Book Designer Hints and Tips

Patricia · 01-21-2009, 12:38 AM

I'm attaching a collection of hints and tips for using Book Designer. I've used it almost every day for the last 18 months, so have become fairly familiar with its quirks. Hopefully it will help other users a bit.

And I'm very grateful to HarryT and RWood who read the draft and suggested some more tips.

If you use Book Designer do add your tips (or corrections) in this thread and I'll compile an updated version.

dordale · 01-21-2009, 03:15 AM

Thanks Patricia!!

Very useful!

dordale

Andybaby · 01-21-2009, 03:31 AM

I created a Wiki for this. Hope thats all right.
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Book...Hints_And_Tips
only had to redo the headings to get the TOC right.

RWood · 01-21-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andybaby

I created a Wiki for this. Hope thats all right.
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Book...Hints_And_Tips
only had to redo the headings to get the TOC right.

Andybaby, what is wrong with augmenting and adding it to the existing BookDesigner Best Known Practices that has been in the Wiki for years?

Elsi · 01-21-2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWood

Andybaby, what is wrong with augmenting and adding it to the existing BookDesigner Best Known Practices that has been in the Wiki for years?

I think the information needs to be in the Wiki, but also in a document (book) which is available offline. There *will* be times that I'm building books and won't have access to a network. I've gone so far as to copy/paste some pertinent threads (or selected posts from those threads) into a document so I'll have the info offline.

Afterthought -- it would be really clever if the Wiki topic (and linked subordinate pages?) could be readily spun off into a document for offline use. Maybe using a "print" function?

Andybaby · 01-21-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWood

Andybaby, what is wrong with augmenting and adding it to the existing BookDesigner Best Known Practices that has been in the Wiki for years?

because i thought it too long... no ones stoping you or anyone else though

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

I think the information needs to be in the Wiki, but also in a document (book) which is available offline. There *will* be times that I'm building books and won't have access to a network. I've gone so far as to copy/paste some pertinent threads (or selected posts from those threads) into a document so I'll have the info offline.

Afterthought -- it would be really clever if the Wiki topic (and linked subordinate pages?) could be readily spun off into a document for offline use. Maybe using a "print" function?

Use any Popular Download Manager like Down them all(this one is a firefox extension) and download all the web pages. I havent done this in a while, but it would work.

there are also ways for the admins to set up a bulk download feature in the Wiki. Wikipedia.org does this, as well as weekly database dumps which you can index yourself, there are many ways, Including just going to a page an clicking save as.

crutledge · 01-21-2009, 02:33 PM

Great job, Patricia. Some things I did not know and some I have dug out over the short time I've been using BD. Access to GutenText will save a lot of time.

Many thanks,
Charlie

JSWolf · 01-21-2009, 03:04 PM

I found a few things that could use some fixing/adding.

1. If you follow the directions for Book Cleaner in the em dash section, you won't be getting any of the other fixes in the Book Cleaner files I've posted or if you already have my Book cleaner files installed, following the directions will stop them from being used. The best solution is to create a section that tells peopl eof my Book Cleaner files and how to install them. They will fix the em dashes as well as -- to em dash as well as a number of other issues.

2. If a text file is loaded into Book Designer, there is a chance that some of the paragraphs can end up messed up. I don't know why this is or how to fix it. But the solution is to load RTF or HTML. So if you have a text file, load it into word and save it as RTF and then it will load without the paragraphs getting messed up.

3. When creating a book in LRF format, the default for Book Designer is to have the main text bold by default. I notice a number of eBooks here have or had bold body text because of this.

Andybaby · 01-21-2009, 03:08 PM

as for Right Alligned text, it is possible,

Set the Text to Text Author, and Select Right in the sony reader pane

JSWolf · 01-21-2009, 03:16 PM

I use the text author type for paragraphs with no indent.

Andybaby · 01-21-2009, 03:24 PM

so then use Verse or annotation or Cite, they should all work.

text authors are what i ussually want on the right so it works out.

and I do use the Eppigraph+text author button in the right click menu.

Valloric · 01-21-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

3. When creating a book in LRF format, the default for Book Designer is to have the main text bold by default. I notice a number of eBooks here have or had bold body text because of this.

I have never understood why that is the default. I remember way back when I was creating my first book with BD, and I created a LRF and transfered it to the Reader... man was I horrified with how it looked. Absolutely disgusted. Took me a while to figure out what was wrong, too.

Why would anyone set that as the default?

JSWolf · 01-21-2009, 04:43 PM

My guess for the bold default is that the 500 did not have all that great a contrast. So the bold helped the text show up better even though (to me) it didn't look nice.

crutledge · 01-23-2009, 12:17 PM

I installed GutenText and have tried to run several Gutengerg text files. It always gives the following error message.

Conversion error 1

What am I doing wrong?

Charlie

JSWolf · 01-24-2009, 03:37 PM

If you are talking about Gutentext giving an error, then you are in the wrong thread.

01-21-2009, 02:33 PM	#7
crutledge eBook FANatic Posts: 18,301 Karma: 16078357 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Alabama, USA Device: HP ipac RX5915 Wife's Kindle	Book Designer Hints and Tips Great job, Patricia. Some things I did not know and some I have dug out over the short time I've been using BD. Access to GutenText will save a lot of time. Many thanks, Charlie

01-23-2009, 12:17 PM	#14
crutledge eBook FANatic Posts: 18,301 Karma: 16078357 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Alabama, USA Device: HP ipac RX5915 Wife's Kindle	GutenText I installed GutenText and have tried to run several Gutengerg text files. It always gives the following error message. Conversion error 1 What am I doing wrong? Charlie

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01-21-2009, 03:15 AM	#2
dordale Wizard Posts: 1,731 Karma: 3472866 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Sony PRS-650 & 350; Kindle Voyage; Kobo Aura HD, Aura One, and Forma	Thanks Patricia!! Very useful! dordale

01-21-2009, 03:31 AM	#3
Andybaby Wizard Posts: 1,279 Karma: 1002683 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York Device: PRS-700	I created a Wiki for this. Hope thats all right. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Book...Hints_And_Tips only had to redo the headings to get the TOC right.

01-21-2009, 03:04 PM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,784 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I found a few things that could use some fixing/adding. 1. If you follow the directions for Book Cleaner in the em dash section, you won't be getting any of the other fixes in the Book Cleaner files I've posted or if you already have my Book cleaner files installed, following the directions will stop them from being used. The best solution is to create a section that tells peopl eof my Book Cleaner files and how to install them. They will fix the em dashes as well as -- to em dash as well as a number of other issues. 2. If a text file is loaded into Book Designer, there is a chance that some of the paragraphs can end up messed up. I don't know why this is or how to fix it. But the solution is to load RTF or HTML. So if you have a text file, load it into word and save it as RTF and then it will load without the paragraphs getting messed up. 3. When creating a book in LRF format, the default for Book Designer is to have the main text bold by default. I notice a number of eBooks here have or had bold body text because of this.

01-21-2009, 03:08 PM	#9
Andybaby Wizard Posts: 1,279 Karma: 1002683 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York Device: PRS-700	as for Right Alligned text, it is possible, Set the Text to Text Author, and Select Right in the sony reader pane

01-21-2009, 03:16 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,784 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I use the text author type for paragraphs with no indent.

01-21-2009, 03:24 PM	#11
Andybaby Wizard Posts: 1,279 Karma: 1002683 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York Device: PRS-700	so then use Verse or annotation or Cite, they should all work. text authors are what i ussually want on the right so it works out. and I do use the Eppigraph+text author button in the right click menu.

01-21-2009, 04:43 PM	#13
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,784 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	My guess for the bold default is that the 500 did not have all that great a contrast. So the bold helped the text show up better even though (to me) it didn't look nice.

01-24-2009, 03:37 PM	#15
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,784 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	If you are talking about Gutentext giving an error, then you are in the wrong thread.