HarperCollins uses Sigil

[JSWolf]

This comes from a publisher copy. Notice Sigil in the OPF?

<package xmlns="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf" unique-identifier="BookID" version="2.0">
    <metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:opf="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf">
        <dc:title>The Washington Trilogy</dc:title>
        <dc:identifier opf:scheme="ISBN">9780062209108</dc:identifier>
        <dc:rights>© 2008 by Phillip Margolin</dc:rights>
        <dc:creator opf:role="aut">Phillip Margolin</dc:creator>
        <dc:publisher>HarperCollins US</dc:publisher>
        <dc:date opf:event="publication">2008-01-01</dc:date>
        <dc:language>en</dc:language>
        <dc:identifier id="BookID" opf:scheme="UUID">urn:uuid:4c9cba27-66b3-46ed-a8ca-6425585d6771</dc:identifier>
        <meta content="a9780062209108.jpg" name="cover"/>
        <meta content="0.3.4" name="Sigil version"/>
    <description xmlns="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">&lt;p&gt;This special edition of parts 1 &amp; 2 in Phillip Margolin's Washington Trilogy also includes an excerpt of the third book in the trilogy, &lt;i&gt;Capitol Murder&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;First Book of the Washington Trilogy: &lt;i&gt;Executive Privilege&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;When private detective Dana Cutler is hired to follow college student Charlotte Walsh, she never imagines the trail will lead to the White House. But the morning after Walsh's clandestine meeting with Christopher Farrington, President of the United States, the pretty young coed is dead&amp;#8212;the latest victim, apparently, of a fiend dubbed "the D.C. Ripper."&lt;p&gt;A junior associate in an Oregon law firm, Brad Miller is stunned by the death row revelations of convicted serial killer Clarence Little. Though Little accepts responsibility for a string of gruesome murders, he swears he was framed for one of them: the death of a teenaged babysitter who worked for then-governor Farrington.&lt;p&gt;Suddenly nowhere in America is safe for a small-time private...</description>
</metadata>

[Rob Lister]

good choice.

[elcreative]

And... It is a recognised tool, where's the surprise that a publisher would use it???

[JSWolf]

It's the first time I have seen Sigil used by a big publishing house.

[yekim54]

I hope they made a big donation.

[The Terminator]

Originally Posted by yekim54

I hope they made a big donation.

+1 I wonder what the developers think.

[charlesatan]

I suspect it depends on who do outsource their conversion to.

Or if it's inhouse.

[JeremyR]

Heh, they used the old (3.4) version like I still do

[Ravensknight]

Those effers.

So they use a free program. Do they donate? I doubt it. If they did, they would probably add another line in "how much it costs us to make ebooks, so feel sorry for us".

[charlesatan]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Those effers.

So they use a free program. Do they donate? I doubt it. If they did, they would probably add another line in "how much it costs us to make ebooks, so feel sorry for us".

So it's a crime for professional publishers to use a free program?

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by charlesatan

So it's a crime for professional publishers to use a free program?

Not at all. In fact, knowing that they use the same program as I do [when I get off my butt to edit a poorly edited ebook] gives me even more ammo for completely dismissing the BPH's.

I KNOW what Sigil is capable of. So when I KNOW that a company is using it, and I get crap books from them [no concrete examples yet, so please don't jump on me for that and ask], then I know the company sucks. Cause it isn't the software.

And all we ever hear from the publishers is how much it COSTS to make an ebook. Then we get this. I am just sick of their hypocrisy, that is all.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Those effers.

So they use a free program. Do they donate? I doubt it. If they did, they would probably add another line in "how much it costs us to make ebooks, so feel sorry for us".

What on earth gives you the idea that the cost of any program is a significant factor in the costing of ebook production??? It is the time put in be the person/people doing the work that costs... Personally I could care less whether a publisher uses a free or hyper-expensive program as long as it's a good tool for the job and they get the job done...

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Not at all. In fact, knowing that they use the same program as I do [when I get off my butt to edit a poorly edited ebook] gives me even more ammo for completely dismissing the BPH's.

I KNOW what Sigil is capable of. So when I KNOW that a company is using it, and I get crap books from them [no concrete examples yet, so please don't jump on me for that and ask], then I know the company sucks. Cause it isn't the software.

And all we ever hear from the publishers is how much it COSTS to make an ebook. Then we get this. I am just sick of their hypocrisy, that is all.

That doesn't make sense - HC uses a good program to produce books, you haven't had a bad book from them but they must suck because they give you bad books because the software is great? In any case, it doesn't matter how great the software is, it's the software in front of the computer that is using it, that's far more important...

[petrucci]

Originally Posted by charlesatan

So it's a crime for professional publishers to use a free program?

No. But their business model is at odds with the philosophy of distributing things for free for the benefit of society. Thus, it is ironic that they take advantage of such tools just to try to make a buck.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by petrucci

No. But their business model is at odds with the philosophy of distributing things for free for the benefit of society. Thus, it is ironic that they take advantage of such tools just to try to make a buck.

Using free software helps them make more bucks.
That seems entirely in line with their business model.