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Old 10-14-2022, 05:47 PM   #23
Tex2002ans
Wizard
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Posts: 2,306
Karma: 13057279
Join Date: Jul 2012
Device: Kobo Forma, Nook
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch View Post
IF you use the DIY Amazon apps that exist today, and even some of the deprecated apps, Amazon limits it--not you. [...]
Thanks for all that info on Kindle Create, Kindle Kid's Book Creator, Apple/Kobo FXL EPUB3s, etc.

You're pretty much the only one I know that KNOWS the ins-and-outs + deals with all that FXL stuff... and then actually spreads nuggets of knowledge about it over the years.

(Everything else is like pulling teeth... + complete Amazon marketing lies/quarter-truths.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch View Post
MOST readers have nothing in common, performance/functionality-wise, with the App Formerly Known as iBooks (Books Reader, the stupidest bloody name ever).
Yep, and that's the thing too:
  • Different ratios.

A two-page spread (or even image's layout in a book)... may not fit well inside the single-screen device.

It's like trying to squish a 7″×10″ (or 14″×20″) page into a 6″ screen—it just won't work! (Not to mention the horrible pinch/zooming we keep on mentioning.)—the two-page spread's text would just be... microscopic!

You may have to go back to the source document and tweak the size/placement of images/text to get a better visual in your FXL ebook.

Each one of these changes has to be tweaked/decided on... per page/device/store/book basis.

These FXL ebooks then need to be tested on the devices themselves, and, again, this is where professional knowledge comes into play.

A professional would preemptively make you aware of these issues and/or fix them before they become a larger problem. (Very bad user reviews, returned books, Kindle Quality Notices [KQNs].)

- - -

Side Note: I wrote a lot about "professional knowledge" in:

Quote:
In the case of ebooks, a professional may:
  • know lots of bugs/quirks of different devices.

If you're trying to do X (poetry/lyrics for example), they may code it in a way where it works better across all devices.

Or they may:

... so they'll make sure to NOT break that.

Ebooks are also NOT just "the surface", the underlying HTML+code is just as important.

For example, Text-to-Speech is extremely important, and if:

... things may go very wrong!

(So many of these automated "one-click" tools create busted code. Those ebooks may "look okay on the surface", but once you begin poking at it and flipping switches, things break.)
- - -

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch View Post
What matters is what the publisher wants; if they end up learning a harder lesson, say, at Amazon with a KQN or the like, that's...that's different. It's not really our job, either here on MR or in my shop, to say "you CAN'T do that." I try to explain...but I don't hold interventions when they decide to go FXL. Just so you know. :-)
Good ol' Tex just says:

"FXL? Nah. Bad idea." (And then I promote Booknook.biz! )

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch View Post
It is, to be fair, their choice to make.
And they'll always get a strongly worded (few) paragraphs from me!

Last edited by Tex2002ans; 10-14-2022 at 05:50 PM.
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