[Hitch]

Originally Posted by SigilBear

Apologies for a long-winded question(s), but any tips at all would be helpful. I suspect this question has been asked before, so maybe someone could just point me to an existing discussion or a relevant article on another site.

I'm new to epubs. I recently started out working with InDesign, but I found the learning curve pretty steep, plus I was amazed to learn that you can't work directly with HTML. So I switched to Sigil, which I love, except that you can't put subfolders in the Images folder, which is why I'm going to check out Calibre. I also need to learn how to work with iBooks Author, as I hope to create versions for both Amazon and iBooks.

I also want to learn how to make fixed layouts; I've only made reflowable epubs so far.

So here's my question: What would be a good work flow if I want to create FOUR versions of an epub, as follows:

1. Amazon Kindle (reflowable)
2. Amazon Kindle (fixed)
3. iBooks (reflowable)
4. iBooks (fixed)

I assume it's generally easier to create a reflowable epub, then convert it to a fixed layout, rather than vice versa.

No. Not really. Nor is it "simple" or "easy" to do the reverse.

Fortunately or unfortunately, despite what all the blather says, you can't just create a fixed-layout book from a reflowable, nor the reverse. They are unrelated to each other. Moreover, the fixed-layouts (other than an overarching ePUB3), are not interchangeable, either. iBooks has its own set of requirements, as does Amazon, and they are NOTHING alike. I must get 5 emails a month--hell, more--asking me if we can "just convert" an iAuthor file (Christ help us all), or a fixed-layout ePUB into an FXL MOBI. Or I see posts on the KDP complaining about how they made a "perfect" FXL ePUB, and ran it through KG, and now their equally perfect FXL MOBI just...doesn't work! Why those cats can't read the PG, and see that the coding is nothing alike, I don't know.

Thus, you are at a minimum discussing--well, three-and-a-half files. You can create a solid reflowable ePUB and build a MOBI from that, with a modicum of tweaks (we copy our final ePUB, then make media-query mods to the CSS, and another thing or two to it, and then build the MOBI from that using either Kindlegen or KP). So, that's kind of a book-and-a-half.

However, the other two have to be done, pretty much by hand, each separately. Hell, you could try INDD's "fxl export," but the underlying code is just...terrifying. Seeing each individual word surrounded by an ocean of coding...ick.

But is it easier to create a Kindle version, then convert it to an iBooks format, or vice versa?

See above. That does not work, nor does the inverse/reverse. Period.

I think I read somewhere that you can import an epub into iBooks, then convert it to Apple's format. I haven't yet learned if you can do the opposite - import an epub made with iBooks into InDesign, Sigil, etc.

There is no good reason to do this. A solidly-constructed ePUB will function just fine on iBooks. If you mean to talk about iAuthor, that is a different story, and why would anyone who can create a scratch ePUB use that? It's a drag-drop, bloated interface for those who don't know how to make an eBook.

If iBooks gives you access to the HTML, then I'd be tempted to create a fixed layout in iBooks first, then somehow convert it to an Amazon Kindle version.

Well, good luck with that!! After you've yanked your hair out enough, we'll see you back here. :-)

However, I'm going to begin by creating a simple website in Dreamweaver, which I can then import into an epub program (Sigil, iBooks Author, etc.).

Oh. I see.

Thanks for any tps.
Thanks for any tips!

Well, I gave you mine, above. I suspect that you'll go ahead and try to do it by converting A to B, anyway, so...I doubt that my post is of much use to you.


Hitch