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Electronic Publishing
Fundamentals for Society
Leaders
Jordan Jones
FGS 2014 – San Antonio, TX
W-120
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What is Electronic
Publishing?
• Creation, production, distribution, and
consumption of textual material via electronic
means.
• Usually, the distribution is over the Internet,
not on physical media.
• The consumption is highly variable, and may
be on anything from desktop computers with
wide-screen monitors to smart phones.
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Benefits
• Speedy distribution
• Lack of inventory
• Saves on production
• Saves on storage / shipping
• Protection via DRM
• Often provides a portable copy of a paper
book a reader purchased
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Risks
• No “cuddle factor”
• Lack of permanence
• Reliant on technology
• Content typically “licensed,” not sold; may turn
off readers
• DRM imperfect
• Can lock readers out of content they paid for
• Can be hacked
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E-Book Sources (BISG)
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Market Share
• 67% — Amazon
• 11.8% — Barnes & Noble Nook
• 8.2% — Apple iBooks
• 12.8% — All Others
(Google Play, Kobo, Sony, direct from
publishers)
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E-Books by Genre (BISG)
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E-Books by Genre
• Genre fiction tops out the list with 50% or more
preferring e-books and only about 10% paper
• 50% of readers of History / Politics / Social
Science prefer e-books; 25% prefer paper
• 25% of readers of How-To prefer e-books;
42% prefer paper
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Some E-Book Sales
Statistics
• 29% of US book revenues
• ~60% in short genre fiction (thriller; romance)
• ~20% in non-fiction
• ~10% in children’s books and comic books
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Formats
What Can
You Choose From?
Source: Flickr Commons
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Fixed Layout
Definition: The page design (layout) is always the
same, no matter what device or software is used.
• PDF (1993, Adobe; 2008, ISO-32000) is still the
dominant format for fixed layouts. Open standard of
ISO.
• Kindle Format 8 (2011, Amazon) — with KF8,
Amazon supports fixed layouts
• ePub (2012, IDPF) — Open standard of the
International Digital Publishing Forum
• iBooks (2012, Apple) — Proprietary standard for
interactivity 11
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PDF (Adobe, 1993)
This format which became an open standard (ISO-
32000) in 2008 remains the dominant format for fixed
layouts.
• +: Widely used for print; easy to go from the files
used for print to files used for electronic distribution.
Works well on desktop machines.
• -: Usually not well adapted to mobile.
• Recommendation: PDF can be an important part
part of an electronic publishing strategy, especially
for reprints of historical titles. 12
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Kindle Format 8 (Amazon,
2011)
Starting with KF8, Amazon Kindle Fire supports fixed layouts.
• Previous Kindle formats (and those of Mobipocket, the
Kindle precursor) were designed for flowing text.
• +: Has the widest customer base using dedicated
hardware. Based on HTML 5 and CSS 3, it can easily be
converted to other formats.
• -: New and somewhat limited to what can be simply done
with HTML 5 and CSS 3. Only works on Kindle Fire and
later Amazon devices or software.
• Recommendation: KF8 fixed-width is great for comic
books, but it’s not quite ready for genealogy titles. 13
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ePub 3.0 (IDPF, 2012)
• With v3, this open standard of the International
Digital Publishing Forum supports fixed layout
books.
• This is the base format for Apple’s iBooks Reader on
Mac OS and iOS, as well as for the Barnes & Noble
Nook.
• +: It’s the most widely-used non-Kindle format.
• -: Still figuring out fixed layouts
• Recommendation: ePub itself is critical to the
industry. PDF is still better for fixed layout genealogy
titles, however. 14
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iBooks Author .Books
(Apple 2012)
iBooks Author software creates proprietary .books
format e-books.
• +: Easy content creation platform for Macintosh users
in iBooks. Amazing multi-touch and video interactivity.
• -: Apple only allows .books files to be sold through the
Apple iBookstore eco-system. Exports only to PDF
and text. No ePub export. Requires an ISBN
purchased elsewhere (bowker.com). Books only
readable on iPad and Macintosh computers.
• Recommendation: Don’t bother!
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Fixed Width or Not?
• If you are doing a reproduction, or selling a
book that is otherwise format-intensive,
consider using PDF as your method.
• PDFs, however, cannot be sold on the
Amazon or Apple bookstores.
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Fixed Layout Quality
Considerations
Allows for Interactivity Looks “just like the book”
PDF Limited Y
KF8 Limited N
ePub 3.0 Limited N
.iBooks
Incredible, but viewable
only on iPad and Mac OS
N
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Fixed Layout Distribution
Options
Amazon
Kindle
Apple
iBookstore
Google
Play Books
Your Own
Website
PDF N N Y Y
KF8 Y N N Y
ePub 3.0 N Y Y Y
.iBooks N Y N N
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Embedded Publications
• Several apps and websites will embed PDFs
in a web page, allowing authorized readers to
read the book in their browser or in the app
• NextMedia
• Scribd
• Most of the benefits of presentation for PDFs
are available in these platforms.
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Flowing Text
• The sweet spot for e-books is flowing text.
• To best deal with the variety of devices,
software, and eyes people might use to read a
book, most formats focus on ensuring that text
can flow and be re-sized as needed.
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ePub vs. MOBI
Open
Standar
d
Editable at
the Code
Level in
Sigil
Easily
Converts
to the
Other in
Calibre
Designed
for Apple,
B&N, and
Google
Designed
for
Amazon
ePub Y Y Y Y N
MOBI N N Y N Y
Both formats are essentially Zip-compressed
files of HTML, with some special files for
metadata and book objects (cover, table of
contents). 21
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Creating ePub
and MOBI Files
• Adobe InDesign (MOBI requires a free plug-in)
• Scrivener (MOBI requires a free plug-in)
• iBooks Only: Apple iBook Author
• By contract, you can only sell these at Apple
• They are not industry-standard ePub, but
iBooks
• ePub Only: Sigil (highly technical; code level)
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Print-on-Demand
Those who still want a paper book, or who want
both a paper book and an e-book, should
consider Print-on-Demand or POD.
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True PoD
• In true PoD, no book is printed until one is
ordered.
• The publisher (your society) carries no
inventory.
• Can be challenging when going to
conferences.
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Short-Run Printing
• A modified form of PoD is available: short-run
printing, where 1-200 copies are printed, but
inventory is kept as low as possible.
• Allows for exhibiting at conferences, but limits
up-front investment and shipping and storage
costs.
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You Can Combine Printing
with E-books
• Using authoring tools designed to create
printed copy, you can start from one source
file and export PDFs for printed books
(whether PoD, short-run, or regular printing)
and for e-books
• Adobe InDesign is the best tool for this, but …
the e-books tend not to be clean, especially if
there is complex formatting
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What’s the
Deal with
DRM?
How can it protect your
content? What are the
pitfalls?
Source: “Padlock,” userid: Zebble, Flickr Commons
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Digital Rights Management
• Designed to prevent unauthorized access of
content.
• There is not a DRM scheme that cannot be
cracked.
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E-Books are Licensed, Not
Owned
• Apple, Google, and Amazon do not sell e-books
• They sell limited-use licenses that do not allow
you to rent, sell, or give away the books
• The limitations scare away some readers
• Some publishers are now selling books
without DRM and with a lifetime-ownership
model
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DRM Protects the Copyright
Owner
• Putting DRM on your publications protects you
as a publisher, and the copyright owner,
whether it is you or someone else who has
licensed you to publish.
• While DRM is not foolproof, having content
under DRM along with a “no unauthorized
copies” request in writing in the book, can
protect you from violations of copyright.
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Any DRM Scheme
Can Be Hacked
• DRM is designed to slow down, but cannot
definitively stop those who want to remove the
DRM
• Simple plugins exist to do this with Kindle, with
the stated goal of personal flexibility with
licensed content. This is a gray area because
the content is licensed, not sold.
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Electronic
Rights
Do you have the right to
publish that file?
Source: D. Keith Robinson, Flickr Commons
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The Conundrum of
Electronic Rights
• The shift from paper to electronic publishing
left a major gap in contract law.
• Many publishers assumed they had electronic
rights, but they did not.
• If it’s not in writing at this point, you probably
do not have electronic distribution rights.
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How to Get
Started
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The Carpenter’s Motto
Measure twice; cut once
• Decide on goals
• Print + Electronic?
• Electronic only?
• Evaluate Costs & Price the Book
• Create E-Book
• Distribute E-Book 35
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Goals
Know what you want to do
before you start
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Why Publish This Title?
• Make an out-of-print county history available
• Publish the history of a prominent local family
• Distribute back issues of your journal
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Costs
How to calculate what this
will run you
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Cost Estimation
The potential revenue needs to be set against
the costs, which will be highly variable, but may
include:
• Author’s royalties (if any)
• Design and layout (up-front costs)
• Cost of physical books (printing, shipping,
storage)
• Review copies
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Pricing
Estimate Costs, but also
the Return
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Price / Revenue Estimation
List Wholesale Member E-Book
Cover Price $30.00 $30.00 $30.00 $9.95
Wholesale
Discount (40%)
-$12.00
Member
Discount (25%)
-$7.50
E-Book
Discount &
Fees (30%+)
-$3.05
Net Revenue
Per Unit
$30.00 $18.00 $22.50 $6.90
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Creation
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Sample E-Book Workflows
• Paper > Scan > PDF > Cleanup > Distribution
• Paper > Scan > ePub > Cleanup > Distribution
• Born Digital > MOBI > Cleanup > Distribution
• Born Digital > PDF > Distribution
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E-books are Not Turnkey
E-book output needs to be tuned. For example:
• footnotes
• tables
• indexes
• tables of contents
• images
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Software
Some of the Software You
Can Use to Create, Edit,
and Convert E-books
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Adobe InDesign
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Scrivener
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iBooks Author
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Kindle
Previewer
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Calibre
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Sigil
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Distribution
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Distribution Options
• DIY Distribution — Create and manage
accounts with Apple iBooks, Google Play,
Barnes & Noble, and Amazon
• Professional E-Book Distribution — Hire
someone else to do it
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Smashwords
Note: No Amazon or Goo5g4 le
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Smashwords Pricing
Free — Smashwords converts your files from
Word; pays 60% of List; 80% on
smashwords.com
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BookBaby Features
• Features
• Sells to Amazon, Apple iBooks, Barnes &
Noble Nook, Scribd, Oyster, and others
• E-book conversion as well as distribution
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BookBaby Pricing
• Free — You supply e-book files; pays 85% of
Net
• Standard $99 — BookBaby converts your files
from Word, InDesign, etc.; pays 85% of Net
• Premium $249 — BookBaby converts your files
from Word, InDesign, etc.; pays 100% of Net
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Lulu Features
• Sells to Amazon, Apple iBooks, Barnes &
Noble Nook, Scribd, Oyster, and others
• E-book conversion as well as distribution
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Lulu Pricing
• Do-it-Yourself (Free) — You supply e-book
files; pays 90% of Net
• The Assistant ($99) — Lulu converts your files
from Word; pays 90% of Net
• The Insider ($139) — Lulu converts your files
from Word; pays 90% of Net; provides marketing
guidance
• eBook Amplifier ($) — Lulu converts your files
from Word to e-book and prints in paperback;
pays 90% of Net; provides marketing guidance 59
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Amazon Kindle Direct
Features
• You work directly with Amazon, with over 100
million customers.
• Limited e-book conversion as well as
distribution (Word, PDF, ePub source)
• Amazon sales reporting
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Amazon Kindle Direct
Pricing
70% Option 35% Option
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You Receive
70% (less costs, of usually
less than $0.50 per sale,
i.e., $0.15 / MB)
35%
Price Restrictions
Kindle Price Must be at
least 20% less than any
sakes channel for the
printed book
N / A
Content
Restrictions
Cannot consist primarily of
public domain content
N / A
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Promotion
Let people know
your e-book is available!
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Promotion
• To cover this would take another presentation.
• Suffice to say:
• Plan promotion from day one
• Figure promotion into your cost estimates
• Ensure your authors are committed to help
promote the book
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One E-book
Promotion Idea
Use your distribution platform
• Most e-book distribution platforms will allow
for pre-sales
• Pre-sales book on the official launch date of
the book, boosting its ratings on the site
• Most e-book distribution platforms allow for
sales; use them to build buzz
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In closing …
Keep the following in mind …
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E-books Are
• A key way to broaden your demographic reach
• Often an addition to the paper book for
readers
• Harder to create than you may think,
especially if there are complex tables, images,
and other formatting elements
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Thank You!
These Slides will Be Posted
by Labor Day to
http://www.genealogymedia.com
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On cuddle factor,
“BISG Report – A Few More Ebook Stats,” Digital Book World (http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/bisg-report-a-few-more-ebook-stats/)
Note that both Apple and Barnes & Noble have claimed “about 20%” of the market
“BISG Report – A Few More Ebook Stats,” Digital Book World (http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/bisg-report-a-few-more-ebook-stats/)
“BISG Report – A Few More Ebook Stats,” Digital Book World (http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/bisg-report-a-few-more-ebook-stats/)
29%: “Publisher Revenues Up 6.5% in Q1 2014: AAP,” Mediabistro (http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/publisher-revenues-up-6-5-in-q1-2014-aap_b88130).
15% and 20%: (in Q1, 2014), up from 15% in 2011 and 20% in 2012 “E-Book Sales a Boon to Publishers in 2012” New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/media/e-book-sales-a-boon-to-publishers-in-2012.html?_r=0).
“Man with Book Sitting in Chair,” George Eastman House Collection, c. 1915, Flickr Commons, 2008.
“Padlock,” Mike, userid: zebble, Flickr Commons, 2005: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/zebble/6080622/ License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
“Old Laws,” D. Keith Robinson, Flickr Commons, 2002: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/dkrobinson/2740276/
“My Moleskine Kindle case,” (c) 2011 by Terry Madeley, Flickr Commons: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/terry/5388630668. Used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
It’s all about planning
“Goal Setting,” Angie Torres, Flickr Commons, 2010: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/angietorres/4564135455
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/kiki99/1062744637
“Kmart Price Tag, 1970’s,” (c) 2008 by Roadsidepictures, Flickr Commons: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/2160566850. Used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/.
“Billy the Kid Letterpress,” (c) 2010 by Luke Dorny, Flickr Commons: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/luxuryluke/4927431924. Used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/.
“5.25 inch floppy disks,” (c) 2011 by Alpha (user id avlxyz), Flickr Commons: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/5767427108. Used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
“Distribution Religion,” (c) 1973 by Dan Sadin and Phil Morton, photograph (c) 2007 by the Art Gallery of Knoxville, Flickr Commons: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/16038409@N02/3897997969. Used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/.