Your Highligts in Books

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Why would book publishers be interested? Where is the benefit for them? I just can't see the big publishers caring.

There is a well known story about a German publisher who inserted advertisements into their book. An author was quite miffed when a passage about the good qualities of a soup brand was drawn to their attention.

So perhaps add helpful notes about other books?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ODelphi

User's highlights are for the benefit of publishers. :-) Do you know why? User remembers the book better. He's talking more about the book. He shows the book to his friends. He shares highligts with his friends from internet. That is, user advertises the book. Moreover, he does it free.

Hmmm. Interesting thought there. Are you saying that if someone doesn't highlight their books than they don't talk about books or recommend their books to others?

Personally I don't highlight but yet I do remember what I read and I do recommend or not recommend books to others. I know many, many others that do too.

Highlighting and recommending do not go hand in hand.

Now I will give you this, if I have to write a book report taking notes on the book was a help. Except for the fact that I had to use a notebook or notebook paper to take notes on because marking in textbooks or library books was frowned upon and the student could be fine.
Except in one case, and that was religion class. We had been given a specific bible for that purpose. I still have that particular book.

Reading for pleasure, it is not important. People will either talk about what they are reading or they won't.

There is an entire forum here dedicated to "reading recommendations". You might find one or two books there. There is also a forum dedicated to deals on ebooks. Anyone can read the forums. All members here can post in those forums.
No highlighting required.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

There is a well known story about a German publisher who inserted advertisements into their book. An author was quite miffed when a passage about the good qualities of a soup brand was drawn to their attention.

So perhaps add helpful notes about other books?

Now that might be a good idea, if that is what the OP wants to do. I was under the impression, he was talking about personal highlights shared across his devices, not highlights shared in the ebooks.

I think Amazon has something like that already set up but the user has to turn it on.

[ODelphi]

Not every book deserves highligt.

You use highlight to learn some documents. You mark the places of some of the documents you especially want to remember. These documents may also be the internet pages you have converted to EPUB.

Some books influence for the soul of man. It is great that you can reach the list of the book's special places whenever you want. :-)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ODelphi

Not every book deserves highligt.

You use highlight to learn some documents. You mark the places of some of the documents you especially want to remember. These documents may also be the internet pages you have converted to EPUB.

Some books influence for the soul of man. It is great that you can reach the list of the book's special places whenever you want. :-)

I typically use bookmarks to remember certain places in books.
The only time I used highlights for remembering was when I was proofreading and then so the author could see the mistakes too.

[Jessica Lares]

eBookstores and publishers aren't interested in the "open" aspect of the standard. What they're getting out of it is the ability to offer consumers the additional option of embedded/separate annotations.

BTW - The top 5 publishers, Adobe, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, and Rakuten (Kobo) are all members of the IDPF. Amazon isn't.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

eBookstores and publishers aren't interested in the "open" aspect of the standard. What they're getting out of it is the ability to offer consumers the additional option of embedded/separate annotations.

BTW - The top 5 publishers, Adobe, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, and Rakuten (Kobo) are all members of the IDPF. Amazon isn't.

Oh I thought the OP was talking about publishers not distributors.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

BTW - The top 5 publishers, Adobe, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, and Rakuten (Kobo) are all members of the IDPF. Amazon isn't.

None of these, other than Amazon, is a publisher; they're retailers.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

None of these, other than Amazon, is a publisher; they're retailers.

That was the word I was trying to think of. Thanks HarryT.

[Ricky D'Angelo]

Originally Posted by ODelphi

User's highlights are for the benefit of publishers. :-) Do you know why? User remembers the book better. He's talking more about the book. He shows the book to his friends. He shares highligts with his friends from internet. That is, user advertises the book. Moreover, he does it free.

I got introduced to twitter via sharing highlights from my kindle. It helps me by having another way to access my highlights and also serves as advertisement for the ebook. BTW, on my tablet Kobo gives an option to share highlights in a picture format which looks really cool.

[ODelphi]

Originally Posted by ODelphi

User's highlights are for the benefit of publishers. :-) Do you know why? User remembers the book better. He's talking more about the book. He shows the book to his friends. He shares highligts with his friends from internet. That is, user advertises the book. Moreover, he does it free.

An example

SparkNotes occasionally shares highlights of SparkNotes Editors and other people. I guess this could be a really good advertisement. :-) “SparkNotes is brought to you by B&N” :-)

[ODelphi]

I am writing a solution because still there is no progress in this issue. :-)

Annotations cannot be saved to ePub file format. Can be saved to the device, but not permanent. One of the most beautiful features of PDF files is that the annotations are saved in PDF. This ensures that the annotations are permanent. I know that some awake users, especially for this reason, have converted their books into PDF. And, over time, more users will discover it.

To IDPF, develop ePub file format can be coming to chore. But Adobe's favorite job is to develop more legible, more functional, portable file format. Adobe may want to develop a PDF version for books. Publishers will want to use this new book file format. Thus, they will have a constantly updated file format. A standard file format! To their favorite job, they can concentrate on the book that to be saved in PDF. Adobe can sell PDF Book editing license to publishers. Mutual benefit is ensured. Adobe already provide DRM for ePub to publishers. I told Adobe about these issues. Maybe you too would like to send e-mail.

ePub files have one advantage over PDF. User can change font size. This feature is not available for PDF because the PDF consists of many columns and images. But for books, maintaining page layout is not important. Books consist of a single column. PDF Book Version is suitable for single-column. Page layout does not need to be maintained. Font size change feature is available. It is simple from original PDF version. But it has optimum features for e-readers.

Instead of embedded Android e-readers, there are vigilant users who prefer open Android e-readers (like Onyx vs). Because they are more useful. User can install Android apps on the device. Kindle's and Kobo's Android apps can be installed on these devices. Of course Adobe Acrobat Reader's Android app and Xodo's Android app can also be installed. Over time, it is inevitable for more users to discover open Android e-readers.

[DiapDealer]

PDF is never going to become a de facto standard for text-based fiction ebooks. Never. There's way more than one advantage EPUB has over PDF in that department.

Never heard of Xodo. Do you have some connection to them?

Sorry to burst your bubble ODelphi, but your entire premise seems to be that annotations are of paramount importance to every person who reads. I read to be informed, and to be entertained, but in none of my recreational reading do I ever feel the need to make annotations. I also have no desire for the Android e-readers whose eventual dominance you consider "inevitable". E-ink is, for me, an awful display medium for any of the functions that my Android tablet performs so admirably - including reading PDFs. Currently of the 850+ books on my Kobo exactly zero are PDFs, a number I am certain will double or triple over time.

The simple reality is, different people have different reading habits and thus prefer different tools to fulfill their needs. To describe users whose usage matches your own as "awake" and "vigilant" (both complimentary adjectives) implies that any who don't share your preferences are therefore not awake or vigilant. This implied insult may or may not have been intended, but it could be avoided by phrasing your posts in a way that recognises that reading is a very individual pursuit, with no one "right" or "best" solution.

[ODelphi]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

PDF is never going to become a de facto standard for text-based fiction ebooks. Never. There's way more than one advantage EPUB has over PDF in that department.

Never heard of Xodo. Do you have some connection to them?

I have no bond with Xodo. But anymore, it seems more useful than Acrobat Reader.