Quote:
Originally Posted by tomsem
You would use the same font size as you use for print, or perhaps a little smaller (I think people tend to hold ereaders a little closer than a book). Just lay it out on 6" (diagonal) pages. People will complain the text is is too big or too small in any case, but that is true of print books also. I would reduce the margins from what the print version has, and consider eliminating headers or footers (or maybe using only a footer with chapter name and page number) for the 'ereader' PDF. Screen real estate is at a premium. I think such a PDF would work adequately on a smartphone also, as those typically are held closer still.
Of course if the resources are there to create reflowable formats that would be ideal. But it is more work and involves additional toolsets, ideally some understanding of HTML/CSS. There is work to create this specialized PDF too but it uses the same tools and in general will be much less work.
Anyway, just wanted to explore the option more as everyone else seemed to dismiss it out of hand.
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I dismiss it, but not out of hand. Many people who use ereaders specifically do so because of the ability to customise the text - font, size, all the rest of it. Many of these people do so because they otherwise
cannot access the text. By restricting yourself to PDF, you are explicitly saying "This book is not for you" to a number of your potential customers with disabilities - for no reason other than sheer wilful ignorance. This is a bad move on a number of levels.
(And yeah, I know you can zoom and pan. Ever tried reading a whole novel that way?)