MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Today's Posts Search

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > News
Reload this Page Wired is totally clueless about ebooks

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-06-2010, 02:23 AM   #1
jgray
Fanatic
jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jgray ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 554
Karma: 2928497
Join Date: Mar 2008
Device: Clara 2E & Sage
Wired is totally clueless about ebooks
I just read the following article at Wired that supposedly tells you how to create an ebook.

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Roll_You...tories+2%29%29

One thing they got right--they do recommend using epub. It was obvious even to Wired that everyone but Amazon supports it, as they state in the article.

As for their recommended tools and workflow, if it wasn't so sad, I'd laugh. Using Microsoft Word, start by creating a PDF. Then feed that PDF into Calibre to generate an epub. If you have to use MS Word, at least save to HTML and then use Tidy to strip out all the junk that MS puts in. Why anyone would think that using a PDF as an intermediate step in ebook creation is a good idea, I simply cannot fathom.

I can think of several alternate workflows that make much more sense. And as for software, there are several other programs (free and paid) that would do a better job of creating an epub.

I not only blame Wired for not reviewing this article before publishing it, but the author needs to get some real world experience and along the way, buy a clue.

Joe
jgray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 03:01 AM   #2
viviena
Evangelist
viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.viviena ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 412
Karma: 520610
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Canberra, Australia
Device: Currently Kobo Clara HD and Aura One, iPad
To be fair, it's a wiki, so that page most likely wasn't written by anybody officially associated with Wired. Wiki articles aren't reviewed as such -- somebody creates a page, somebody else edits it, maybe there might even be an edit war...

Quote:
Welcome to the Wired How-To Wiki, a collaborative site dedicated to the burgeoning DIY culture. ... Anyone can contribute new items or edit an existing item which means that the articles are only as good as you make them.
That said, I don't really care enough to register an account just to edit that page.

(Also, jumping off the ebook topic for a bit, how is this How-To Wiki any different from already established sites such as WikiHow, eHow, or even Everything2? What's the point?)
Last edited by viviena; 10-06-2010 at 03:03 AM.
viviena is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 10-06-2010, 03:03 AM   #3
MrPLD
Author's pet-geek
MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MrPLD ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
MrPLD's Avatar
 
Posts: 933
Karma: 1040670
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Queensland, Australia
Device: Kindle 3 Wifi, Onyx Boox M96
Sadly this sort of misinformation is going to keep on propagating. You can try stop it where you can but it's about as effective as holding your hand up to stop a tidal-wave.

We use LyX here, export to HTML, import to Calibre, nice and easy hew:

Paul.
MrPLD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 03:35 AM   #4
toddos
Guru
toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.toddos ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
toddos's Avatar
 
Posts: 695
Karma: 822675
Join Date: May 2010
Device: Kobo Aura, Nokia Lumia 920 (Freda)
Page is now fixed. I modified the "Starting from Word" to save as filtered HTML, convert using Calibre, and edit/cleanup using Sigil.

Since this is a wiki, any registered Wired user can modify it and it's free to create an account. Better to fix misinformation than complain about it
toddos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 06:52 AM   #5
silv
Member
silv doesn't littersilv doesn't litter
 
Posts: 10
Karma: 172
Join Date: Sep 2010
Device: iRiver Cover Story & Cybook Gen3
There are still people reading this idiotic website?
silv is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 10-06-2010, 06:56 AM   #6
Zetmolm
Guru
Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Zetmolm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 615
Karma: 2362786
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: PocketBook Verse Pro Colour
Quote:
Originally Posted by toddos View Post
Page is now fixed. I modified the "Starting from Word" to save as filtered HTML, convert using Calibre, and edit/cleanup using Sigil.

Since this is a wiki, any registered Wired user can modify it and it's free to create an account. Better to fix misinformation than complain about it
If you use Sigil anyway, why first convert using Calibre? You can import the html into Sigil. Or are the results less good then?
Zetmolm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 07:38 AM   #7
Fabe
Dylanologist
Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.Fabe has survived committing the World's Second Greatest Blunder.
 
Fabe's Avatar
 
Posts: 200
Karma: 146754
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Device: none/all/any
Quote:
Originally Posted by viviena View Post
To be fair, it's a wiki, so that page most likely wasn't written by anybody officially associated with Wired. ...
Someone has to take responsibility. If Wired hosts, then they are in charge.

##

I wonder if Ken Follett struggled with html, css, and epubs? - Fabe
Fabe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 08:12 AM   #8
murraypaul
Interested Bystander
murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.murraypaul ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 3,726
Karma: 19728152
Join Date: Jun 2008
Device: Note 4, Kobo One
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fabe View Post
Someone has to take responsibility. If Wired hosts, then they are in charge.
So MobileRead are responsible for any incorrect advice posted here?
murraypaul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 09:16 AM   #9
L.J. Sellers
Novelist
L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.L.J. Sellers ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
L.J. Sellers's Avatar
 
Posts: 287
Karma: 387979
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Device: Kindle
The best way to create an e-book? Send my Word file and a $60 check to a professional.
L.J.
L.J. Sellers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 10:04 AM   #10
etienne66
Groupie
etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.etienne66 knows what is on the back of the AURYN.
 
Posts: 185
Karma: 9832
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Texas, US
Device: Kindle 2, PRS-600 Black, PRS-650 Red, Adam w/ Pixel Qi(pre-ordered)
Quote:
Originally Posted by L.J. Sellers View Post
The best way to create an e-book? Send my Word file and a $60 check to a professional.
L.J.
Thanks for the laugh. Know your limitations.

Etienne66
etienne66 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 10:48 AM   #11
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetmolm View Post
If you use Sigil anyway, why first convert using Calibre? You can import the html into Sigil. Or are the results less good then?
The results are perfect then... that's the way I do it, and I have no problems. ePubs are compliant and pretty.

If you convert your Word file by pasting the content into an HTML editor like Dreamweaver, it removes most of the extraneous Word code in the process. No offense to Calibre, but you don't need it and Sigil, too.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 10:57 AM   #12
citac
Fanatic
citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.citac ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 556
Karma: 1020204
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 (Android)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan View Post
The results are perfect then... that's the way I do it, and I have no problems. ePubs are compliant and pretty.

If you convert your Word file by pasting the content into an HTML editor like Dreamweaver, it removes most of the extraneous Word code in the process. No offense to Calibre, but you don't need it and Sigil, too.
Not so with me. I can't get all the diacritics to show, even though I followed all the instructions given here and elsewhere on how to embed fonts into epub and I used Sigil. Guess our language is too complicated for that.
citac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 11:03 AM   #13
DMcCunney
New York Editor
DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DMcCunney ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DMcCunney's Avatar
 
Posts: 6,384
Karma: 16540415
Join Date: Aug 2007
Device: PalmTX, Pocket eDGe, Alcatel Fierce 4, RCA Viking Pro 10, Nexus 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by L.J. Sellers View Post
The best way to create an e-book? Send my Word file and a $60 check to a professional.
L.J.
For a lot of folks, that will be the best approach. You want to spend your time writing, and it makes more sense to pay a specialist than to come up the learning curve on the various technologies and do it yourself. You could do it yourself, but the time is better spent getting the new book out the door.
______
Dennis
DMcCunney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2010, 03:44 PM   #14
Shaggy
Wizard
Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Shaggy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Shaggy's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,293
Karma: 529619
Join Date: May 2007
Device: iRex iLiad, DR800SG
Quote:
Originally Posted by viviena View Post
(Also, jumping off the ebook topic for a bit, how is this How-To Wiki any different from already established sites such as WikiHow, eHow, or even Everything2? What's the point?)
Because the other wiki sites don't generate ad revenue for Wired, so they started their own that does.
Shaggy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Clueless Newbie Needs Help! Shawnsea Introduce Yourself 6 08-29-2010 02:30 PM
Hello from another clueless newcomer pamur Introduce Yourself 11 06-26-2009 09:37 PM
Just got my 505 and I'm clueless! usnwifeaustin Sony Reader 16 05-29-2009 02:32 PM
another clueless newcomer lizj Which one should I buy? 4 10-29-2008 04:13 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:47 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.