Comments on: XML workflow conference: Learn how to cope with both E and P http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:05:13 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Mike Cane http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/comment-page-1/#comment-997749 Mike Cane Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:41:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/#comment-997749 This will now generate three future blogs posts (a way off, though!): 1) My misadventures 2) Full-blown tutorial 3) Checklist Here's a screensnap of ROUGH #16: http://twitpic.com/100v1 Still LOTS of work to do. But I'm excited by eCub. This will now generate three future blogs posts (a way off, though!):

1) My misadventures
2) Full-blown tutorial
3) Checklist

Here’s a screensnap of ROUGH #16:
http://twitpic.com/100v1

Still LOTS of work to do. But I’m excited by eCub.

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/comment-page-1/#comment-997738 David Rothman Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:27:09 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/#comment-997738 Awesome discovery, Mike. Even if eCub isn't optimal and lacks the PDF component I'm hoping for, it's a START in getting more people interested in coding for ePub creation. And congrats on choosing that particular book for digitization. Can't wait to point to it. Thanks, David (with apologies for being behind on his correspondence with you and others) Awesome discovery, Mike. Even if eCub isn’t optimal and lacks the PDF component I’m hoping for, it’s a START in getting more people interested in coding for ePub creation. And congrats on choosing that particular book for digitization. Can’t wait to point to it.

Thanks,
David
(with apologies for being behind on his correspondence with you and others)

]]> By: Mike Cane http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/comment-page-1/#comment-997625 Mike Cane Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:51:11 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/#comment-997625 I am banging on a freebie called eCub. I am determined to get a *damned good* ePub version of The People of the Abyss by Jack London -- WITH photos. I started out ambitious because that's THE book I want. After the crucible of doing that, all else should be a breeze. Preliminary blog post: http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/01/trying-epub-with-ecub.html I am banging on a freebie called eCub.

I am determined to get a *damned good* ePub version of The People of the Abyss by Jack London — WITH photos.

I started out ambitious because that’s THE book I want. After the crucible of doing that, all else should be a breeze.

Preliminary blog post:
http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/01/trying-epub-with-ecub.html

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/comment-page-1/#comment-997441 David Rothman Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:47:02 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/#comment-997441 Thanks, Rich, but I said "check the progress" of Prince. I didn't say it was an all-in-one solution, or that it's for all: it just is something to consider in certain instances. It no ePub Writer. As for XML in the hands of writers, yes, I'm aware of all the complexities. But a tool with the right interface could help them come up with easier-to-process files than the current apps do. Maybe I'm aiming too high, but I want the tool to offer WYSIWYG capabilities for PDF, while it displays XML in fine style even if nothing can be "final" in the world of reflowable formats. The issue of nonstandard programs? Well, if ePubWriter is good enough, it <em>will</em> become the standard. In a world where cellphones could help bring books within convenient reach of <em>billions</em> and make it easier for local publishers to start up, ePubWrite definitely could make a difference. Happy holidays, David Thanks, Rich, but I said “check the progress” of Prince. I didn’t say it was an all-in-one solution, or that it’s for all: it just is something to consider in certain instances. It no ePub Writer.

As for XML in the hands of writers, yes, I’m aware of all the complexities. But a tool with the right interface could help them come up with easier-to-process files than the current apps do.

Maybe I’m aiming too high, but I want the tool to offer WYSIWYG capabilities for PDF, while it displays XML in fine style even if nothing can be “final” in the world of reflowable formats.

The issue of nonstandard programs? Well, if ePubWriter is good enough, it will become the standard.

In a world where cellphones could help bring books within convenient reach of billions and make it easier for local publishers to start up, ePubWrite definitely could make a difference.

Happy holidays,
David

]]> By: Rich Adin http://www.teleread.org/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/comment-page-1/#comment-997428 Rich Adin Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:03:50 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2009/01/05/xml-workflow-conference-learn-how-to-cope-with-both-e-and-p/#comment-997428 David, I don't know where you find all these programs but you sure can find them. Prince might be a good product (I've no personal knowledge of it) but its pretty high priced for a product that simply creates PDFs -- a "pro" license runs $495. I agree that a better workflow is needed but I don't see how one can be imposed. There are thousands of authors working on their manuscripts without a publishing contract. How do you get them to adopt and -- more importantly -- invest the time to learn a non-standard word processing program? How do you get the thousands of editors (last count I saw from the Census Bureau was more than 100,000 editors in the U.S. alone) to buy and learn a non-standard word processing program, especially when publishers are cutting pay to editors? Then how do you get all the inhouse folk to learn and get up to speed on these non-standard programs? Plus the IT department, plus, plus, plus. And say what you will about how "easy" XML is, it really isn't all that easy for most people. Most long-term users of Word do not know how to write a simple macro, yet you want them to learn to start the workflow in XML. The current system is far from the most efficient in a purely workflow manner, but once you start adding in all the variables, it is probably the best system currently available. David, I don’t know where you find all these programs but you sure can find them. Prince might be a good product (I’ve no personal knowledge of it) but its pretty high priced for a product that simply creates PDFs — a “pro” license runs $495.

I agree that a better workflow is needed but I don’t see how one can be imposed. There are thousands of authors working on their manuscripts without a publishing contract. How do you get them to adopt and — more importantly — invest the time to learn a non-standard word processing program? How do you get the thousands of editors (last count I saw from the Census Bureau was more than 100,000 editors in the U.S. alone) to buy and learn a non-standard word processing program, especially when publishers are cutting pay to editors?

Then how do you get all the inhouse folk to learn and get up to speed on these non-standard programs? Plus the IT department, plus, plus, plus.

And say what you will about how “easy” XML is, it really isn’t all that easy for most people. Most long-term users of Word do not know how to write a simple macro, yet you want them to learn to start the workflow in XML.

The current system is far from the most efficient in a purely workflow manner, but once you start adding in all the variables, it is probably the best system currently available.

]]>