Readable Web » E-Books

The Look That Says Book – On AListApart

Richard Fink — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:34:24 +0000

An article I wrote about Hypenation & Justification in web design was published on AListApart today. Titled: The Look That Says Book.

Please visit the comments page and weigh in on how you feel about the current level of support for hyphenation and justification in browsers.
Do you think H&J is important? Not? OK, then what? I’d like to hear what you think.

Sidenote: Editors – Wow, What A Concept!

Unfortunately, the nature of blogging is such that input from an editor just isn’t feasible except in rare instances. So it’s incredibly refreshing to work with sharp, technically astute editors like those at ALA.
Much thanks.

E-Book Publishers Go Delusional

Richard Fink — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:01:36 +0000

Book publishers seem lately like a group of prep-school kids who’ve gotten into an altercation with a bunch of gang-bangers on their way home. Pepper spray versus automatic weapons. Yeesh.

An article today in the NYTimes, E-Books Fly Beyond Mere Text, tells of publishers once again revisiting the fantasy land of “multimedia”. This latest phase, as publishers move along the Five Stages Of Grief, is bargaining:

“Maybe if we provide books with a web-like experience, we can save our jobs!”

Instead of concentrating on real problems and opportunities publishers pour resources into desperate attempts to stay relevant with a bad imitation of the web.

Newsflash: Saving your job may be a great motivator but it is not a source of opportunity. (Personally, all this reminds me of the Fashion Industry circa 1988 as the last dominoes in the migration of apparel manufacturing to low wage nations began to fall with startling speed.
Google “auto workers, Detroit” for more perspective.)

Dream On

So now publishers are coming up with “enhanced” books, “amplified” books, and “enriched” books.
No, don’t get involved. Just keep walking and call 911, it’s all you can do.

In providing this web-like experience, the operative word is “like”, as in pale imitation. No book editor on earth can “clear” enough copyrighted material to remotely come close to the depth of information I can get on the web, for free, on any facet of any book.
Look, I know they’re desperate. And as a refugee from a dead industry myself, I understand. But what world are they living in?

Aren’t any of these people aware of what happened to Microsoft Encarta?

I had heard about the plans for an “amplified” book from Penguin’s Molly Barton at the Future Of Reading Conference at RIT. The crowd at the conference was largely academic, with some librarians and publishing insiders sprinkled in. Yet even an older, relatively staid audience like that knew immediately the idea was lame.

Font designer Gary Munch deadpanned, “Uh, didn’t they try that before in the nineties?”. Such was the general reaction. To top it off, Barton made a snide comment – with pride, too – about Penguin NOT hiring web savvy “kids” to work on their e-book efforts. This raised eyebrows all around, too. Looks deceive. Beware the librarians.

We publishing professionals know best, was the message. Big mistake.

To Kindle Or Not To Kindle

Richard Fink — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:43:52 +0000

Decisions, decisions.

Today my wife the doctoral candidate asked my advice on whether to buy a book she needed as a P-Book or the Kindle edition. (We have the Kindle DX.)

The name of the book is The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. (Strangely, I remembered both the book and the author’s name. I think I might have read it a long time ago during my history-of-technology phase.)

Anyway, here were the considerations:

Delivery: Kindle is instant versus having to wait (and pay extra) for the P-Book.

Price: $9.99 for the Kindle versus $13.80 plus shipping for the P-Book.

Payment Method: Both instant – quickpay or autopay or one-click or whatever Amazon is calling it.

Intrinsic Quality: Print is print is print. Expectations will be met. There will be a Table Of Contents, there will be an Index. You can flip through it. However, there’s no equivalent to a “flip through” on the Kindle. And Kindle books can vary in quality depending upon how the digital file is created. This usually means problems navigating through the book. How widespread these problems are with Kindle books produced by commercial houses, I don’t know. But the fear flashed through my mind – and that’s a problem for both Amazon and publishers of titles for the Kindle. I wonder what the return policy is.

Miscellaneous Pros For the P-Book: You can resell it. You can loan it to a friend who doesn’t have a Kindle. It’s just as easy to scan and OCR parts of it as it is to try and copy and paste from the Kindle. (Can that even be done? …gotta work on my Kindle-skills.)

Miscellaneous Pros For the Kindle Edition: Nothing to carry, it travels with the device. It also travels with the iPad via the Kindle app. Is there a desktop version of the Kindle app? I don’t know.

Bottom Line: This book is a must-have, not discretionary. (The local library could, in this instance, be an option since the course requiring it won’t last forever.)
But on the logic of, “Well, ten bucks more or less isn’t going to break me”, the Kindle edition won. Later today, I’ll check out the quality issues and report back.

Transitions, transitions.

[ UPDATE: A Few Hours After First Post ]

The book indeed has a table of contents. However, when you first “open” the book on the Kindle, for some reason it jumps to the Preface, not the TOC. Don’t see much logic in that. Plus, who reads the damned Preface anyway. I know the author is grateful to their family, to God, and to that first-grade teacher who put them on the path to authorship. There should be a “Start Reading” option that takes you straight to the meat. Or, start with the TOC, for heaven’s sake. But anyway….

Part of the reason for this post was to display, unashamedly, my own ignorance of what’s up with Kindle books. From what I can see, the best thing about the Kindle is the iPad Kindle app. Much, much more usable. And in Naples, Florida, where I live, it’s too damned hot in the sun, anyway.
In a comment on this post, Joe Golton of FilterJoe, who’s not ignorant says:

“Richard – You’ve already pulled the trigger on this one but there’s a few things that would be helpful for you to know before purchasing any more books from the Kindle store:

1) There IS a way to flip through a book, but only if the book is formatted with “waypoints.” Waypoints are the little dots you see at the bottom of the Kindle’s screen for books that have them. Look at the Kindle DX User’s Guide for an example. Just flick the controller to the right (or left) flip forward (or backward) through the book chapter by chapter.

2) You can usually download a sample to see if the book has Table of Contents and waypoints enabled. You will want to do this for any book that has chapters, to see if it is set up to take full advantage of the Kindle formatting.

3) Nonetheless – a sample will usually only show you the first 5% or so of a book. So you may not get to preview whether graphs were done correctly.

The Nook from Barnes and Noble has the advantage of allowing you to browse the entire book while you are in the Barnes and Noble store. The Nook also has another “flip through the book” option – a slider that can be used on the touchpad to jump to different parts of the book.”

So there you have it. And me, too.

Two Joes On The State Of E-Books

Richard Fink — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:19:23 +0000

Everybody knows that books are special. Books require special “formatting”. And special E-Readers, of course, which will – via small nasal attachments – give you that special new book smell, too. (Don’t believe it? It’s already available as an aerosol.)

Just remember that what “everybody knows” is useless information. And upon close inspection, usually flat-out wrong or at least outdated.

From Joe Clark:

I’ve been re-reading Joe Clark’s article Web Standards For E-Books on AListApart and you should, too.
Other posts of interest would be these, on Joe C’s blog:
Travis J. Nichols’ ‘Ugly Stick’
Retraining Readers Of An Industry Organ

From Joe Golton:

Joe Golton’s blog is called “Filter Joe” and his passion is filtering information – finding ways to tame the information beast and get what you need without the crap. Joe’s latest post is a hands-on report about just what kinds of information can be viewed without hassle on the Kindle.
Can You Read Anything On The Kindle? …Almost, With Google Reader

E-Book Formats: The Mad Scramble

Richard Fink — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:37:40 +0000

I haven’t been reporting much on developments in the e-reader biz lately. Simple reason: I can’t keep up and I don’t think it pays at this point to even try. I’m enjoying the shake out, though.

The mad scramble is being driven by two factors:
1) Screen technology has gone mobile in a big way – with the Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, Android, and so forth and so on.
All the stuff you could possibly have the time to read can now travel with you. And if that isn’t enough, even more stuff you’ll never ever have the time to read can be sent wirelessly to you.
2) These screens do provide a satisfying reading experience. And they are getting better all the time.

The New iPhone’s “Retina” Display

I checked out the new iPhone with it’s ultra-sharp Retina display the other day and it was amazing, really. As an iPhone user, I was very skeptical about it being worth the hassle and expense of an upgrade, but to these tired old eyes, it definitely is. I’ve simply never seen a display with text as crisp and sharp at small sizes as I saw on the new iPhone. I did a side-by-side comparison with my current phone and all I could say was, “Wow”. The next day I was using my wife’s iPad for something and I couldn’t help but try to imagine what it would be like if the iPad had the same quality screen as the new iPhone. Wow++. Only a matter of time, I suppose.

E-Reader? Got One. It’s Called A Browser.

And so, everybody’s scrambling to establish themselves as the dominant platform or format or application, or something or other for the burgeoning market for “books onscreen”.

Here’s a simple fact that, for me, stands out: All day long I read from an application called a browser. You’ve heard of them, right? Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome – those guys. But yet, when it comes to paper books that have been ported onscreen, I’m being asked to use some other application called an E-Reader.

Why? What’s wrong with this picture? Are the words in a paper book different than the words on a blog?

As you ponder this question, check out the free browser-based Ibis Reader. (Yes, for the iPhone/iPad it’s an app. A matter of screen real-estate, I suppose. When will mobile Safari support full-screen mode?)

I’m also keeping an eye on Blio, new e-publishing software that seems to be a little different from the rest of the pack, but we’ll see when it soon debuts.

Wanna e-publish? Jeffrey Zeldman posted a nice, brief roundup with some juicy links a couple of days ago.

Old Farts, New Media

Richard Fink — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Rochester, New York

Over the past two days here at the Future Of Reading Conference at RIT there’s been two talks by publishing industry insiders – Molly Barton of Penguin Books and Jane Friedman, former longtime President and CEO of Harper Collins Publishers Worldwide.

There’s a big difference in age between them. One of them is young and one of them is, well, probably a grandmother. (Didn’t ask, but she mentioned she had four sons.) One of them understands where the publishing of books is headed and the other one seemed a little stodgy, frankly.

Here’s what they look like. Guess who’s clued in, who’s not:

Jane Friedman, Clued In

In the days of print, competition between the major publishers could afford to be a “gentlemanly” affair. But in these days of digital and print-on-demand, it’s guerrilla warfare. Jane Friedman brought up the fact that there’s 80,000 independent publishers in the USA. Twice. She gets it. And she gets the change in mood, too. It’s not just digital distribution, there’s a change in expectations. Many readers want to feel a relationship, a connection to the author. A name on a book cover isn’t enough. And readers want to get the book they want, whenever they want it, on whatever device they’re using, wherever they are. She gets that, too.

Jane Friedman is co-founder of start-up publisher Open Road Integrated Media. And for the first time, they are publishing digitally, with no accompanying print edition, Negotiating With Evil, by Mitchell Reiss.
Let me say that again: no simultaneous print edition.

Hey Jane, How ‘Bout DRM?

After her presentation, I asked Friedman if all of Open Road’s titles were DRM’d (Kindle, Nook, etc) and she said that at the moment, all of them were. I asked if they were considering releasing anything under trusting, open licenses and she said it wasn’t out of the question but that Open Road is a very new company, give it time, and certainly anything and everything that gets books into the hands of the most readers and generates revenue for the authors is on the table.

OK. Maybe someday I’ll be able to quote a paragraph or two without jumping through hoops. (Or, alternatively, downloading the cracked edition which we all know will exist. Not condoning, just saying.) But in the meantime, it’s refreshing to see somebody with long experience thinking anew and acting anew.

Next, more from the conference: Chris Anderson of Wired, Jon Orwant of Google Books, and my new hero, old fart Richard Lanham, Professor Emeritus at UCLA.

Three Advances In Screen Typography

Richard Fink — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:27:38 +0000

This, just in from Readable Web’s Department of Keeping Track:

New Font Control Features For Designers

The typography Wizards of Moz, Firefox devs Jonathan Kew and John Daggett have been cooking up some ways for web designers to take advantage of the advanced features of OpenType. If you want a peek at what web typography might be looking like not too far down the road, this is one to bookmark. Includes an animated screen demo.

The Importance Of Gabriola

The product of Tiro Typeworks’ designer extraordinaire John Hudson (or “The Buffalo Whisperer” as we call him around here), Gabriola is an advanced and experimental font included by Microsoft in Windows 7.

Gabriola:

… includes significant flourishes that push the boundaries of vertical space, display logic, and Cleartype.

Includes a talk-show-like video presentation. So grab some popcorn.
Other info:
1) An announcement and comments on Typophile.
2) A screen shot.
3) A quickie pdf sample.

All of which don’t do it justice. Watch the video, enjoy the popcorn.

Prince, Web To PDF Conversion Software

A pet project of Opera CTO Håkon Wium Lie, Prince is designed to take XML and HTML documents and convert them, smartly, into PDFs. It builds on the existing and huge knowledge base of developers already familiar with Cascading Style Sheets.

Prince can read many XML formats, including XHTML and SVG. Prince formats documents according to style sheets written in CSS.

While I’m still in the process of wrapping my mind around the potential uses for this, I’m excited by the prospect of software that builds a bridge between web design and E-Book design. Web -> EPub -> PDF. If you’re a web dev or E-Book creator, check this one out. Command-line tools and components, too!

Read An E-Book On An E-Reader With E-Ink On E-Paper, Today!

Richard Fink — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:51:08 +0000

I’m confused. My Kindle is really an iRex 1000S. And when people ask if it’s an E-Book, I say “Yes”, but I really think “No”.
E-this. E-that. E-gads, what does it all mean?
Here’s my current dictionary for the world of digital books:

E-Book: An E-Book is not the hardware device with a screen that you hold in your hands. An E-Book is software. An E-Book is the digital file that holds the text and images that comprise the “book”. A PDF, for example. This distinction makes for clearer usage I think. So, in my head at least, that’s the way I’ve set it up.
In other heads, the terms “E-Book” and “E-Reader” are likely to get shuffled around and used interchangeably for some time.
E-Reader: An E-Reader is a hardware device on which you read E-Books. The Kindle is an E-Reader.
But if the history of brand names is any guide – to add to the confusion – ”Kindle” might quickly go from referring to a specific product to categorical catch-all, meaning simply, “E-Reader”. No matter what the manufacturer.
“Is that a Kindle?” Yeah, it’s an iRex Kindle. But the screen’s a little smudged, got a Kleenex? Thanks, you proved my point.
E-Ink: This term, I wish, would just go away. It does a lousy job of describing what it’s trying to describe. Where do you put a device that uses E-Ink to make sure it doesn’t leak accidentally and send you running to the dry-cleaners? Is my laptop display using Liquid Crystal Ink? And where can you buy E-Whiteout? Staples doesn’t have that, it seems.
Please move to the DO NOT USE column.
E-Paper: “E-Paper” does, nicely, describe the appearance of the kind of screens to be found on the Kindle and similar devices. This one’s a keeper.

The evolution of language is a fascinating sport where everyone gets to play.
About a month ago, I was flying from Florida to New York. Before takeoff, the flight attendant stopped by my seat, and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to turn off your book.” And then she grinned, leaned down a bit, and added, “You know, I just love getting to say that!”
I knew exactly what she meant.

Execs At Apple Say They Won’t Have Sex

Richard Fink — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:40:29 +0000

Holiday weekends always bring a surprise or two.
First, on Sunday, I get an email alert that a new E-Reader application for the iPhone, Eucalyptus, was all ready to go. 20,000 classic books.
Great, because the day after that, as planned, my wife and I went to the Apple store and came home with two spanking new 3G iPhones, two nifty cases, two new two-year contracts, and heaven only knows what other fine print and gotchas Apple and AT&T will use to keep us in line and online forever. With them.
And then today, right on cue, some of that fine print (font-size does matter, dammit) came back to bite us all:
Wired Magazine’s Gadget Lab has reported that the Eucalyptus E-Reader app has been rejected by Apple because – get a load of this – users can use it to download the Kama Sutra.
Apple said to Eucalyptus :

We’ve reviewed Eucalyptus — classic books, to go. and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains inappropriate sexual content and is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:
“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”

However this story ends, the significance is this: Right now, today, the market-dominating combination of Amazon and Apple—Applezon—has taken a toll-booth position in the E-book market.
If Applezon decides we can’t read the Kama Sutra on the iPhone, that’s the way it’s going to be.
But more importantly, if Applezon tells an author or a publisher that there simply isn’t enough demand to warrant their app or their book for it to appear on the Kindle or the iPhone, well, that’s the way it’s going to be, too. However benign their intentions – and I like both companies, I really do – both are profit-seeking enterprises accountable to shareholders and they are going to act accordingly.
But anyway, didn’t we work out all this sex stuff back in the Sixties? Whoever rolls over on this – Apple or Eucalyptus – one thing’s for sure, Lenny Bruce, in his grave, is rolling right now.
Say it ain’t so, Jobs.

E-Textbooks Get Kickstart From Governor Of California

Richard Fink — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:26:59 +0000

Nothing quite like a leg-up from the government to get things moving…

“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today launched an initiative to make California the first state in the nation to offer schools free, open-source digital textbooks for high school students. The Governor directed his Secretary of Education Glen Thomas to ensure these resources are available for use in high school math and science classes by fall 2009, a critical first step in helping ensure digital textbooks are widely available to all California students.”

A turning point in moving from print to the network screen?

Read the Governator’s press release.

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