MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Comics and Graphic Novels Kindle question

Von Allan · 10-19-2009, 08:57 PM

Hey there,

First, an apology. I initially joined the forum some months ago (ack! It was back in May!) and things went a smidgen crazy for me (including health issue stuff for my wife). I did not mean to be away for so long.

Here's my situation: I love the idea of ebooks, but I don't have a reader of any sort, save for my trusty ol' laptop. That means I've only "experienced" (cough) ebooks in either RTF or PDF form for text and PDF, CBR/CBZ for comics and graphic novels. I'm in Canada, so it's basically a non-starter with devices like the Kindle 2 or DX. So, in other words, I really know nothing right now when it comes to the Kindle, Sony Reader, and other ebook devices.

Now, I've recently self-published a 148 page graphic novel and I'd really like to make it available as an ebook. For something like the Kindle, getting formatting information for comics is very tricky. This Publishers Weekly article suggests that there's a few tricks to it, but when I contacted the DTP people at Amazon they noted that titles like Tumor were formatted with MobiPocket. Unfortunately, as of September they are no longer taking new publishers. And unfortunately, the DTP people weren't able to give me solid specifications on what I should do graphic-wise.

So, I feel a little stuck. I can do PDF, CBR and CBZ, and I think the Sony Reader (though I'm concerned about resolution) but not the Kindle. Simply put, what am I missing?

P.S.: To be fair, I've also talked with the folks at Smashwords but there doesn't seem to be a way of getting around their 5 meg upload limit, either. And unfortunately, there's just no way to compress a 148 page graphic novel down to meet this requirement. Smashwords would probably be my platform of choice, but it's a no-go. Graphics and ebooks just seem to be really, really tricky.

(edited to fix some silly formatting mistakes)

10-19-2009, 08:57 PM	#1
Von Allan Writer/Artist guy Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Device: Sony Reader PRS-300	Comics and Graphic Novels Kindle question Hey there, First, an apology. I initially joined the forum some months ago (ack! It was back in May!) and things went a smidgen crazy for me (including health issue stuff for my wife). I did not mean to be away for so long. Here's my situation: I love the idea of ebooks, but I don't have a reader of any sort, save for my trusty ol' laptop. That means I've only "experienced" (cough) ebooks in either RTF or PDF form for text and PDF, CBR/CBZ for comics and graphic novels. I'm in Canada, so it's basically a non-starter with devices like the Kindle 2 or DX. So, in other words, I really know nothing right now when it comes to the Kindle, Sony Reader, and other ebook devices. Now, I've recently self-published a 148 page graphic novel and I'd really like to make it available as an ebook. For something like the Kindle, getting formatting information for comics is very tricky. This Publishers Weekly article suggests that there's a few tricks to it, but when I contacted the DTP people at Amazon they noted that titles like Tumor were formatted with MobiPocket. Unfortunately, as of September they are no longer taking new publishers. And unfortunately, the DTP people weren't able to give me solid specifications on what I should do graphic-wise. So, I feel a little stuck. I can do PDF, CBR and CBZ, and I think the Sony Reader (though I'm concerned about resolution) but not the Kindle. Simply put, what am I missing? P.S.: To be fair, I've also talked with the folks at Smashwords but there doesn't seem to be a way of getting around their 5 meg upload limit, either. And unfortunately, there's just no way to compress a 148 page graphic novel down to meet this requirement. Smashwords would probably be my platform of choice, but it's a no-go. Graphics and ebooks just seem to be really, really tricky. (edited to fix some silly formatting mistakes) Last edited by Von Allan; 10-19-2009 at 09:03 PM.