The ePub format is rather rudimentary as well. Even in inDesign it is difficult to get a decent looking layout from an ePub export. The key is CSS specifically for ePub. Very few authors are going to have that kind of skill set.
I think I was hoping that producing ePub material would eventually be as easy as uploading a finished PDF to an ePublisher and paying for translation or simply using the "export to ePub" option in InDesign. Perhaps that was a little too "rainbows and unicorns."
Based on your position, AI should also report 'again' that the iPad will only be available in the US on April 3rd. And that you can't preorder it outside of the US.
Maybe not report it again, but on the other hand do they have to deliberately confuse their readers by writing that authors can sell their books across the globe in the first sentence when in fact that is not the case, now is it?
Maybe not report it again, but on the other hand do they have to deliberately confuse their readers by writing that authors can sell their books across the globe in the first sentence when in fact that is not the case, now is it?
Do you understand what the word, "potentially" means?
And to suggest that the for AI to omit telling us again that the iBook App is only available in the US is deliberately confusing their readers. Just how dumb do you think we are?
And by the way, what is stopping any independent author from selling his/her book for the iPad? Certainly not the lack of the iBook app.
Then your best bet is to use a PC to format the Word document. Or even better, use a desktop publishing program, and output it into a Word doc.
Word handles photos very well. You can embed them directly or have them reside elsewhere and get inserted dynamically. You can resize them and place them precisely onto the page.
Word is used routinely for well-formatted print publications of various types.
Not a chance. Word is notoriously bad for this, and no way am I going to create a completely separate document for just this purpose. Do you have any idea how much additional work this creates?
Do you understand what the word, "potentially" means?
And to suggest that the for AI to omit telling us again that the iBook App is only available in the US is deliberately confusing their readers. Just how dumb do you think we are?
And by the way, what is stopping any independent author from selling his/her book for the iPad? Certainly not the lack of the iBook app.
You are right when you say AI is not Apple's PR room.
I know I'm right when I say that, but thanks for reassuring me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abster2core
But wrong on the second point. AI has reported it, a number of times. It is old news.
Show me where they reported it? And no, the product didn't even ship - it's not, by any stretch "old news". I know about it, you know about it, others know it, but a lot more people do not know about it.
Self-publishing authors will be able to offer their titles on Apple's iBookstore for the iPad at almost no cost, potentially breaking down the barriers for independent writers who want to sell their work across the globe.
Apple is going to single-handedly save the Publishing Industry. They will do it whether the Publishers want it or not.
A story about "iBooks" needs to mention the most important fact about the app - If you live outside the U.S. (currently) iBooks is simply out of the question for you.
That is not important unless you live in a foreign country.
Not a chance. Word is notoriously bad for this, and no way am I going to create a completely separate document for just this purpose. Do you have any idea how much additional work this creates?
Some people use word for everything, so there is no extra work.
Sounds great -- until you read the fine print at Smashwords:
Carefully formatted Microsoft Word file? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
What if you want to make your book actually look good, with photos and illustrations?
Apple's pages can save in .doc format - hell even OSX's TEXTedit can. And I'm not aware of any word processing app that can't handle images and non-standard layouts. Pages even gives you magazine style templates.
I'd prefer to use InDesign and export as an ePub tho - but using a .doc isn't a show-stopper.
Apple's pages can save in .doc format - hell even OSX's TEXTedit can. And I'm not aware of any word processing app that can't handle images and non-standard layouts. Pages even gives you magazine style templates.
I'd prefer to use InDesign and export as an ePub tho - but using a .doc isn't a show-stopper.
The point is, with the .doc export you totally lose control over the layout, which presumably was carefully crafted in whichever app you used to create it. I'd greatly prefer PDF. Things stay where you put them.
The point is, with the .doc export you totally lose control over the layout, which presumably was carefully crafted in whichever app you used to create it. I'd greatly prefer PDF. Things stay where you put them.
I agree with you. There seems to be somewhat of a disconnect in the author/publisher relationship. In the old days the author handed the document to an editor who worked with a typographer and they would go through several revisions until everyone was comfortable with the end product including the cover art. For a no-cost solution by submission of a Word document, things are quite a bit more likely to go haywire.
The point is, with the .doc export you totally lose control over the layout, which presumably was carefully crafted in whichever app you used to create it. I'd greatly prefer PDF. Things stay where you put them.
The big disconnect here is that you and others seem to believe that layout is important here. This might be the case if the publications were destined to be displayed as PDF. Maybe PDF is an option, but there is no indication that it is. These self-published ebooks will be converted to .epub format. EPUB is a markup language like HTML making your publications closer to lightly-formatted web pages than they are to the layout of women's magazines.
As a source format for your electronic version of Crime and Punishment, Word .doc format is massive overkill. Any plain text editor is more than sufficient. If you want to see a simple .epub generation app in action, then I suggest that you download and install eCub.
Two other issues
The iPad, iBooks, and the self-published author. On April 3 in one fell swoop, Apple will dramatically increase the opportunities for self-publishers. Prior to the iPad, most of these authors had very limited opportunities to sell these missives. A substantial fraction of self-published books were sold out of a cardboard box next to a table setup wherever the author was allowed to sit. iBooks will allow self-published books to be sold anywhere in the US. When it goes global, it will allow self-publishers to sell the works anywhere in the World.
Third-party intermediaries. I don't know the extent of the services provided by Smashwords, but I do know something about the role of third-parties in dead-tree custom publication--at least in academia. Their most important function is to act as a universal clearinghouse for the non-original IP contained in the publication.
Comments
The ePub format is rather rudimentary as well. Even in inDesign it is difficult to get a decent looking layout from an ePub export. The key is CSS specifically for ePub. Very few authors are going to have that kind of skill set.
I think I was hoping that producing ePub material would eventually be as easy as uploading a finished PDF to an ePublisher and paying for translation or simply using the "export to ePub" option in InDesign. Perhaps that was a little too "rainbows and unicorns."
Based on your position, AI should also report 'again' that the iPad will only be available in the US on April 3rd. And that you can't preorder it outside of the US.
Maybe not report it again, but on the other hand do they have to deliberately confuse their readers by writing that authors can sell their books across the globe in the first sentence when in fact that is not the case, now is it?
Maybe not report it again, but on the other hand do they have to deliberately confuse their readers by writing that authors can sell their books across the globe in the first sentence when in fact that is not the case, now is it?
Do you understand what the word, "potentially" means?
And to suggest that the for AI to omit telling us again that the iBook App is only available in the US is deliberately confusing their readers. Just how dumb do you think we are?
And by the way, what is stopping any independent author from selling his/her book for the iPad? Certainly not the lack of the iBook app.
wow, this is amazing, im gonna start writing fiction rather than building apps!
Reading some of your past posts, you started writing fiction as long time ago.
Perhaps you should try another genre. You may be surprised how much better you could do.
Then your best bet is to use a PC to format the Word document. Or even better, use a desktop publishing program, and output it into a Word doc.
Word handles photos very well. You can embed them directly or have them reside elsewhere and get inserted dynamically. You can resize them and place them precisely onto the page.
Word is used routinely for well-formatted print publications of various types.
Not a chance. Word is notoriously bad for this, and no way am I going to create a completely separate document for just this purpose. Do you have any idea how much additional work this creates?
Do you understand what the word, "potentially" means?
And to suggest that the for AI to omit telling us again that the iBook App is only available in the US is deliberately confusing their readers. Just how dumb do you think we are?
And by the way, what is stopping any independent author from selling his/her book for the iPad? Certainly not the lack of the iBook app.
Ok, potentially confusing their readers...
You are right when you say AI is not Apple's PR room.
I know I'm right when I say that, but thanks for reassuring me.
But wrong on the second point. AI has reported it, a number of times. It is old news.
Show me where they reported it? And no, the product didn't even ship - it's not, by any stretch "old news". I know about it, you know about it, others know it, but a lot more people do not know about it.
Self-publishing authors will be able to offer their titles on Apple's iBookstore for the iPad at almost no cost, potentially breaking down the barriers for independent writers who want to sell their work across the globe.
Apple is going to single-handedly save the Publishing Industry. They will do it whether the Publishers want it or not.
A story about "iBooks" needs to mention the most important fact about the app - If you live outside the U.S. (currently) iBooks is simply out of the question for you.
That is not important unless you live in a foreign country.
Not a chance. Word is notoriously bad for this, and no way am I going to create a completely separate document for just this purpose. Do you have any idea how much additional work this creates?
Some people use word for everything, so there is no extra work.
That is not important unless you live in a foreign country.
Why did you repeat what I said. You live in a foreign country.
Why did you repeat what I said. You live in a foreign country.
No, I live in the United States.
Some people use word for everything, so there is no extra work.
For book layout? Not if they are even remotely serious about it.
Sounds great -- until you read the fine print at Smashwords:
Carefully formatted Microsoft Word file? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
What if you want to make your book actually look good, with photos and illustrations?
Apple's pages can save in .doc format - hell even OSX's TEXTedit can. And I'm not aware of any word processing app that can't handle images and non-standard layouts. Pages even gives you magazine style templates.
I'd prefer to use InDesign and export as an ePub tho - but using a .doc isn't a show-stopper.
Apple's pages can save in .doc format - hell even OSX's TEXTedit can. And I'm not aware of any word processing app that can't handle images and non-standard layouts. Pages even gives you magazine style templates.
I'd prefer to use InDesign and export as an ePub tho - but using a .doc isn't a show-stopper.
The point is, with the .doc export you totally lose control over the layout, which presumably was carefully crafted in whichever app you used to create it. I'd greatly prefer PDF. Things stay where you put them.
The point is, with the .doc export you totally lose control over the layout, which presumably was carefully crafted in whichever app you used to create it. I'd greatly prefer PDF. Things stay where you put them.
I agree with you. There seems to be somewhat of a disconnect in the author/publisher relationship. In the old days the author handed the document to an editor who worked with a typographer and they would go through several revisions until everyone was comfortable with the end product including the cover art. For a no-cost solution by submission of a Word document, things are quite a bit more likely to go haywire.
No, I live in the United States.
You're the geek version of Miss North Carolina.
The point is, with the .doc export you totally lose control over the layout, which presumably was carefully crafted in whichever app you used to create it. I'd greatly prefer PDF. Things stay where you put them.
The big disconnect here is that you and others seem to believe that layout is important here. This might be the case if the publications were destined to be displayed as PDF. Maybe PDF is an option, but there is no indication that it is. These self-published ebooks will be converted to .epub format. EPUB is a markup language like HTML making your publications closer to lightly-formatted web pages than they are to the layout of women's magazines.
As a source format for your electronic version of Crime and Punishment, Word .doc format is massive overkill. Any plain text editor is more than sufficient. If you want to see a simple .epub generation app in action, then I suggest that you download and install eCub.
Two other issues
You're the geek version of Miss North Carolina.
Miss South Carolina Teen USA