Let me know if you'd like the notes version mailed to you. Overview of the workshop: [60] Overview: ebooks, . Demistifying the ebook - what is an ebook and how can I read one? . What is a "book", anyways? How ebooks mirror or extend physical books. . Devices - what's the difference between an ereader and a media tablet? . How can I find ebooks? . What's the similarity between ebooks and web sites? . How can I make ebooks? Popular tools. [50] HTML: the glue that holds ebooks together . A practical session where delegates are explained the basics of HTML. . Depending in circumstances, delegates will follow a demonstration or complete a small exercise.

1. Mastering the ebook revolution
Kosie Eloff
Department of Information Science
University of Pretoria

2. Who am I?

3. Why am I here?

4. Also…

5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy
“A small, thin, flexible lap computer
encased in a sturdy plastic cover with the
words Don't Panic inscribed on it in large,
friendly letters.”
(1979)

8. Part 1
Overview: ebooks
Part 2
HTML: the glue that holds ebooks
together

9. Definitions, devices, formats
PART 1: EBOOKS

10. 1. Demystifying the ebook
2. What is a "book", anyways?
3. Ereaders / media tablets
4. How to find / read ebooks
5. Ebooks / web sites?
6. How can I make ebooks?

11. We’re all becoming digital readers
HANDS UP IF YOU READ EBOOKS

12. These kids do

15. 1. What is an ebook?

16. Ebook files

17. Ebook readers

18. Ebook: what’s in a name?
Easy answer: simply an electronic file. Read on
any device.
Long answer: books are complicated, even when
digital.
Some formats suited for production, some for
consumption, some for both (e.g. Word).

19. THE TIME FOR EBOOKS IS NOW

20. US wholesale ebook sales, 2002-2010

21. US wholesale ebook sales, 2002-2010
Amazon

22. US wholesale ebook sales, 2002-2010

23. We’ve come a long way…

24. Advantages
1. Reading experience improved*
2. Less expensive (overall...)
3. Environmentally friendly (except...)
4. Space savings*
5. Portability
6. Reading aids (e.g. bookmarking, sharing...) *
7. Searchability
8. Navigation (referencing, hyperlinking)

25. Advantages
9. You can write in ebooks
10. People with disabilities
11. Always accessible
12. “Instant” delivery*
13. No shipping charges (except...)
14. Enhancement opportunities *

26. Reading awards & tracking

27. Kobo Reading Life

28. Kobo Reading Life

29. Kobo Reading Life

30. Kobo Reading Life

31. Multimedia enhancement

32. Disadvantages ?

35. Tower of ebabel

36. 2. Ebooks vs. pbooks?

37. Cambridge Dictionary
An electronic book which can be read
on a small personal computer.

38. Oxford Dictionary
An electronic version of a printed
book which can be read on a
computer or a specifically designed
handheld device.

39. Merriam-Webster
A book composed in or converted to
digital format for display on a
computer screen or handheld device.

40. “Books are the carriers of civilization. Without
books, history is silent, literature dumb, science
crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.
They are engines of change, windows on the
world, lighthouses erected in the sea of time.”
- (Tuchman, 1980)

41. 3. Ereaders vs. tablets?

44. Ereaders
• Kindle (65% market share in US, 2011*)
• Nook
• Sony Reader
• Kobo
In SA, you’re most likely to (import) a Kindle,
and to buy a Kobo, Gobii, or a Sony.

45. E-ink displays
“A sheet of paper that can be electronically reconfigured
instantaneously to display any page from any book, article or
document”

51. Prices dropping

52. Media tablets
iPad (Apple), Playbook (Blackberry),
Android devices, Kindle Fire
1) Operate with touch
2) Aren’t supposed to store all your media

54. LCD displays

55. eReader or media tablet?
eReaders Media tablets
• Long battery life • Limited battery life
• Low cost • Expensive
(R900-R2,000 + S&I) (R3,000-R10,000 + S&I)
• E-ink display • LCD display
(typically) (typically)
• Low functionality • High functionality

56. 4. How do I actually read
ebooks?

58. It’s sometimes more accurate to
say people buy into a platform, not
a specific piece of hardware or
software.

59. The following images show how I
find an ebook on a popular (free)
site, then download and transfer
the ebook to my ereader.

62. Attaching eReader via USB cable

63. Directory with ereader’s books

64. Kindle for PC

65. Kindle for iPad

66. Select device (up to six / account) to send to

67. PRINCIPAL FORMATS: PDF, KINDLE,
EPUB

68. Ebook formats

72. For instance, Aldiko on your Android smartphone
EPUB-COMPLIANT READERS

73. Epub-compliant readers
• Adobe Digital Editions (Windows, Mac)
• Aldiko (Android)
• Calibre (Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux)
• Google Books (Web app, Android, iOS)
• iBooks (iOS)
• Readium (Chrome)

74. For instance, InDesign supports EPUB export
EPUB-COMPLIANT AUTHORING
TOOLS

75. Epub-compliant authoring tools
• Adobe InDesign
• Calibre
• iBooks Author
• oXygen XML Editor
• Pages
• Sigil
• Word (manual labour required…)

76. Digital rights management
• Three major eBook DRM schemes:
– Amazon DRM (.mobi)
– Adobe DRM (.epub, .pdf)
– Apple FairPlay DRM (.epub, .pdf)

77. Ebook stores
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Apple (requires ISBN)
• Sony (requires ISBN)
• Kobo
• Google (only US)

78. Ebook stores
• Independent
– BooksOnBoard
– Smashwords
• Local
– Kalahari
– Exclusive Books
– Kindlebooks.co.za
– Littlewhitebakkie.co.za

79. Many more

80. 5. How are ebooks like
web sites?

82. EPUB - definition
• Distribution and interchange format
standard for digital publications and
documents based on XML and web
standards
• Managed by the International Digital
Publishing Forum

85. So, since ebooks are like web sites
– and increasingly being created
and published web-first…

86. Every information professional
should understand HTML
PART 2: HTML

87. If you’re online, please visit:
http://bit.ly/elibraryhtml

88. If you’re offline, please see your
hand-outs and follow along with
the presentation.

89. Hand-outs for practical session
start here

90. Exercise 1
Mark up the content of the paper with the
following tags. It is up to you to decide which
tags are relevant:
<h1>
<p>
<strong>
<em>

91. Exercise 1: Text
Mark up the content of the following slide with
the following tags. It is up to you to decide
which tags are relevant:
<h1>
<p>
<strong>
<em>

92. Exercise 1: Memorandum
South Africa to assist NASA Mars mission
The South African Space Agency's (Sansa's) Space Operations
directorate has been selected by the United States' National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) to provide
tracking services for the launch of its latest Mars mission.
This is an amazing piece of news!
The Mars Science Laboratory is a Nasa mission that aims to
land and operate a rover, named Curiosity, on the surface of
Mars. The US$2.3-billion mission is part of Nasa's long-term
programme to explore Mars via robotic devices.

93. Exercise 1: Memorandum
<h1>South Africa to assist NASA Mars mission</h1>
<p>The South African Space Agency's (Sansa's) Space
Operations directorate has been selected by the United
States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa)
to provide tracking services for the launch of its latest Mars
mission. This is an <em>amazing</em> piece of news!</p>
<p>The Mars Science Laboratory is a Nasa mission that aims
to land and operate a rover, named
<strong>Curiosity</strong>, on the surface of Mars. The
US$2.3-billion mission is part of Nasa's long-term programme
to explore Mars via robotic devices.</p>

94. Exercise 1: Memorandum
<h1>South Africa to assist NASA Mars mission</h1>
<p>The South African Space Agency's (Sansa's) Space
Operations directorate has been selected by the United
States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa)
to provide tracking services for the launch of its latest Mars
mission. This is an <em>amazing</em> piece of news!</p>
<p>The Mars Science Laboratory is a Nasa mission that aims
to land and operate a rover, named
<strong>Curiosity</strong>, on the surface of Mars. The
US$2.3-billion mission is part of Nasa's long-term programme
to explore Mars via robotic devices.</p>

95. Hand-outs for practical session
end here

96. Thank you!

97. Me, online
http://bit.ly/keloff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/kosieeloff
Especially for publishers & librarians
Google+: https://plus.google.com/101094585504476928154
Especially for multimedia professionals

98. HTML, CSS and the EPUB standard
• eBound. 2011. ‘An introduction to HTML and
CSS for EPUB’. Posted 10 June. This tutorial is
based on EPUB2, not 3; nonetheless, it covers
the basics needed.
• Kolwalczyk, P. 2011. ‘Creating Epub ebooks
with Sigil: #1- getting started’. Teleread.
Posted 7 October.

99. HTML, CSS and the EPUB standard
• O’Reilly. 2012. ‘What is EPUB 3? An
introduction to the EPUB specification for
multimedia publishing’.You can preview it
online, but you must create an account on
O’Reilly to download the free ebook version.
• Tallent, J. 2009. ‘Kindle formatting: The
complete guide’. Kindle Formatting.

100. General resources and articles
• eBook architects:
http://ebookarchitects.com/
• EPUBsecrets:
http://epubsecrets.com/
• Electric Book Works’ Knowledge Base (local!)
http://ebw.co/kbase/

101. EPUB3-specific
• McCoy, B. 2011. ’9 Things you need to know
about ePub3′. Book Business. Posted
November.