Seems the right topic for my curent quest. My current DIYer flow is the the following:
MS-Word > html > ePub (script) > Sigil > ePub to mobi'ePub (script) > Kindlegen > mobi
Everything works wonderfully for my specific needs except MS-Word > html. Ideally, I should benchmark all the currently available tools. Alternatively I could read all threads here ... I am not lazy but I still have a lot of things to do and limited time (my ebooks are not the ending point but the starting point of something bigger). I could easily spend all my life evaluating.
I have noticed that professionals and advanced users frequently use the combination LO > writer2xhtml or some variations, OO or writer2epub. I am mainly interested in HTML, If the tool creates an epub, I will have to unzip the files anyway.
My new flow could be (to be finetuned):
MS-Word > OL > html > ePub (script) > Sigil > ePub to mobi'ePub (script) > Kindlegen > mobi
Some specific characteristics of my eBooks/flow:
- eBooks are created from a big MS-Word legacy. I must be prepared to a lot of conversions to OL (hopefully in batch mode). SR Regex inside OL for correction is OK.
- Presentation is similar to the "For dummies" series (No fiction books), except I don't use tables, I replace them by text or graphics. I don't use stylish stuff like floating images, embedded fonts, etc. I go directly to the point (no fiction verbage) My readers/customers expect concrete solutions to their specific problems. The presentation is always the same for all ebooks. 1 master CSS for epub, another one for mobi/kf8.
- I am my own and unique client, I do not have to worry about a badly formatted MS-Word file. I am wise enough to follow my flow rules. If the flow works for one eBook, it will work for all as long as I respect these rules.
- I control my flow using intensively AHK_L scripting language (no human errors and increased productivity) and I am a command line lover (Windows 7 OS). My leit motiv here is "systemize the routine, humanize the exception".
I would like to avoid some pitfalls like moving the problem from MS-Word > HTML to MS-Word > OL or discover that the generated HTML is not cleaner than the MS-Word filtered HTML one or is simply broken. I use AHK_L regex here with the HTML code.
So ... I will appreciate any unbiased advice. Please put yourself in my shoes and let me know whether I should invest time on an evaluation and be pleasantly surprised.
Many thanks.