MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Why no discussion of HTML as a book format?

pittendrigh · 06-12-2020, 08:11 AM

I appreciate the feedback. Some of you wrote long answers and I am grateful.

No one mentioned PDF and flipbooks, which are widely used. I don't personally like PDF but it is widely used, which demonstrates a market for book-like material served form the web, rather than from the palm of your hand. PDF cannot embed video. PDF is annoying because you cannot easily cut and paste (which is also a problem too with most but not all epub readers).

I use my HTML/php/js system already, on my website, where I sell a boat building book. I'm doing well with it. I boldly, clearly offer each new customer a no conditions refund. It's been several years since anybody asked for one.

Website as book Disadvantages:
A website that looks and acts like a book won't display in an epub only device (Kindle)

Someone complained about slow HTML response. My system includes page turning and return to Last Read page. But it is files-based with no database involved. It is lighting fast compared to say WordPress.

Book-like website Advantages:
1) You can embed sound and video. You can't do that in epub. It's too big. epub could be made to stream mp4, from remote sites, but for what ever reason they do not.

2) From an author's point of view you reap 100% of the sale price. DRM is trivial. I've been selling passwords to online boat building plans and blueprints since 2005. I get $25 per sale. I once approached a publisher and was offered something like $1.25 dollar per sale. Good lord. Forget that. Why would I even bother?

3) I can feed my text into Calibre, create an epub and offer an epub download to those who insist on it. Those readers would be denied embedded video. I still get 100% of the sale.

4) There are obvious reasons to want an online book in the online E-learning context. I taught computer programming online for five years before I retired. Moodle, Desire2Learn, Blackboard and all the others do not have a good way to present book-like background reading materials online, in conjunction with their "digital classroom" softwares.

Moodle now, only recently, has a book-like plugin. I'm sure it will improve over time but it is database driven, so it is hard to set up and its performance is slow. It is a relatively new example of a book in HTML format. I suspect the value of that website-as-book--to Moodle--will grow, as it evolves and improves.

Summary
What I envision is an important niche market. It will not replace hand-held epub. That niche market will service other needs, like online learning (Moodle is already responding).

A website as a book can embed video. If you want to teach boat bulding or video production or photography or wood working epub is useless, because you cannot embed video. There is an important niche market for this. The options are currently limited. I doubt that will be the case forever.

06-12-2020, 08:11 AM	#6
pittendrigh Connoisseur Posts: 78 Karma: 1332336 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: montana Device: none	Thank you all I appreciate the feedback. Some of you wrote long answers and I am grateful. No one mentioned PDF and flipbooks, which are widely used. I don't personally like PDF but it is widely used, which demonstrates a market for book-like material served form the web, rather than from the palm of your hand. PDF cannot embed video. PDF is annoying because you cannot easily cut and paste (which is also a problem too with most but not all epub readers). I use my HTML/php/js system already, on my website, where I sell a boat building book. I'm doing well with it. I boldly, clearly offer each new customer a no conditions refund. It's been several years since anybody asked for one. Website as book Disadvantages: A website that looks and acts like a book won't display in an epub only device (Kindle) Someone complained about slow HTML response. My system includes page turning and return to Last Read page. But it is files-based with no database involved. It is lighting fast compared to say WordPress. Book-like website Advantages: 1) You can embed sound and video. You can't do that in epub. It's too big. epub could be made to stream mp4, from remote sites, but for what ever reason they do not. 2) From an author's point of view you reap 100% of the sale price. DRM is trivial. I've been selling passwords to online boat building plans and blueprints since 2005. I get $25 per sale. I once approached a publisher and was offered something like $1.25 dollar per sale. Good lord. Forget that. Why would I even bother? 3) I can feed my text into Calibre, create an epub and offer an epub download to those who insist on it. Those readers would be denied embedded video. I still get 100% of the sale. 4) There are obvious reasons to want an online book in the online E-learning context. I taught computer programming online for five years before I retired. Moodle, Desire2Learn, Blackboard and all the others do not have a good way to present book-like background reading materials online, in conjunction with their "digital classroom" softwares. Moodle now, only recently, has a book-like plugin. I'm sure it will improve over time but it is database driven, so it is hard to set up and its performance is slow. It is a relatively new example of a book in HTML format. I suspect the value of that website-as-book--to Moodle--will grow, as it evolves and improves. Summary What I envision is an important niche market. It will not replace hand-held epub. That niche market will service other needs, like online learning (Moodle is already responding). A website as a book can embed video. If you want to teach boat bulding or video production or photography or wood working epub is useless, because you cannot embed video. There is an important niche market for this. The options are currently limited. I doubt that will be the case forever.