Quote:
Originally Posted by V_Shaft
@Hitch
I understand, really. In fact, we're probably competition of sorts, me living in one of those 3rd world countries you mentioned and just starting an e-book design and formatting service. 
Just curious, though, if you can disclose it: did your solution involve fiddling with the CSS, HTML, a combination of the two, or something else entirely? |
Well, V_Shaft:
Best of luck with your endeavors. I fear that you've picked a rather late-ish time to get into the business; the last 7 years have been the biggest quantity of books. You can take this statement as self-interested if you like, but I get not less than 3-7 emails a week now (up from 1/week 6 mos ago, up from 1/month last year, etc.), from India, etc., all looking for more work, because their eBook businesses are dropping like flies as the massive backlog of backlist and scanned books is mostly done. Two of the "first-in" businesses here in the States have closed their doors. What's left now are very complex books, generally, from problem clients.
(And I've lost track of the number of calls I get, from Indian purveyors, all trying to convince me that schoolbooks are the Next Big Thing, and how I should get out there and sell that idea. None of them seem to realize
that Textbooks are subject to an appropriations process in this country, so that textbooks are ordered some two-five YEARS before they are to be delivered. Schoolboards are quasi-governmental entities, so the whole thing is a government bid process; not some client strolling in the door, with a bag full of money and a purchase order. Not to mention: textbook orders were always highly sought after in the print biz, because of course, the orders were LARGE. But now, we'd be discussing ONE file per book--not 50,000 books per topic/order. It wouldn't be much different than any OTHER complex eBook we do.)
But, come on in, the water is....very empty.
Hitch