Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Tingle
Those original author .doc, .rtf, etc. files they demand are disposable, rather than being the original-of-record. This is despite the fact that the author's files are probably tolerably structured, at least to the point that someone in the future can see what is needed to make a new version.
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Jack, yes, the author's files can be the basis to make a new version but then all of the costs for, say, editing, would have to be reincurred. Very few authors produce manuscript that can go directly to the printer.
And if the author's manuscript is reedited, it is unlikely that the print and e versions would be identical. Rarely do two editors agree on everything and always there is some error that is missed by one and found by another.
What is really needed is for Adobe to step up to the plate and solve the problem of going from InDesign files and/or PDF to the ePub form seamlessly.
Oh, FWIW, even if the publishers do not have the original DOC/RTF files, they should have the original InDesign files as well as the PDF. It is not impossible to go from InDesign to ePub.