Quote:
Originally Posted by Moejoe
I stand corrected. And I just downloaded your 'Art of War' PDF and it does look fantastic. But let me ask you this, why, if it just a matter of correct formatting, do we get so many badly put together PDF's (especially from Publishing houses)? Are they (as I think someone else suggested) just "Printing to PDF" rather than taking the time to do it correctly, or is there some other reason I'm not aware of?
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Thanks! I'm glad you like it.
I suspect the reasons are:
- Many do just "print to PDF".
- Few publishers have competent staff to handle the generation of eBooks--most of said staff may well have less understanding and know-how than your average mobileread.com member. (Which does not mean to be a swipe--merely pointing out a paid professional should be more knowledge and capable than an enthusiastic amateur.)
- Plus, if the PDF is not from a eBook reader specific/targeted website, it may have intentionally been aimed at people either reading on their computers or printing to letter/A4 size paper sheets. My "Art of War" (original book size) PDF saw more than 3000 downloads since February. I hope, but I am not convinced, it will get as many downloads of the eBook reader targeted versions (PDF or Mobipocket or ePub) anywhere near as quickly. If a publisher is using the PDF as a promotional tool for their dead-tree book, targeting people unlikely to buy that paperback book might not seem that attractive.
I think once publishers start taking eBook reader devices seriously, the quality of books will rise considerably.