Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
Why do you get formatting errors?
For example a LaTeX file for a book not containing mathematical formulas or images will not have any formatting errors at all if it cleanly go through running latex on it.
To me it still seems that it is a problem with the source format or the process that causes these problems.
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I
think it's because most of the converters here are starting with Gutenberg texts (or archive.org texts or Google Books), stuff that has been OCRed, then proofed a couple of times, but not to any major extent. We're just adding another layer of proofing.
BUT on the other hand, we all agree that even to get their paper copies, publishers already have an electronic file that has been proofed and edited multiple times. They are not printing directly from Word, and (except for artisanal printers) they are not setting type for letterpress. The process is already electronic, the electronic file already exists.
I can understand publishers needing to charge for server space and bandwidth, but (even with the cost of moving from an existing electronic format to another) we are not seeing the justification for why ebooks should be selling for more than first-edition hardbound releases. I can see (and I am willing to pay) prices that range from 70 to 100% of a massmarket paperback edition for a multi-format ebook.
[Although, personally I would take 50% off the price I would be willing to pay if there was any DRM]