Best Original Format for Kindle

[fading]

Hello all,

I work for a small publisher and we're just getting into the creation of Kindle eBooks from our existing print titles.

I've had decent results creating PRC files from PDFs using MobiPocket. However, there's always a few hours formatting work (adding and removing line breaks, random incidents where spaces are missing after commas etc. etc.) - we're looking at getting a conversion house to convert our archive of existing titles, but it's obviously not cheap.

So...what I am wondering is whether there's a better original format than PDF to work from which will require less manual editing?

We produce all of our books in Quark and then print them to PDF. Is there another format we can save to from Quark which will be better than PDF to work with in order to create our PRC files?

Thanks all :-)

Sam

[AnemicOak]

Haven't used Quark in years (I use InDesign here), but you should be able to output as HTML. Now how good that HTML would be I have no idea, but it might be worth a try, since PDF is generally the worst thing to work from IMO. I know some folks have been bugging Quark to add ePub export, but haven't heard anything about it happening yet.

You could always buy a copy of InDesign I suppose and import your Quark files and then save an ePub that way (could try the demo first). An ePub if fairly easy to convert.

[DDHarriman]

Hi

I agree.
I do not know Quark, but if it can output html files, you will get one of the best/the best format for you to create your Mobipocket eBook’s.

Best regards,

[AnemicOak]

I forgot about EasyEPUB which is a conversion service for Quark to ePub, but IIRC for the prices you could pay for a copy of InDesign after doing a couple of books.

[DDHarriman]

Sorry to step in here once more but the intent is to resolve the problem of “we're just getting into the creation of Kindle eBooks”.
So no ePub necessary as the Kindle can not read it today.

Best regards,

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by fading

Hello all,

I work for a small publisher and we're just getting into the creation of Kindle eBooks from our existing print titles.

I've had decent results creating PRC files from PDFs using MobiPocket. However, there's always a few hours formatting work (adding and removing line breaks, random incidents where spaces are missing after commas etc. etc.) - we're looking at getting a conversion house to convert our archive of existing titles, but it's obviously not cheap.

So...what I am wondering is whether there's a better original format than PDF to work from which will require less manual editing?

We produce all of our books in Quark and then print them to PDF. Is there another format we can save to from Quark which will be better than PDF to work with in order to create our PRC files?

Thanks all :-)

Sam

Couple of bits of advice...

1. Don't ever use PDF as a source format. It doesn't convert without errors and the only way to fix them is to a/b the PDF with the output.

2. Don't go Kindle only. That will lose you a lot of sales and respect. Go ePub & LRF as well and you'll catch all the users using readers other than Kindles.

3. I don't know if Indesign will read Quark files directly, but InDesign can output ePub. And if you have ePub, you can use Calibre to go to LRF and Mobipocket from there. All of this will work if you plan on going without DRM.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

Sorry to step in here once more but the intent is to resolve the problem of “we're just getting into the creation of Kindle eBooks”.
So no ePub necessary as the Kindle can not read it today.

Best regards,

The point is if they can output and ePub, which is how a lot of publishers are handling the initial ebook file now, they could make a Mobi or other formats from that easily.