Any chance of Baen Library in lrf format? - Page 3

DMcCunney · 10-05-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I believe that Fictionwise is using HTML2lrf (part of kovidgoyal's libprs500 package) to automate conversion of some 16k titles. Perhaps you could suggest that to him, since you've got him talking.

We'd talked before, about other things. I just don't expect a prompt response. He's a very busy guy.

<details noted for reference>

Quote:

I'm sure any number of folks around here who use it could offer a command line that he could plug into the thing to do the conversion quickly and easily.

I'll pass him the info. Converting 650 Webscriptions titles will be a lot more palatable if he can automate it.

Quote:

Good show following through with the gent.

<shrug>

I send email. Sometimes people respond. This was one of them.
______
Dennis

JSWolf · 10-05-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

We'd talked before, about other things. I just don't expect a prompt response. He's a very busy guy.

<details noted for reference>

I'll pass him the info. Converting 650 Webscriptions titles will be a lot more palatable if he can automate it.

<shrug>

I send email. Sometimes people respond. This was one of them.
______
Dennis

If he likes, I'd be happy to do it for him. html2lrf would do fine.

DMcCunney · 10-05-2007, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If he likes, I'd be happy to do it for him. html2lrf would do fine.

I mentioned in my original email that folks here would happily help on that conversion, too, but I understood it would open another can of worms. Volunteer conversion of stuff Baen posts on the Free Library is one things. Volunteer conversion of material they sell would be a different matter.
______
Dennis

JSWolf · 10-05-2007, 06:56 PM

Actually, I'm trying lit2lrf to see if that's any better.

JSWolf · 10-05-2007, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I mentioned in my original email that folks here would happily help on that conversion, too, but I understood it would open another can of worms. Volunteer conversion of stuff Baen posts on the Free Library is one things. Volunteer conversion of material they sell would be a different matter.
______
Dennis

They could pay me if need be. 8-}

NatCh · 10-05-2007, 07:37 PM

I'd work for books.

DMcCunney · 10-05-2007, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I'd work for books.

You and everybody else. Now, get Toni Weisskopf to sign off on it.

______
Dennis

JSWolf · 10-05-2007, 07:54 PM

I'm noticing that we'd need to do some manual conversion. Working for free books would be fine for me as well.

DrMoze · 10-05-2007, 08:10 PM

The free beer offer is still open to anyone in the NYC area.

Right now I have Heartland Brewery's Cornhusker Lager on tap.

JSWolf · 10-06-2007, 01:20 AM

I just spend some time converting a few Baen books from the free library. In order to do it right, it will need to be done manually. lit2lrf won't do. You'll need to take the LIT and convert it to html and then message the HTML to fix things with it and keep converting/fixing till you get it looking good. So there is no real way to batch process since the Bean html is not all that nice to start with. I'd need to check if all the things needing fixed are the same and they can be mentioned or maybe somehow automated. But we'll see as I delve more into this when I have time.

kovidgoyal · 10-06-2007, 01:55 AM

html2lrf should work pretty well on Baen HTML. In my experience it generates pretty good LRF files from Baen HTML.

JSWolf · 10-06-2007, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

html2lrf should work pretty well on Baen HTML. In my experience it generates pretty good LRF files from Baen HTML.

Pretty good is not quite good enough to sell. The margins were way too large, I found a spot where I needed to add a page break, the chapter headings were way too large. Had to convert the quotes and apostrophes to the curly type. Nothing that took too long once I figured out where/how to make the changes. But they still needed to be made.

As far as from the free library, these changes don't need to be made as long as the person reading is happy enough with the result. But they would need to be made in order for LRF format to be on the website. And yes, I would use html2lrf to do this as it would be easier once I figure out their strangeness and if they are all consistent.

HarryT · 10-06-2007, 07:00 AM

Why did you feel that you "had" to convert the quotes and apostrophes, Jon? Baen publish books with "straight" quotes and apostrophes; that's their "house style".

Xenophon · 10-06-2007, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I got a respnse back from Arnold:

I told him I understood the issue, and asked if he could run it past Toni when time permitted.

Is there a good scripted solution that would let him automate the conversion of all of the existing Webscriptions stuff?
______
Dennis

YES! I have a collection of shell scripts that will do the conversion entirely automatically (via Kovid's wonderful html2lrf tool). It would require that he edit the scripts some (to fit his installation as compared to mine), and that he either do the conversion on a Unix-ish box or install the Cygwin tools on a windows box.

That said, I can re-convert everything from Baen with a single command line (and any new month or bundle ditto)... and I'll be happy to share the scripts.

(edit...)
As for strangeness with Baen html goes, my experience has been that Kovid has been more than willing to fix issues in html2lrf. The --baen switch is there because a bunch of us asked for some pre-processing to clean up the incoming html before html2lrf went to work on it. I suspect that any further clean-up that can be automated with a sed or awk script would be trivial to get added. Once the desired change is identified, that is.

The only remaining problem that I've seen is occasional missing scene breaks. I've not been motivated to chase it down, but the possibility of getting the books pre-converted from Baen would motivate me...

Xenophon

JSWolf · 10-06-2007, 12:05 PM

But do your scripts take into account the need for some page break(s) and the fact that the paragraph indents are too big. I can go with l;eaving the quotes as is, but thge indents are too large and the only way to fix that is to go in and change the css code. Also, pages breaking needs to be fixed in at least one spot in a book I was testing last night. Also, the chapter text size is too large. These are things no script can fix unless the script edits the css code.

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10-05-2007, 06:56 PM	#34
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,255 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Actually, I'm trying lit2lrf to see if that's any better.

10-05-2007, 07:37 PM	#36
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'd work for books.

10-05-2007, 07:54 PM	#38
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,255 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I'm noticing that we'd need to do some manual conversion. Working for free books would be fine for me as well.

10-05-2007, 08:10 PM	#39
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 858 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	The free beer offer is still open to anyone in the NYC area. Right now I have Heartland Brewery's Cornhusker Lager on tap.

10-06-2007, 01:20 AM	#40
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,255 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I just spend some time converting a few Baen books from the free library. In order to do it right, it will need to be done manually. lit2lrf won't do. You'll need to take the LIT and convert it to html and then message the HTML to fix things with it and keep converting/fixing till you get it looking good. So there is no real way to batch process since the Bean html is not all that nice to start with. I'd need to check if all the things needing fixed are the same and they can be mentioned or maybe somehow automated. But we'll see as I delve more into this when I have time.

10-06-2007, 01:55 AM	#41
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,222 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	html2lrf should work pretty well on Baen HTML. In my experience it generates pretty good LRF files from Baen HTML.

10-06-2007, 07:00 AM	#43
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Why did you feel that you "had" to convert the quotes and apostrophes, Jon? Baen publish books with "straight" quotes and apostrophes; that's their "house style".

10-06-2007, 12:05 PM	#45
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,255 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	But do your scripts take into account the need for some page break(s) and the fact that the paragraph indents are too big. I can go with l;eaving the quotes as is, but thge indents are too large and the only way to fix that is to go in and change the css code. Also, pages breaking needs to be fixed in at least one spot in a book I was testing last night. Also, the chapter text size is too large. These are things no script can fix unless the script edits the css code.