How to make an ebook?!

PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
edited November -1 in iPhone and Android Publishing
I've been reading a lot about the iPad. While the initial reaction to the iPad was skeptical, the tide seems to have turned. I'm seeing a lot of favorable reporting about the iPad. I'm often seeing it compared to Amazon's Kindle. Apparently, the iPad is a great ebook reader.

However... I don't see how to actually create an ebook for the iPad.

I've been thinking of ways to do it with GameSalad, but it doesn't seem like a terribly efficient way to do it. For example, I don't think "display text" would be a good idea. Static images might work, but then file size becomes an issue.

I've released Photics: Revisions ( http://photics.com/books/photics-revisions ) on the iPhone / iPod Touch, by creating a WebView with xcode. Yet, I don't know how to do that cool page flip effect with just basic HTML.
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Comments

  • rebumprebump Member Posts: 1,058
    I would serioulsly look into Titaniums Appcelerator for ebooks. You can easily create a view (or scroll view) and put text into it. Then you can use the PAGE_CURL_LEFT and PAGE_CURL_RIGHT effects to transitions from view to view. You could probably get it done in a few days. You would probably spend more time formatting the book's text and installing the Appcelerator tool than you would writing the app.

    You need to Pro version to do iPad at the moment, but they will be opening up iPad support to all (including to free) in a few weeks (or so they say).
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    Even though I'm a web developer, that seems a bit complicated to me. I thought of a possible solution. Most of the page flipping stuff is in Flash. That doesn't work for me right now, as the iPad doesn't support Flash. However, with Flash CS5, I could export my book from Flash to the iPhone and I'm thinking that iPad support will probably be included too.

    I'm surprised that Apple doesn't have a tool for this... a simple PDF to iPad converter. If they do have something like this, I didn't see it.
  • rebumprebump Member Posts: 1,058
    That's the beauty of Appcelerator. You code it in javascript and can supplement it with HTML5 with a canvas. It then "compiles" into a native app with native views and controls (except for the HTML5/canvas stuff which will run in a hidden/embedded web view).

    If you have some javascript experience...install and look at their "KitchenSink" app. Just through looking at all the sample code for that, you could piece your ebook app together pretty quickly.

    You could then port it to the Android platform too (but I don't think it supports the built-in CURL view transitions but it does have other ones I believe).
  • QuinnZoneStudiosQuinnZoneStudios Member Posts: 452
    All you need to do is find software that exports to the EPUB format.

    Scroll down to Editing Systems for Mac happy options.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB

    I plan to release my memoirs using EPUB ;)
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    I was just reading about ePub. I found this...

    http://code.google.com/p/sigil/

    It seems that "iBooks" supports the ePub format, but I don't see how to send an ePub file to Apple.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    Did Appcelerator Titanium get hurt by Apple's new rules?

    I'd prefer to use GameSalad to make my book, but with the long load times and not so great text support, I'm not sure how I could do that.
  • ckck Member Posts: 224
    AppEngines.com will create a standalone app from your text, splitting the 70% 50/50 (you get 35%). I know two authors who have used this to sell a number of their out-of-print books on the app store.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    Unfortunately, that's not going to work for me. I was thinking on giving the book away for free and using advertisements to generate revenue. That's an interesting idea though. HA HA... I'm supposed to be a developer. I should be the one taking commissions from Authors, not the other way around.
  • rebumprebump Member Posts: 1,058
    @Photics:

    I think they think they are safe:

    http://developer.appcelerator.com/blog/2010/04/update-on-apple-sdk-4-0-and-tos.html

    and

    http://developer.appcelerator.com/blog/2010/04/steve-jobs-and-adobe-flash-our-thoughts.html
  • Rob2Rob2 Member Posts: 2,402
    @photics have a look at a good epub on Stanza, fantastic text handling makes reading on an iphone a sensible option!!
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    Rebump... according to the comment on the page of the second link, it seems that Appcelerator might be in violation (the poster uses the word "contravention") of the new license agreement. It does seem that the license agreement was meant to target Flash, not Appcelerator, but it does cause feelings of apprehension.

    Rob2... Stanza seems like a reader, rather than software for developers to convert books to iPhone apps... right?
  • rebumprebump Member Posts: 1,058
    I only read the first link but saw the newer post so included it since it was pertinent. They will likely be fine. Even with the HTML5/Canvas pieces, it is akin to embedding a web view in your app and doing the same within it...there is even a big Safari web view document on the Apple dev site.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    That's the thing though, I already know how to make WebView apps, so I'm wondering if I should just do this with HTML / JavaScript / CSS. It seems that Appcelerator would make it easier to implement advanced features. Photics: Revisions, already on the App Store, is static HTML.
  • Rob2Rob2 Member Posts: 2,402
    Stanza is a great reader..yes..are you wanting to produce your book as an app to easily monetize it or for a better reading experience?
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    The idea is to turn the book into an app and incorporate advertisements.
  • Rob2Rob2 Member Posts: 2,402
    i c
  • castmembercastmember Member Posts: 64
    the best way to sell eBooks for the iPad is to create an eBook using the ePub format. one of the best programs for that would have to be Adobe InDesign. After that, just charge people for downloads on a website. At the moment, i dont think Apple accepts books for the iBook Store except from large publishers
  • dingosmoovdingosmoov Member Posts: 130
    You can use adobe inDesign to export to the .epub format. It works quite well.

    In regards to publishing your book. I would use Lulu's service (they have been doing on-demand books for years, and are an authorized publisher on the ibook store.) You can find out more here: http://www.lulu.com/apple-ipad-publishing

    That should be all you need.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    In my experience, InDesign does an awful job at converting a document into an ebook. That's not the problem though. There are other programs to create ebooks. The problem is selling that ebook on the app store.

    As for Lulu, I'm familiar with them. My sci-fi book is already listed there...
    http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/photics-revisions/3543668

    ...but I don't think that they're going to create an app for me that I can upload with my iAds included.

    So far, my solution to this problem is to create an HTML / WebView app... but that's not as exciting as Apple's iBooks.

    Maybe Appcelerator is something that I should look into. According to Jeff Haynie's comment (from the second article linked on this page) it seems that there's more going on behind the scenes.
  • SwaggerMouseSwaggerMouse Member Posts: 8
    You can't make eBooks for iPad.

    only apple can.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    False
    http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=332120084&mt=8

    My problem is making a cool looking ebook, with page flipping and dynamic text layout, depending upon the orientation and size of the device.
  • Rob2Rob2 Member Posts: 2,402
    =ePub
  • castmembercastmember Member Posts: 64
    One good program is called legend maker. You write the entire book in a RTF, and them it converts it to a epub format. From there, you can give it to people and they can put it in itunes. then it will show up in ibooks, just not the ibook store
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    I'm thinking that people are not reading the entire thread ;-)
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    I hate the epub format... I HATE IT!

    I have a copy of iWork '09. I installed it, looked cute, but the ePub export was underwhelming. Like with InDesign, the exported document ran slowly in iBooks. The layout was way too floaty too. The best way to explain it... epub is like a word document... The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook has advanced design elements... like "floating" images and tables. I'm not writing a book report... I wrote a book.

    I looked at appcelerator, I didn't know where to start.

    I'm considering two possibilities...

    HTML - I've made webview apps before. I submitted the book as an app - a pdf in a webview - Apple rejected it. So, since ePub is quite similar HTML, I might be able to manually create an app using webview and html.

    GameSalad - Perhaps a book is not the best way to go. I was thinking of a more visual presentation, like powerpoint... with an animated narrator. This would be more complicated. I'm not sure GameSalad can handle hours of video and audio. But if it does, it would be an awesome app.
  • Rob2Rob2 Member Posts: 2,402
    send me the pdf and I will do you a beautiful ePub version
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    Rob2 said:
    send me the pdf and I will do you a beautiful ePub version

    I'm going to try a non-pdf route. I can make an ePub, but it's slow and a bit boring. As an app, I can do more. I think it's cooler if I use GameSalad to make the app. That way, I don't need to fuss with the iBookstore or an ISBN.
  • 8BitMichael8BitMichael Member, PRO Posts: 125
    You can add images to ePub and make it look exactly how you want it to, it'll just take some time. You can submit a book directly to apple right here.

    https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wa/apply
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    MDearworth said:
    You can add images to ePub and make it look exactly how you want it to, it'll just take some time. You can submit a book directly to apple right here.

    I thought of that, but it just seems wrong. I shouldn't have to make an image of a table. It should just be able to display the table. In HTML and Webview, I can display tables.

    Also, I've seen that page before. I'd need an ISBN. And even though I already have one through Lulu, I feel like I'm ripping them off... as they're an "Apple-approved aggregator." To get my own ISBN is like $100. That seems wasteful, when there is a books section on the App Store.
  • Rob2Rob2 Member Posts: 2,402
    so ePub is good enough for the rest or the world's technical authors but not you? :)
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