Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ebooks

Best digitizing options for dual-language documents?

JoannaC — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:11:14 -0800

Options besides PDF for digitizing dual-language books? I have some teaching guides I use in my work which are quite bulky and I would like to digitize them. They are fairly simple-looking documents except that the text is mixed between English and French. (e.g. it has prompts in English telling you what to say in French to the kids when you are teaching, for example "say 'je suis ici' while pointing at yourself.")

I am using a Macbook, and the scanner I got was a basic model, a Canonscan 100 scanner on sale. I tried to scan a few pages, and it was a bit of a mess. I got an okay picture when I scanned it as an image, but all attempts at PCR extraction were dismal. When I set the scanner to OCR mode and the language was English, I got gibberish. When I set it to French, things improved a little and it got much of it, but the text still needed a lot of cleaning up.

I thought maybe it was just that the software which came with the scanner was not that great. So I downloaded a few utilities which claim to extract text from PDFs. They had great reviews. They totally choked on the French parts.

The PDF looks fine (I made a two-page sampler for testing purposes), but displays a bit too small for easy reading on my Sony Reader. I uploaded it as a PDF, LRF and epub in separate files onto my Reader for testing. The epub could not zoom at all (i.e. the page stayed looking the same no matter what). The LRF looked just like the PDF on lowest zoom but when I tried to zoom in, the text got garbled as it had when I tried to extract it from the PDF.

So, there are three possibilities here:

1) The scanner is not that great
2) The scanner is fine and I just need better software
3) Dual-language files are too hard and I am stuck with PDF

What do you think? Is there anything I can do here, or will I go to all this work just to wind up with itty bitty text in a PDF file? If so, it may not be worth scanning them all...

Good options for digitizing documents like these? The books weigh several pounds each, and there are 7 in the set, so it's a ton of weight to carry around with me...

What are some good resources about digital publishing?

jonathanstrange — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:19:39 -0800

What are some good places to get information about digital publishing? I'm looking for some good places to find out information about digital publishing, especially in regards to developments in tertiary academic publications.

What are some good websites or podcasts etc to keep me informed?

I'll be reporting to my entire department about my research, and I have very little idea where to begin.

I read Smashing Magazine, which has some good information about designing iPhone applications, and stumble across other articles occasionally, but I'd like to be kept more informed on a regular basis.

Please hope me!

What's the best way to buy and store ebooks on a budget?

patheral — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:28:03 -0800

I'm drastically downsizing and cannot take my beloved books with me. I think the best solution for my new living arrangement would be to find a way to buy and store ebooks. But how and with what? I love to read. Reading is the way I de-stress and unwind. I can't live without reading. I also move a lot and right now the town I live in has a dismal library with no selection. I used to have a room full of books and now it's a bookcase full of books, but even that is too many. I have to go down to a shelf full by next January - if that - and those would be the ones with sentimental value.

As I see it, I can either download books to my computer and read them from here, and risk more migraines. Or I can find the better ebook reader (for example a Kindle or a Nook). Or I can get a smartphone like an iPhone or a blackberry - which I understand have applications for ebooks.

But my budget is tight, and I'm not very savvy about these things. I've been all over Google and compared the ebook readers and I've looked at some friends' smartphones, but I just don't know what would be the better choice. I don't know if I can get the books I want here on my computer, or if I have to have an ebook reader to download them. I think a smartphone might be overkill, but maybe not since some of them have other applications that might be useful. But I don't want to be tied into a contract with a smartphone if it's not the best way.

Anyway, any suggestions would be great.

help my faqs look neat

jak68 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:44:27 -0800

Whats is/are the best programs to create simple online tutorials (w/ captioned pics, mainly)? A CHM maker or something else? What do you use? What I'd prefer is a program like screenbook maker which seems to make the process very easy ("put your picture here, caption it here, press button: churns out a postable self-contained ebook with toc and everything). (Except that screenbook maker isnt quite there yet). DO you know of a program like that that works well and would let me insert a background pic/template on each page? I wouldnt mind paying so long as its not exorbitant (under $100).

I'm setting up basic tech instructions for relatives (having gotten sick of answering the same basic questions a hundred times).

I'm more a hardware guy, not a documentation guy. I was about to use nvu or kompozer and just slap together some marked-up screenshots along with some text. But it occurred to me that this is an opportunity to learn about some simple documentation procedures.

Other than a chm maker, I also considered using a paid or free pdf maker and posting pdfs instead of html. What do you think?

Or should I just do straight html in dreamweaver/nvu using bulleted lists and the TOC generator?

The goal here is to turn these "faqs" out as rapidly as possible; the closer it is to feeling like a wordprocessor, while getting me TOC and links to pages, the better.

Thanks!

Kindle DX: What will I miss if I buy outside the U.S.?

danburzo — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:05:06 -0800

I live in Romania and I'm considering a Kindle DX. (Sony Reader is a crappy competitor and the iRex products are expensive). What features will I miss if I bring the Kindle to Romania? Does it still worth it? Also, can I use Kindle DX to read PDFs from my computer without going through any Amazon service?

I heart non-fiction ebooks

aheckler — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:17:04 -0800

I'm looking for blogs about new non-fiction books on the Kindle. I love my Kindle 2, but with so many books available, I feel like I'm missing a bunch of new releases. Can you recommend to me some blogs that follow new releases in the Kindle Store, specifically non-fiction releases? Thanks in advance!

Help me read on the run...

planetthoughtful — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:32:17 -0800

Recommend an eBook Reader for purchase by an Australian? Since the release of the Amazon Kindle 2, I've been thinking more and more about getting an eBook Reader device. Unfortunately, Amazon seems to have done an effective job of locking the Kindle into US usage only (aside from needing a US credit card and mailing address to order one, it looks like you need a US credit card to buy content, and as far as I can tell the only way to get content onto them is via the builtin cellular capability, which wouldn't work in Australia), so that rules the Kindle out.

Aside from the Kindle, it appears that the Sony Reader Digital Book also can't be purchased directly in Australia, though I've heard of people ordering them in from OS. I can only assume this means you can still purchase, download and transfer eBook content onto them in Australia, but I haven't been able to confirm this directly.

So, I'm left wondering if there's an eReader device out there that has reasonable functionality in the range of the Kindle and Sony Reader Digital Book (primary function for me is take-with-me library, rather than on-demand internet browsing etc), that can be purchased directly or indirectly from Australia, and which will work in the sense of being able to purchase and download a wide range of of eBooks (fiction, non-fiction, classic literature, programming manuals, etc) in Australia? No problems at all if this means transferring content on the Reader via USB or SD card, etc.

Bonus points if I can save / print / export web page content onto the Reader, so I can use it in conjunction with ReadItLater (currently I use Evernote to capture the text content from ReadItLater pages and then print out double-sided for my train trips to and from work, but this seems wasteful for once-off articles).

So have any Australian MeFites (or MeFites from any other part of the globe, if you have input) successfully purchased an eReader and used it to purchase and download eBooks?

Many thanks in advance for any help!

What are your thoughts on the kindle?

no bueno — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:38:55 -0800

Those of you who own a kindle, what are your thoughts? Is it worth making the jump to digital? Staring at a computer screen for hours on end isn't my forte but i am looking for a different solution to going to the library and checking out a book every week They say it has a high resolution but don't actually list what it is so i'm a little leery of that. just need some help deciding if it's worth making the jump to digital yet.

1. write book 2. ???? 3. Profit!

zennoshinjou — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:21:36 -0800

Whats the lowdown on selling ebooks? I saw one previous question with a single answer where the OP made his own unrelated choice regarding what he would use, so I'm asking again: Whats the best way to go about selling something like an ebook? I have a couple of things that I'm interested in putting out there for a low price with the hopes of volume. Setting aside creating my own site pushing the books and going through all of the magic and enchantment of internet marketing, are there sites where I can upload the book(s) and they do the rest, taking a cut for their services?

I know zero about things like SEO, affiliate marketing and all of those sorts of things. The few places I've looked seem to rely on it to a degree (places like this).

So if anyone has thoughts or experiences, please share!

If you Kindle - how has it changed you?

Gerard Sorme — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:14:15 -0800

Kindle Filter: If you own a Kindle - how has it changed the way you read? Do you read more? Less? More books? Fewer books? More/fewer publications and blogs? I never dreamed I would fall in love with something like this as I've always been a physical book lover, yet I can honestly say its changed the way I read. I find myself reading more books and find it easier to focus on one book versus juggling several with a stack next to me. If you're a Kindle owner - tips or tricks for a new Kindler?

Do docs emailed to a Kindle stay in the cloud?

symbebekos — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:25:58 -0800

Amazon Kindle question: does anyone know if the documents you email to Amazon's 10¢ conversion service are stored in your account cloud forever, as with books you purchase?

I like puppies, long walks on the beach, and tech-savvy publishers

nev — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:52:02 -0800

Looking to find clients who need help with technology in the publishing industry (especially in academic reference and journals). I've quit my job as a software engineer at a well-regarded web company to do independent technical consulting. I expect to offer everything from software evaluation to XML schema design to full-on programming.

I have excellent references from former clients (some of whom I'm likely to retain, thanks to my old employer), and some good contacts already. I'm writing for a publishing/technology blog and I'm planning on attending a few conferences:

1. SSP in Boston (no-brainer, I'm in MA)
2. ALA in Anaheim
3. O'Reilly TOC

I also read a number of publishing blogs that I found recommended in previous AskMe threads, mostly to do with trade publishing.

Are there networking opportunities that I'm missing? Since I'm working on my own, my free time is flexible, so I'd be interested in workshops or lectures in the New England area. I could also use a little more knowledge from the library side of things, in terms of how research tools are evaluated and used. Other kinds of advice also welcome, although I'm not new to the industry as a whole.

I know there are publishing people on AskMe so if you want any more information on who I am and what my skills and experience are, please send Mefi Mail -- I'd love to schmooze.

Any Mefites with experience selling products via digital delivery?

Gerard Sorme — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:39:37 -0800

I am looking at different methods of digital delivery/download/payment. (I have an ebook I will soon be offering.) PayPal offers this directly, I am somewhat familiar with e-junkie and I know there are others. Do we have any Mefites who have used any of these services, or knows of someone who has, and can share their experience? Suggestions? In advance, as always -- thank you!

Stats/studies to prove that money-back guarantees work for info products

acoutu — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:57:47 -0800

Can you point me to studies/stats or bona fide case studies on the use of money-back guarantees with information products? Many sites, articles and books say that a money-back guarantee will increase the sales of products. However, while it takes effort to return a set of Ginsu knives, it really takes no effort to delete an information product (e.g. ebook) and there's no real way to make sure that the customer actually did delete it. Obviously, you just have to trust the customer and refund the money. And you shouldn't be making a guarantee unless you trust in your product. But there is still the risk that people will find your product valuable and ask for the money back anyway, costing you at least the processing fee and some of your time. I am looking for real studies/stats that show that a money-back guarantee for information products increases sales enough to offset the risk of being scammed. Thanks.

(PS: If you have personal experience and can vouch for a guarantee, I'll consider that, too. I just don't want to be pointed to questionable ebook gurus. Thanks.)

Best book publication methods?

jdroth — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:56:35 -0800

I have a web site. I want to write a book based on the topic. I have publishers/agents asking to talk to me, but I don't know if I'm ready. For one thing, I'm not convinced traditional publication is best — I'm intrigued by self-publishing and e-books. I'm looking for general advice: What are the pros and cons of each method? It seems that unless I'm lucky, traditional publishing offers the lowest dollar return. But are there other, intangible benefits I'm missing? Exposure? Having somebody who knows what they're doing guide me along? And how do I approach a discussion with agents/publishers so as to get the best deal? I'd love some hard numbers from real e-books. Have you published one? How many did you sell? How much did you make? Would you do it again? Same with self-publishing. John Reed has a great book with detailed information about the economics of self-publishing, but I'd like to know more.

What are the advantages of traditional publication? How much can a first-time author expect to earn, both in advance and in sales? Is my web site large enough to give me negotiating leverage? (42,000 subscribers, close to 750k monthly pageviews)

My current thought is that self-publishing in some fashion (probably an e-book) would grant me complete control over the design, layout, and content of the book. If that did well, I could still promote it to a traditional publisher. Is this an acceptable approach?

Basically, I'm looking for anecdotes and advice from people who have done this sort of thing before.

I'm sure I'll have more "how do I write a book?" questions in the next few months.

Am I killing my laptop by holding it sideways?

Rock Steady — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:21:09 -0800

Am I killing my laptop by holding it sideways (like a book)? I have found I greatly prefer reading long pieces of text on my laptop by rotating the screen 90 degrees and holding the laptop sideways like a book -- with the keyboard and touchpad as the left-hand "page" and the screen on the right. Does this pose any problems for the long-term health of my lappy? I'm particularly thinking about the hard drive -- is it designed to only be operated in a horizontal position? Any other problems I'm not thinking of?

It is an Acer Aspire 5100 running Vista, if that matters.

Is the iRex iLiad worth it?

yggdrasil — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 19:50:21 -0800

I've been lusting after the iRex iLiad for a year... and I'm starting law school in the fall. I'm trying to convince myself that I can use it for my reading for class (as well as my recreational reading). Anyone have one and want to share experiences? Is the larger screen and the touchscreen capability worth twice the price of the Sony Reader? I've played with the reader at the book store and I can't say I'm wild about the interface, and I'm also not wild about Sony and their DRM history or their heavy-handed attempt at content management. Plus I'd love to be able to highlight (since I'm trying to pass this off as a study aide).

I know about mobileread.com and the comparison matrix - I'm looking for mefi experiences.

So:
Have an Iliad? Like it?
How good is the touchscreen interface? the annotation software?
Am I just succumbing to technolust?

How to do on-the-fly MMO for chorus practice?

baylink — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:28:12 -0800

Is there a multi-track audio format suitable for chorus practice? That and I've recently joined a chorus, and in my continuing (and usually futile) attempts to leverage technology to make my life easier (since I don't read music that well), I'm wondering if there's a standardized way that you could assemble 5 independent synchronized audio tracks (likely mp3 format) -- accompaniment, and the 4 individual vocal tracks -- in such a fashion that the practicing singer could play it back and either punch out the three voices they don't sing (for learning your part) or punch out the voice they *do* sing (for practice).

I realize that this could be done with something like Multiquence or Cakewalk, but that would entail shipping something like a zip file around with all the tracks in it, which I'd like to avoid, not to mention requiring special playback software (it'd be nice if these files could be played back with J Random Player -- even if that player had to be Quicktime).

Any suggestions?

In a related story, I'd also like to carry my sheet music (and maybe these audio tracks) around on an eBook reader of some flavor; anyone got any experience with those -- particularly as they relate to sheet music?

help me find obscure ebooks and make them where necessary

allterrainbrain — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 07:49:51 -0800

I care enough about getting all my physical media into digital form that I'm ready to hand-scan my remaining books where necessary. Before I do this, what are all the ways I should search to be sure a given book doesn't exist as an ebook I could buy (or in any other digital form)? Also: any hints for efficiently doing the scanning & OCR?

Ebook sites that don't suck?

banished — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 13:44:12 -0800

I am working with a client who is convinced this e-book web site is awesome. I am trying to convince him that a long page of text (not to mention the annoying popup) is boring, unprofessional, and no potential customer would bother reading it all. In his defense, he points to the Alexa rankings, which are indeed impressive. Does anyone have any examples, preferably with a better Alexa ranking than that site, of a web site selling an ebook that has a few short convincing paragraphs that sum up why the book is worthy of purchase and has a professional design that doesn't look so awful?

How do I find this ebook?

meerkatty — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 04:27:19 -0800

Please help me find this book! Preferably as an e-book. I desperately need to consult The Postcolonial Exotic by Graham Huggan. My university library has lost it (University of Toronto) and it doesn't live at any city library in Toronto. It is available as an ebook on netlibrary.com, but I don't have university access to this site. Are there any other academic sites that I may be able to access through my uni to read this book? Can you find it anywhere else? Please help!

How do I get ebooks on my blackberry?

kensanway — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 21:11:23 -0800

Getting ebooks on my blackberry? I have a blackberry for work I'm wondering if I can get ebooks from Project Gutenberg on them. I don't know what type of blackberry I have. The Project Gutenberg files tend to be txt files. Any thoughts?

To view this question you must download the most recent version of the free Acrobat Reader® software

clgregor — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 13:07:15 -0800

Every time I open Adobe Acrobat, it creates a folder in My Documents called "My eBooks." How can I stop this? I hate repeatedly deleting this folder, and I'd rather not just make it "hidden." Similarly, when I do mail merges, Office creates "My Data Sources," another folder I don't want. And AIM makes "filelib" and "downloads." The list goes on and on.

This would be a great thread to collect all sorts of instructions on stopping auto-folder creation, if you have tips.

Adsense ebook worth the money?

o2b — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:18:11 -0800

Google Adsense Secrets: Is this ebook worth buying? (I really want to know, I'm not shilling for it.) I have a site that could be performing better, I'm sure. But I'm naturally skeptical of the hard sell. Anybody have experience with this? Or have a better idea?

Change Margins on Project Gutenberg Books?

redteam — Thu, 19 May 2005 08:54:21 -0800

Is there an easy way to change the margins on Project Gutenberg e-books? I can print anything I want here at work for free. I would like to print Project Gutenberg e-books to read at lunch, but the margins are all set at about 75 characters. That is, when a line reaches about 75 characters, a line break is placed at the end of the line. Paragraphs are seperated by two line breaks.

I would like text in each paragraph to wrap (not break at 75 characters) so that I can more efficiently print a novel on 8.5"x11" paper double sided, with .25" margins on the sides, in something like 10pt text.

As it is, I have very few options for more efficiently utilizing the space on each printed page. I can reduce the text's font size, but that would only make more white space on the page.

One workaround I found was printing a novel double-sided on legal (8.5"x14") paper in landscape format with three columns. I would prefer to not do this again.

Is there a macro in Word or a perl script or utility that can change this formatting? Is anyone else annoyed by Project Gutenberg's forced margins?

I do not know how to program. I am running Windows. I have access to a shell account on a Redhat Linux system. Yes, I am sure I want to print novels and not get them from the library.