subject, not just Apple. (It does seems a shame to me that a file containing a book can be made up mostly of the cover-image.)

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Hence why it is called a live BETA - write up your experiences, and contact them with your results.

My client is more than welcome to do so. Like most authors, he is NEVER going to read this page: https://www.smashwords.com/swdirect , advising of the BETA status, which means that this will come back to my door, and customer service, not SW's.

Sorry, but a font size issue, to me, is not starting out GREAT, when we're talking about a change from 1em to 1.2ems. The other issues? {shrug}. We already are forced to make bloated ePUBs for the iBooks, with that absurd cover size (1400px on the short side--ludicrous!); but now, we're going to have to issue even more ePUBs, so Smashwords can feel like they're getting their Publisher Props? Just a giant PITA.

Hitch

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by gmw

Hitch, Could it be that the font-size stuff was done directly in the text rather than via styles? I'm not sure what the EPUB standard has to say on that aspect, but wondering if it could be the reason for the rejection.

Cover size is fairly understandable, some reseller sites are pretty clear on that subject, not just Apple. (It does seems a shame to me that a file containing a book can be made up mostly of the cover-image.)

Not in this lifetime. We do not use any inline styles, period. Other than word-specific italics and bold, every style in every book we make is in the Stylesheet.

The cover image issue is not new to us, due to Apple. The client asked for our standard MOBI and ePUB--without the bloat--and that's what he got. Now he wants to be published on iBooks, I presume (that's the reason most go to SW if they can), to get his 2 sales per year there, so we'll make him another book, but...just another fragmentation for ebook-makers, as if there weren't enough already.

Hitch

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Sorry, but a font size issue, to me, is not starting out GREAT, when we're talking about a change from 1em to 1.2ems.

It is probably the fact that font sizes are very close together that has flagged this us as being possibly unintended.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

It is probably the fact that font sizes are very close together that has flagged this us as being possibly unintended.

Even if that is the case, it still doesn't make it right. In fact, it makes it pretty bad.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if that is the case, it still doesn't make it right. In fact, it makes it pretty bad.

Yes, sorry--I admit I'm hardly unbiased, but I have to agree with my bud Wolfie on this. I double-checked this book; it has slightly larger fonts for the title page, naturally, and his chapter heads. That's it.

Here's what I do suspect: I suspect that they never thought about embedded fonts. We have a different font for his Chapter Heads. Not something outlandish, just a small change from the body text default (usually TNR) for variety. I'm waiting to see what they come back with, because SW is not Apple. I already play a guessing game with Apple every time an ePUB comes back (just got one back that they won't publish because--GASP!--the publisher mentions that there are Audible.com editions [for the love of Thor, it's not like Apple has an Audiobook division, y'know!], so they won't publish it, because of course, Audible is owned by The Evil Empire, Amazon, so their error message states that the publisher can't list links to competitors).

But my point remains: if SW has decided to grow up and accept ePUBs, then a) accept ePUBs or b) at least publish guidelines that say something like, "ooops, we can't take anything with an embedded font," and the other list of ten thousand things that won't work. Trust me when I say making commercial books is difficult enough as it is--trying to make a book that will work on every device, across myriad platforms, with all the technical constraints, plus the BS constraints (don't mention those Audible editions for the vision-impaired, bygod!), etc., without trying to GUESS at what the hell SW is doing. URGH.

Hitch

[VydorScope]

Again - it is beta - I am not sure why you are so upset that a product the list as NOT YET WORKING is, well, not working? They put it up so that you would try things and report issues. If you are not willing to deal with issues, you should not be using BETA software.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Again - it is beta - I am not sure why you are so upset that a product the list as NOT YET WORKING is, well, not working? They put it up so that you would try things and report issues. If you are not willing to deal with issues, you should not be using BETA software.

Given how long it took to get to this stage, how long to you think it will take to fix the bugs? The thing is, the meatgrinder works by converting the Word document and then validating it and if it passes, it's in. Why can't the direct ePub just be validated and if it passes, it's in? Why does the direct ePub upload have to look at it and see stupid things that are not things to be picked up on?

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Given how long it took to get to this stage, how long to you think it will take to fix the bugs? The thing is, the meatgrinder works by converting the Word document and then validating it and if it passes, it's in. Why can't the direct ePub just be validated and if it passes, it's in? Why does the direct ePub upload have to look at it and see stupid things that are not things to be picked up on?

I do not know what decisions were made, or why. All I know is that they are allowing everyone to upload epubs now, due to customer request, and they have openly asked people to try it and send them feedback/questions/bugs/etc.

So anyone that tries it and has a problem/feedback should send that in and not be surprised that incomplete software does not work as expected.

[teh603]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why can't the direct ePub just be validated and if it passes, it's in? Why does the direct ePub upload have to look at it and see stupid things that are not things to be picked up on?

Apple probably imposed some other checks and edits, like how fires in the Nook edition of War and Peace are nooked instead of kindled.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Again - it is beta - I am not sure why you are so upset that a product the list as NOT YET WORKING is, well, not working? They put it up so that you would try things and report issues. If you are not willing to deal with issues, you should not be using BETA software.

I am not "unwilling" to deal with their issues, and I am not using their BETA software. Clients are. Not the same thing, at all. Anytime you think you can tell clients NOT to upload a file somewhere that takes their fancy, knock yourself out. Quite bluntly, I'm not here to do SW's work for them. They requested test ePUBs nearly what, 8 weeks ago; I presume that after that Alpha, they presumed that their Beta was ready. What it sounds like is that their Alpha isn't even finished.

If they're running ePUBs through the Grinder, this should not be happening. If they are only validating the ePUBs, this should not be happening. So: WTF is happening? Some half-baked in-between?

Of course I'm irritated, because their Beta is interfering with my actual work. And, for anyone that has NOT been paying attention, who does make books professionally, now this means--pay attention--not only a Kindle book, but now THREE ePUBS; one for Apple and its incredibly bloated cover size, plus the display-options file, so as to ensure that the fonts display, plus all the added coding to make simple things like "center" happen; one for Nook, and now one for Smashwords, since they won't let it "pass Go" without the big bold text "SMASHWORDS EDITION" on the copyright page (forgetting even the absurd font issues). if you think that fonts throw SW a curve, I can't wait to see what happens when they trip over the display-options file for Apple.

They should have kept the testing Beta closed (for professionals only, to submit files) until they had garnered enough ePUBs--if they really wanted material for testing, they could have found HUNDREDS of ePUBs right here on MR--until they had the biggest kinks worked out. That my client's file failed, with almost NOTHING in it, is not a good sign.

Everyone on this forum has been bemoaning how the retailers and distributors are driving the various ePUBs further and further apart; Apple with ePUB3 and multimedia and other standards peculiar only to it; Nook with its endless hyphenation and other bugs, and now Smashwords, for which, it seems, not only will we have to go through the trouble of making a new ePUB with its self-glorifying text on it (which is nothing but that, as it gets paid by ISBN, not title nor name nor anything else), but we'll have to make a completely less-than-even-vanilla ePUB that looks like someone uploaded--wait for it--a Word file.

I think I'm going to hang out a sign in our FAQ/KB, etc.: NO SMASHWORDS FILES until they get their act together. Making one MOBI and three bloody ePUBs is 1 too many ePUBs for me, and most of my clients already have distro to Apple and Nook; if they want SW, they want it for the other even smaller eBook retailers than Apple.

Bloody hell.

H

[JSWolf]

What Smashwords needs to do is put up a list of what they expect from this new direct ePub upload so then it can be ripped apart so the stupid shit can go.