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Indexes without page numbers?

February 11, 2017, 9:20 pm
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Consider the following example from an index from a book in the public domain:

State Trees, 354-7; of, Idaho, 354-5; Illinois, 355

If I turned this book into a reflowable epub, then the page numbers wouldn't make sense. So how do most epub authors handle this kind of situation?

Since epubs are searchable, I've thought of just creating a static index (i.e. no links) that lists key words that readers can then search for. (However, it wouldn't work for the example I posted above, which would have to be customized somehow.)

Have you ever seen such an index in an epub?
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Front Matter in Epubs

February 12, 2017, 11:56 am
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I found a good reference on front matter here.

I just wondered if there are any significantly different conventions or quirks associated with epubs that I should know about.

Thanks.
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Three Tables of Contents?

February 12, 2017, 4:45 pm
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The epub I'm working on has two tables of contents. One is the TOC that drops down when you click the icon at the top of your epub reader. The other TOC is something I created manually in a file named introduction.xhtml, which also includes a few other things (Preface, Introduction, etc.).

I just realized that the HTML for the automatically generated TOC is in a file named nav.xhtml, not in toc.ncx (which I thought was the file associated with the auto-TOC).

So if my TOC content is in nav.xhtml, then what's the purpose of toc.ncx?

I'm working with Sigil on a Mac, by the way.
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Naughty NookPress font Nuking.

February 13, 2017, 4:22 pm
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Gang:

Any of you professional bookies running into issues with the preview, at NookPress?

We have a client that decided to publish at NookPress. She dropped me a line, asking about "why" her fonts look all wonky. Honestly, I assumed that she'd hit the "insert the cover" or tweaked the file a bit, which almost always results in a corrupted ePUB. But nay, that is NOT what happened.

In addition to her book, I tested about 6 others, all with different fonts. I am getting NAFT on fonts. Everything is the ubiquitous TNR or some other basic serif font. And before you ask, yes, yes, I have it set to Publisher font.

Before I reach out to NookPress (and their utterly dead forums, etc.), and end up smashing myself in the noggin with a hammer, as I usually do when forced to actually try to reach a LIVE PERSON there, anyone else here run into this? We've tried calling the fonts directly; 2nd-party invoking by importing CSS sheet 2 from sheet 1; and putting it right on the HTML. If we put a font on the body tag, that works, but sheeeeeeeit, boys and girls, if we do that, we nuke their ability to change the main narrative font. I really do NOT want to do that.

Moreover, that's not the issue. We don't care what body font the person likes. The only thing we used were heading fonts, for the chapter heads and sub-heads. I'm getting naft.

Spoiler:
I forgot the fun part. They (NookPress) INSISTED, to her, that we had the ubiquitous encryption.xml file in there, and that's why the fonts weren't working. We made this from Word, so...nope. Wasn't in there. This client is pretty cool, thank god, but you know how the usual client is--no matter what you say, they'll be sure that B&N is right, and you're...well, FIBBING at best.


Dudes, dudettes? Anyone smash into this lately? AFAIK, it's a somewhat recent phenomena; I just had an uploading issue with another client, in the last...I dunno, 8 weeks?....and that font worked. Now? NIX.

TIA,

Hitch
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ADE reversing pages?

February 14, 2017, 12:23 pm
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Hi, I've got quite a tricky issue (that's driving myself and a less than understanding customer) a bit crazy.

An epub (created from InDesign and cleaned up/edited in Calibre) is displaying correctly in every ereader/app EXCEPT for ADE (v 4.5.133054), where the pages are reversed in 2 page view. In one page/large font view, it proceeds correctly, but in 2 page view the "pages" reverse- so chapter 1 would start on the right, then continue on the left.

I've looked for page-break coding in the CSS and the actual ePub and nothing's coming up.

Everything looks right in iBooks, the mobi looks good in Kindle, etc...
It's just ADE that's causing this problem, and I can't get the guy to budge and accept that it's garbage software, for the most part.

I can't post the epub as it's not mine to do so, but I've attached a screenshot of the 2 page spread in ADE so you can get an idea of what to look for.

If this belongs in the ADE common bugs thread, I'll be happy to post it there but I wasn't sure.

I've attached an image to this thread- hopefully it works correctly?

Anyway, I appreciate any help someone can give me, as I think I'm going nuts here.

Thanks all!

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version Name: Screen Shot 2017-02-14 at 3.00.31 PM.png Views: N/A Size: 308.9 KB ID: 154985  
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How do you promote multiple versions?

February 14, 2017, 5:41 pm
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Reflowable vs Fixed; Epub 2.0 vs Epub 3.0; Kindle vs iBooks - factor in the combinations, and you could produce eight different versions of your ebook right there. In fact, I saw an article about people who go to insane lengths to release their ebook in half a dozen flavors, though I can't locate it right now.

My first book will probably be reflowable, though I'm not yet certain if I want to go with Epub 2.0 or 3.0 (or both). I'd like to sell it on Amazon and Apple both. My second book will probably include a fixed version, as it has far more images and tables.

So I was wondering how people who release multiple versions of various titles promote and advertise them.

I assume you don't need to specify "Amazon Kindle" or "Apple iBook," because people just assume that anything sold by Amazon will work on a Kindle. Ditto for iBook.

But do you tell prospective customers that your design is fixed or reflowable? Do you tell them that it's Epub 2.0 or Epub 3.0?

If so, how do you convey this information? Do you include the words "Epub 2.0, Reflowable" on the front cover (which doesn't seem practical, in most cases), or is there a better way of doing it?

On a similar note, do some people sometimes charge more for certain versions? For example, a simple reflowable book that sells for $25 might sell for $30 for a more ambitious fixed version that has bigger pictures or $50 for a deluxe version that includes some embedded audio or video files.

Have you seen people doing similar things?
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Epubs vs Websites

February 14, 2017, 6:45 pm
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I wondered if anyone could give me some general guidelines or tips regarding the practice of linking epubs with websites.

I want to use my epubs to promote my websites, and vice versa. In fact, it will be a triangular affair, as I'm also going to promote my projects with videos hosted on both YouTube and Vimeo.

One concern is that Amazon, iBooks or others might not allow certain kinds of links. For example, if I sell a book through Amazon and people who buy the book see an invitation to visit my website to buy a copy of the book on the last page, would Amazon slam the door in my face? I assume most people would automatically buy their books from Amazon, but I'd like to try and sell a few books directly to customers.

I want to create a WordPress blog that promotes my books. It would feature information about the book and allow people to post comments and reviews. It might also link to relevant pages on Amazon and other sellers and reviewers. I would then include a link to a book's blog page with an invitation to "Comment on this book" in my book - likely on the very first page.

Another possibility is to link certain items in my book to web pages where readers can find more information. For example, an article about State Birds might feature a link to a web page where readers can find additional photos of state birds and perhaps a really big table that features a wide variety of information.

I would also like to promote other books, including forthcoming books, in each book. For example, one of the last pages in my book about state symbols might feature something like this...

Please check out these other fine books from Geobop:

Life 101
Politics 101

Are these practices OK? Are there some other clever strategies for linking to websites?

Thanks.
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How to Incorporate Pic Attribute for CC lic

February 13, 2017, 2:12 pm
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Maybe I am in the wrong forum for this question, but I'm using Sigil for my how-to book and am at the stage where I am adding necessary pictures. Some are covered by the Creative Commons ShareAlike license and require an attribute, link to the work, disclaimer, etc.

On a webpage this would be simple enough but not sure how to go about it in an ebook. Would an internal link to a page following the Appendix that lists all this info for the picture, and includes an external link to the work be the correct way to approach this?

It seems a lot of info to put in the body of the book under the picture.

Guidance? A link to something I can read that would point me in the right direction? (Tried Googling but apparently I don't know how to word the query to get relevant hits.) TIA.

EDIT: I think I found what I needed but any input is welcome. I will leave this in case it helps others... here is the link I found to help.

EDIT#2: Well, it's not very helpful since the methods for attribution assume a webpage and not an ebook... but with some work...
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HTML5 to ePub

February 15, 2017, 1:20 pm
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Hi,

Newbie here hoping for help.

I have written a book in HTML5. I have validated it on two different validation sites, so it's validated HTML5.

It is a fairly complicated book with lots of images and videos and javascript for image switches with mouse clicks, as well as a built-in search engine in javascript, and it goes down into three for four sub-directories for each chapter. I have all of the image files for each chapter in an image directory for that chapter.

I want to turn it into an ePub book.

So, here are my initial questions:

1. Looking at some on-line tutorials, it seems that most normal books, which are mostly text, are all xhtml. But when I take one of these xhtml files from an ePub book to just look at it and try to learn what the parts are, the first thing I did was to use an xhtml validator, and none of them validated correctly.

2. Do these xhtml files need a doctype declaration?

3. Where can I find some simple explanations for what is required for these fles?

4. What directory structures are permissible in ePub? Do all of the images have to be in one single images directory, and all of the content in one text directory, both in the OEPBS directory?

5. Am I asking these questions in the right forum?

Thanks in advance!

Jerry
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E pluribus unum - Many epubs from one file?

February 15, 2017, 3:55 pm
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I'm curious about how epub files work when they're being distributed to buyers.

Suppose I write a book and save it with the file name penguins.epub. Next, I make a copy of that file with the same name on my desktop and upload it to Amazon.

Suppose a grand total of three people buy a copy. I'm assuming Amazon has some software that automatically clones a book whenever a sale is registered, right? In other words, if Customer #2 buys a copy of penguins.epub, then Amazon will make a copy that Customer #2 is then allowed to download.

If that's the case, then how would I sell epubs on my website? I assume I would publish a copy of penguins.epub online to a secret location where no one can find it and copy it. I would then install some kind of software that would automatically clone and download my book when someone buys it. Is that how it works? Or would I just manually copy penguins.epub every time someone buys a copy and publish it to a page where they can download it?

One reason I'm curious is because I was wondering about how people connect with customers post-sales. For example, I believe Amazon keeps track of the books various customers have purchased. I assume they simply have a database that logs in usernames/passwords and the ID numbers of various purchases.

Also, I THINK I read somewhere that people who buy books from Amazon can "refresh" or upgrade their purchases if an author revises his book.

P.S. I almost forgot what inspired this question in the first place! I just wondered what, if anything, prevents a customer who purchases an epub from making copies of it and giving away to their friends?
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Rules Re: Links and Promotions

February 22, 2017, 7:12 pm
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Can anyone give me a general overview of the rules of the road regarding allowable links and promotions in books, or point me to an online reference?

For example, I think I read somewhere that Apple iBooks doesn't accept epubs that link to "the competition."

I would like to create a blog page for each of my books. I would use the page to publicize the book before and after its publication. The page would also include a variety of information about the book and would allow comments from viewers.

I would like to include a link to this page in each of my books, inviting people who buy the book to visit the page and post a comment or review. Is this something Amazon or other parties would disallow?

What if the page invited people to "buy this book from Amazon, iTunes or RIGHT HERE," allowing them to buy the book directly from me?

Another thing I want to try is creating a book that's more or less the parent of a series and sell it through Amazon, iBooks, etc. In the book, I would then mention forthcoming books in the series, which I may or may not sell through Amazon and other vendors.

I just wanted to get some idea about the rules and how strictly Amazon and others enforce them.

(I thought I posted this question earlier, but I can't find the post; I think this conversation actually crept into a thread on a different topic.)
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Rotating Book Sales

February 22, 2017, 7:17 pm
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When you sell a book via Amazon or another vendor, I believe you can withdraw the book any time you want.

I'm working on a book that will be controversial. I've seen similar books on Amazon, but I want to play it safe and not get banned for publishing something that isn't politically correct.

I was thinking of testing the waters by selling the book through Amazon for one month, then withdrawing it and selling it via iBooks for a month, then just selling it on my website.

Have you ever heard of people playing these kinds of games, where they juggle books, selling them through one vendor or another for a period of time before withdrawing them?

Of course, there's probably no way to really know how long it would take to publicize a book, but merely having it listed on Amazon for a month should give it a fair amount of publicity.
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Across library search with context

February 26, 2017, 5:55 am
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Hello! I am looking for sth that would allow me to search for a word across a huge library (hopefully in different formats but always could convert everything to one) and display results with context. Currently I am using "EPUB Search Multiple Files At Once Software" but free version is [offensive word deleted - MODERATOR] (cannot even make bigger screen for results) and full is expensive. Could anyone help? :D
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Pictures in eBook.

February 26, 2017, 7:59 am
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What is the best way to format pictures?

I use this code

<figure>
<img src="../Images/image002.jpg" alt="links/menashe.jpg"/>
<figcaption>Menashe people with Rabbi Avichail (right)</figcaption>
</figure>

but I think figure-tag isn't acceptable in epub2 format.
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Is there really a need to specify a font-family?

February 26, 2017, 11:40 am
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I exported a book to epub from inDesign with a handful of fonts. I'm not sure I need embedded fonts so I eliminated all of the @font-face css and now all styles are simply set to font-family: serif or font-family: sans-serif and it seems to work. When I open the book in iBooks or Kindle every font face inherits the font selected by the reader and ignores the serif/sans-serif distinction but it acted this way before I eliminated the @font-face css. Here are some basic questions. (I am editing with calibre.)
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1. If the device defaults to the font selected by the reader (serif or sans-serif) regardless of the specified font-family in the css rule, do I even need to include a font-family for any of the css rules?
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2. I don't want to embed fonts but if I do specify font families used by a device (Georgia and Helvetica for instance) should the device honor the rule? In other words, if the css for chapter and subchapter headings is san-serif and the remainder of the text is serif, will they display that way? I ask because before I removed the specific font families, all fonts faces defaulted to the one selected by the reader and, in most instances, ignored the serif and sans-serif distinction. I tested it in iBooks with one simple page of text with a sans-serif heading (Ariel) and serif (Georgia) text and it still ignored the serif/sans-serif distinction.
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Is it possible to rotate text in an ePub?

February 26, 2017, 12:19 pm
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I have a table that has rotated text in one of its columns. I've been searching for possible solutions and the only one that will seem to work it is to use SVG. But as far as I know that wouldn't be compatible with the .mobi format.

I stumbled upon the -epub-text-orientation property here, but I couldn't make it work.

Is there any other way to accomplish what I want to do? I want the eBook to be as cross-compatible as possible.

Thanks.
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Highlighting Anchored Text

February 26, 2017, 8:33 pm
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Imagine clicking a link in an index, and it takes you to page 423, but you have to spend a few seconds looking for the precise reference.

Is there some sort of trick with CSS or whatever that would somehow highlight the anchored text when someone visits it via a hyperlink? For example, the sentence below might display in bold text or the color red when someone links to it...

Code:
<span id="bear">Brown bears are native to the Northern Hemisphere.</span>

(INDEX)
Bears, brown, range, <a href="#bear">423</a>
Thanks.

EDIT: I just realized this won't be a good idea if I'm going to insert ID's other elements, like <p id="ox">.
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Minimal and ideal EPUB3 testcase?

February 27, 2017, 1:29 am
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I have a good knowledge in HTML and CSS and some experience with EPUB2 (created with Sigil).

Now I like to start to create EPUB3 files instead of EPUB2 (not as a publisher, just for my own purpose and joy in good source code).

I prefer it, when the code is minimal/puristic and tries to strive to an ideal.

Is there anyone who created an "ideal" and "minimal" EPUB3 to show how consise good source code can be?

I would love to take a look as a inspiration.
Of course attributes like "ideal" and "minimalistic" are highly subjective.

Thank you.
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Unordered list not changing font

February 27, 2017, 10:01 am
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I am having a problem with lists in an epub. If I include a font-family (serif) in the css for the list <li> the font for the bulleted text will not change to the font selected on the reading device. If the <li> css does not include any font family the list acts as it should, i.e., it changes along with the rest of the text when I change the font in the device. I can remove all font family references for lists but I was just wondering why this occurs. Is it a bug of some sort? By the way, my stylesheet only has css for <h1>, <p>, and <li> and all of the text in contained in one <div> with no style attached to the div. The problem occurs in iBooks and Kindle.
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Problem reading an ePub on my iPad 3

February 28, 2017, 11:20 am
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First, I'm not sure if this thread should be in the Apple Devices forum, so I apologize if I am posting it in the wrong place.

I am reading an ePub 3 on iBooks for iPad 3 and the TOC doesn't work; when I click on a section it sends me to the cover of the book.

The strange thing is the links on the nav do work!

My only conclusion is that the NCX file is damaged and is using it to generate the TOC. However, I tested my ePub on Kindle Previewer for windows and the TOC worked perfectly.

Someone has any idea of what could be my problem?

Edit: I forgot to say ePub validator didn't detect any issues on my ePub.
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