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jeffw · 12-15-2007, 05:57 PM

Hi gang,

I'm helping a friend with his eBook. Silly me I had no idea what I have agreed to do.

I really thought the eBook production process would be more standardized these days vs. a few years ago.

Silly me, I was hoping for a one fit all solution. But I have discovered (by reading this thread) that there are many paths possible and not one of them is even close to being easy, clean or simple

“I use this program to do this and then I use this program to do that and then I go and manually clean it up.” ... Ouch --- “This font face and font size for this device and this font face and font size for that ...” double ouch.

Though I'm a newbie to eBook publishing, I'm an old fart in PC cyberland. I go back to before VisiCalc. The problems or better said 'challenges' I see here …are all to common in our cyberland world.

I've seen it in Operating Systems, Apple DOS, IBM DOS, MS DOS, DR DOS, -- I've seen it in Word Processors, Spreadsheets, and Image Graphics. Sadly, its part of the product development process. Each company believing that their approach is the best and they are all correct -- but only to a certain extent. Sure they might do task A really great, but they fail at Task B.

But there is one main difference I see with eBooks vs. all the other devices and interrupters.

eBooks as a media, is still very much a child. People need the flexibility to bring their eBooks with them into the next generation of eBook electronic device readers.. The eBook you own and formatted for a Palm, should be cleanly readable on a Kindle, when you move over to the newest toy. Or even XYZ electronic device that comes out 3 years from now. I don't see this as a VHS to DVD issue. This is data, not storage media. Data is data.

For this reason I see the problem with the reader devices not the formatting software.

I would love to see a product ad like this.

The new STARR eBook reader from Borne comes with the following drivers/engines and can read the following eBook formats:

1) ePub
2) Mobipocket
3) Kindle
4) PDF A4
5) LIT
6) Sony Reader
7) iLiad
8) MS Word
9) HTML ver 1 to 6
10) Custom PDF
11) MS PP
12) Text to Speech (EN, FR, SP, IT....)

This would allow an open door for new Writer formats and 3 party (drivers) software. Drivers/engines could be tweaked by manufactures to work on their devices. The eBook device integration would come with choices of drivers/engines/ sort of like printer drivers. But instead of changing the driver to fit your equipment --- you would change the driver to the eBook format you own. Or maybe even a automated discover the format and auto change it to the proper one. (requiring very little knowledge or understating)

Whew, well there is my wish list and just in time for Santa to see it.

I’m just not sure if I my behavior was good enough this year for Santa to stop in here with gifts.

Thank you everyone for these posts. I learned more here in an hour than the six hours I spent reading the web last night.

12-15-2007, 05:57 PM	#55
jeffw Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: pendng	thanks Hi gang, I'm helping a friend with his eBook. Silly me I had no idea what I have agreed to do. I really thought the eBook production process would be more standardized these days vs. a few years ago. Silly me, I was hoping for a one fit all solution. But I have discovered (by reading this thread) that there are many paths possible and not one of them is even close to being easy, clean or simple “I use this program to do this and then I use this program to do that and then I go and manually clean it up.” ... Ouch --- “This font face and font size for this device and this font face and font size for that ...” double ouch. Though I'm a newbie to eBook publishing, I'm an old fart in PC cyberland. I go back to before VisiCalc. The problems or better said 'challenges' I see here …are all to common in our cyberland world. I've seen it in Operating Systems, Apple DOS, IBM DOS, MS DOS, DR DOS, -- I've seen it in Word Processors, Spreadsheets, and Image Graphics. Sadly, its part of the product development process. Each company believing that their approach is the best and they are all correct -- but only to a certain extent. Sure they might do task A really great, but they fail at Task B. But there is one main difference I see with eBooks vs. all the other devices and interrupters. eBooks as a media, is still very much a child. People need the flexibility to bring their eBooks with them into the next generation of eBook electronic device readers.. The eBook you own and formatted for a Palm, should be cleanly readable on a Kindle, when you move over to the newest toy. Or even XYZ electronic device that comes out 3 years from now. I don't see this as a VHS to DVD issue. This is data, not storage media. Data is data. For this reason I see the problem with the reader devices not the formatting software. I would love to see a product ad like this. The new STARR eBook reader from Borne comes with the following drivers/engines and can read the following eBook formats: 1) ePub 2) Mobipocket 3) Kindle 4) PDF A4 5) LIT 6) Sony Reader 7) iLiad 8) MS Word 9) HTML ver 1 to 6 10) Custom PDF 11) MS PP 12) Text to Speech (EN, FR, SP, IT....) This would allow an open door for new Writer formats and 3 party (drivers) software. Drivers/engines could be tweaked by manufactures to work on their devices. The eBook device integration would come with choices of drivers/engines/ sort of like printer drivers. But instead of changing the driver to fit your equipment --- you would change the driver to the eBook format you own. Or maybe even a automated discover the format and auto change it to the proper one. (requiring very little knowledge or understating) Whew, well there is my wish list and just in time for Santa to see it. I’m just not sure if I my behavior was good enough this year for Santa to stop in here with gifts. Thank you everyone for these posts. I learned more here in an hour than the six hours I spent reading the web last night.