I want to create some documents which will be provided as pdf, .epub, .mobi and in print, and I’m trying to figure out where to start so I have the original in a format which will simply build all the versions I need.
At the end of last year, there was a short dicussion about why some of the books that Sitepoint offer weren’t available as .mobi or .epub, but were available as print or .pdf, and the response was that the later ones had their source as xml files.
So I guess my question starts as is there some form of standard for these xml files? Can I create it in Word 2007/2010 and pull out the xml file from the .docx file? Is there an xml template available somewhere for creating these documents?
And the second question is what do you use to generate the .mobi and .epub versions?
I’m not the best person to answer these questions, but I’ll have a go.
The SitePoint books are created with some complex software that I don’t know much about, but I suspect that that’s a pretty heavy-duty solution that may not suit you. You can create a file in Word or InDesign and just save as a pdf to create a PDF version. But if you want to create one file that can be turned into all formats, I think that might be quite hard, unless that XML stuff can be used for all purposes (though someone else will have to answer that).
As for .epub etc, there is a package of files that you can download from the respective sites that provides a framework in which you can create your ebooks. It’s a bit like designing a website. (There’s a whole lot of required files that make up an .epub, for example.) Alternatively, you can use a program like InDesign to create a file that is then packaged as an epub for you (not sure about .mobi); though, from what I’ve seen, it’s tricky to get things right if you are doing it through InDesign. (I get the sense that it’s a bit like building a site via Dreamweaver’s WYSIWYG editor, which is a rather awful way to build a website.)
So I’m not sure if you can use one file that is then converted into all formats—unless you buy some kind of software. That will be for someone else to answer.
Thanks for your reply Ralph. Some interestng and useful comments in there.
As you rightly say, pdf isn’t really a problem, with both paid and freeware options available.
I have found 2 programs which are supposed to make creating epub and mobi versions (Calibre and Mobipocket), and whilst they seem to do a reasonable job, it doesn’t seem to take much to confuse them.
One of my favourite tricks at the moment to get documents readable on the Kindle is to create them in Word as 90 x 122 mm with a 5mm margin, then publish to pdf.
I think maybe in the end it will come down to defining a foolproof workflow for creating the documents.
I find PDF for book reading very cumbersome regardless of reader (eBooks, PDFReader…) for entertainment reading. ePub is awesome and as quincemeister pointed out, this site has a great source for books.
I am currently using iBooks and .PDF is the format. I thought I was limited to only .PDF. You can use e-pub, it is personal choice although it depends on the reader. I find PDF for book reading very cumbersome regardless of reader.
You can use QuarkXpress or Adobe’s InDesign to format your books and then export them to pdf, epub and mobi.
These softwares take the text from your favorite text editor such as word or OpenOffice’s write, import it and then create a version that you either send to print or to a digital format.
That’s what they were created for.
You can say that they’re sophisticated versions of Word although I would never suggest that you use them directly to write your book or flier or brochure. Of course, you can write and edit text but it is better if you just do minor changes if it is really necessary.
These softwares are a real pain if you use them to write something or simply to go through the grammar and spellchecking. That’s why you do all the work in a text editor and you import it.
And if you format your text in Word, they don’t have any problem to keep all the colors and appearance that you created but do remember that it works a way better if you use styles in Word and that, unlike Word, these softwares are very precise, so you should know about ligatures, whites spaces (there are more than one type of white space), ellipsis, etc, etc…
pdf is easy to read almost every PC has the pdf reader but epub files are not easily readable on PC screen because epub readers are complicated, the ebook reader for smartphones is a good tool for reading epub books.
