e-Book Alchemy - An Interview with Olive Technology's Virginia Thomas

By almost any reckoning, e-books are a fast growing segment of the book publishing industry.  Many self-published authors and traditional publishers who have been reluctant to publish in e-book format are now considering it.  However, because there are many competing standards, navigating the technical / logistical ins and outs of e-book publishing can seem a bit daunting at first. 

We recently had the opportunity to discuss print to e-book conversion and the outlook for e-books with Virginia Thomas, the Business Development Manager at Olive Technology, a leading provider of eBook conversion services. Virginia has lived and worked in Alaska, Argentina, Oregon, California, Texas, Hawaii, India and Colorado and was previously in corporate sales with Paradigm Engineering.  (One of her favorite book genres is confessional memoirs.)

FPP:  What e-book formats should a publisher consider absolutely essential for their titles?

VT:  Since the arrival of ebooks and eReaders, the number of digital content retailers has significantly increased. Each retailer would want to cover most device formats. Since the two most popular readers, the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader use ePub and Mobi, it is recommended that Publishers should at least have these two formats available.EPUB is an open standard created by the IDPF, and is used on numerous devices such as the Sony Reader, the Barnes and Noble Nook, and the Stanza iPhone app. Mobipocket, or .mobi, can be read on the Kindle, but also on a Blackberry, Windows Mobile device, Symbian or Palm device. .azw is Amazon’s proprietary format for the Kindle, for which they provide free conversion when a title is listed in Amazon.com’s eBook store. Like .azw, .mobi can be read on a Kindle, but unlike .azw, it can be sold in a number of distribution channels including Symtio and a publisher’s own website.

FPP:  What steps a publisher should take to prepare for submitting a title for conversion into an e-book?

VT:  Publishers looking at reaching a wide market should first develop a basic idea of planning their marketing and decide on how they would like to take care of the digital rights management. Subsequently, they should identify a reliable technology team that can do a high quality conversion work that can replicate the original book experience into digital format. As they identify the team, the publisher should have their high priority titles organized by the different available format such as hard copy, PDF, Quark Express, InDesign etc. This would allow the conversion team to organize their own conversion steps.

FPP:  What occurs during the process of e-book conversion?

VT:  Depending on the format, the conversion process involves:

1. Converting the original source format (such as PDF) into a editable format, such (MS Word or HTML)
2. Reformatting of the editable format so that it can be seamlessly ported into a conversion tool. Depending on the type of book, this step may involve extensive coding to re-create the formatting from the original book. Aspects such as clickable footnotes, endnotes and images are all taken care of in this phase.
3. The formatted file is then ported into a conversion tool that can then generate the needed extension required. Aspects such as Table of Contents, book details and Metatags are taken into consideration at this phase. (Metatags are information about information—they help identify and position the digital content in order of relevance. For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metatags).
4. An eBook conversion team then takes a thorough line-by-line comparison with the original book to make sure that all the needed formats and expressions have been replicated in the converted book. This is a very important step as it ensures a good reading experience for the reader. Depending on the service provider, a conversion team would have multiple quality checks by different members of the team.

FPP:  What are the most common problems that occur in e-book conversion?

VT:  Formatting errors can come in easily, especially inserting spaces into words. This is why Olive Technology does not rely solely on software for corrections. Olive’s proofreading team pores over every word in the eBooks they convert.

FPP:  What is the typical turnaround time for an e-book conversion?

VT:  Average turnaround time for a 200 page book is 2 working days. However, it may take additional time if there are lots of footnotes and endnotes that require extensive coding of tags or there are lots of images that need to be edited before including in the eBook.

FPP:  How much should a publisher budget for converting a title into the most popular e-book formats?

VT:  This depends on how long the book is, how many titles are being converted in the batch, and how complicated it is to convert. Most conversion companies provide a price per page. The more special formatting, pictures, charts, graphs, sidebars, etc. a work has, the more difficult it is to convert.As for a ballpark, conversion of a 200 page novel with a few illustrations from PDF to EPUB and Mobipocket, Olive Technology would charge $160.

FPP:  What limitations / differences in appearance should a publisher expect when going from print to e-book?

VT:  Because of limitations in the eReaders, it is not possible to enforce the original font types into the eBook formats. However, some eReaders allow the fonts to be changed. Since the reader has options to change the font size to large print or smaller print, there are no set page numbers in an eBook. Also, the style of s Table of Contents is limited to one column. All required images would render as black and white in most eReaders, but in smartphones they can be in color.

FPP:  Do you think we will get to a single e-book standard in the near future?

VT:  That’s the question of the hour. Members of the IDPF would scream “YES! EPUB!,” and the industry has already seen a great adoption of the EPUB format. However, Forrester has said that of the 3 million eBook readers predicted to be sold in 2009, 60% of them are Kindles. While Bbeb may be a dying breed, I think .azw and Mobipocket will be around with EPUB for years to come—especially if Amazon keeps making mobile apps. Unless, that is, Jeff Bezos decides to become an open format fan. That will probably occur the same day Steve Jobs endorses Windows 7.

FPP:  Does having a title in XML format simplify e-book conversion?

VT:  Not necessarily. In fact in our experience the reformatting of DocBookXML can be even more challenging and costly. However, the use of XML allows quicker conversion to any future formats that would be made available.

FPP:  How important are mobile phones in the e-book market now?

VT:  According to research done by Nielsen in 2008, younger people favor the idea of books downloadable to mobile phones or iPods over eReaders or PCs (A third of 16-30 year olds compared to 23% of over 30s). The mobile phone market share is relatively small, but growing. The most popular mobile phone for eBook reading now is the iPhone, which only had 6.5% of the eBook downloads in the first two quarters of 2009. However, in a November 1 report the research firm Flurry predicted that with thousands of eBook apps being produced, the iPhone will be in a serious position to steal market share from the Kindle in reading the way it stole from the Nintendo DS in gaming.F

PP:  How do you see the e-book market evolving in the next 3-5 years?

VT:  With the fast adoption rate and decrease in price of eReaders, the only certainties I see are growth, increasing involvement of Google, and device convergence. According to Association of American Publishers, eBook sales have grown by more than 300% in last 2 years. While eBooks are still a small portion of book sales, they more than tripled from the second quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2009, and the exponential growth is predicted to continue.

Also, I think it’s a matter of time before foldable/flexible mobile devices cause device convergence to occur. The problem now is that eBook readers are too big to be phones, and phones are too small to read on without a whole lot of scrolling. However, when mobile phone manufacturers roll out devices that can be folded or unfolded to the size of a phone or eReader, consumers will probably opt for the convenience of only carrying around one device. Motorola is said to be hard at work on their line of flexible devices.

Related Posts

• How m-books Could Change Reading
• After the Page
• Contemplating the Google-book
• ebooks – Toward a Tipping Point?
• Is XML the New Center of the Publishing Universe?
• Penguin 2.0 – The March to the Digital Kingdom Continues

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[Via http://futureperfectpublishing.com]

Fashion Designers Going Green

Fashion Designers Going Green

by Shari Emami

In a world full of leather, fur and animal prints it seems rather unusual that the fashion industry would take interest in doing something “good” for the public as well as the environment. However, lately it seems that the opposite is true. Now we can attribute “going green” as  a new wave of trends that are going to environment- conscious folks.  According to reporter Kim Dean, designers are now using non-toxic dyes and fabrics produced without the use of pesticides. “Going green is the new black” she says.

I had the chance to go to New Mart in downtown LA and interview designer Jules Blaine Davis of “Organic Calfornia Rising,” clothing line. According to Jules, L.A’s market week, ( which is a week just for buyers , exhibitors and retailers ),  has changed to a green and environmental- friendly  focus in fashion.  She says ” It’s a great opportunity to make people aware of the luxury and high- end line as well as do something good for the public.” As reported by the Women’s Wear Daily magazine, high- profile designers such as Jil Sander, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Narcisco Rodgriguez are all jumping on board and  signing up for Earth’s pledges Future Fashion, ( which is a charity organization geared to raise awareness for eco- minded people).

Green Ingeo Fibers

However I could not help and ask myself,  isn’t all of this rather expensive? I mean the cost to make a garment is rather pricy, will business’s benefit from all this? Is there a lot of sacrifice here to make a piece using eco-friendly fabrics? According to Women’s Wear Daily ( WWD) magazine, ingeo fibers ( man – made fiber/material and re- usable fibers, made from plants instead of oil ),  cost 10-15 percent more  than regular cotton. However companies such as Moral Fenar, Elisa Jimenez and Nadia Fassi explain that it is well worth it to spend that much more if it means creating something good for the environment and public. It is also not hurting their business as going green seems to be a growing and staying trend.  This is rather refreshing news and I am soon to discover that fashion designers are not just out for profit. They have the public’s interest and  well – being in mind .Some of the most well known designers like Miu Miu are using scraps from the cutting-room and saving them for handbags and garments.

I have learned a lot from this industry as well as what is in “vogue” sometimes isn’t what you think it may be. I also discovered that what may profit a business can sometimes be what you least expect. “Going green is the new black” really is a profound statement. Not only are fashion designers “smartening” up, but they for sure have the public’s interest in mind, which for so long has not been a priority of this business. It’s not just about wearing something extravagant off the runway, if it’s extreme and good for the environment, then its all the better.

 

Source citation

Riley- Katz, Anne ” Earth Friendly Fashion”- WWD ( 2008)

Strugatz, Rachel ” Designers Push Eco- Friendly Fabrics ( Nov 2009)

Bourne, Lead ” Going to Pieces ” – TIME magazine Spring 2008

Reporter- Kim Dean ( Raleigh, NC)- Wral.com

INTERVIEW: author Arthur Slade

Arthur Slade, author of The Hunchback Assignments

Two of my fellow Scribblers, Shelley Souza and Arthur Slade, got together recently to talk about Arthur’s new book series, The Hunchback Assignments, and I’m delighted to be able to share their conversation with you here:

Shelley: A recent interview said that The Hunchback Assignments is  inspired by Victor Hugo’s Huchbank of Notre Dame, and that the second book in this seven-part series found inspiration from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Was that your aim, to reinterpret classics that fit with the growing movement of steampunk in fashion, literature and art?

Arthur Slade: Originally, my intention was to take elements from these classics and use them as  leaping points for a new set of stories. I didn’t set out to write a “steampunk” novel, but as I began to explore the Victorian world I discovered that I didn’t want to be limited by “real” history or even “real” science so began to find myself pushing the boundaries of what science was able to do at that time. I wanted to make the world as real as possible, though. So Queen Victoria is queen during the book. The streets are the real streets. I just add elements that are quasi-fantastical–like a character who can change his shape. But this is a perfectly logical ability within the context of the novel because all the other characters see it as an “adaptive transformation”–or part of evolution. I guess I’m drawing from Verne and H.G. Wells who could make some of the most scientifically unsound stories appear real by explaining the “logic” of the science behind them.

Shelley: What kind of books attracted you as a teenager? I read somewhere
that you had comic book heroes. Did you also have literature heroes
or heroines?

AS: I wanted to be Paul Atreides from Dune. I loved that book from the first time I read it at thirteen. There was something about the prince who must become a man and a messiah that spoke to my young heart. I read every Ray Bradbury book I could get my hands on, especially loved The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. And I was (and am) a Roger Zelazny fan, particularly Nine Princes in Amber. I  also discovered Guy Gavriel Kay in my later teen years. And Stephen King lurked at my bedside table, of course.

Q: The influence of Notre Dame is fairly obvious, but I’m wondering what role the classical story of Beauty and the Beast played in shaping Modo and Olivia’s characters?

AS: That story is certainly in the background of the novel. Modo’s extreme disfigurement and his ability to escape it for a few hours at a time by shape shifting are certainly one of the cornerstones of his story. What does it mean to be handicapped? What does the beast feel like? And what if the beast could change his shape? Is that ability going to be more of a curse than a blessing for Modo?

Q: I also read that you wanted to be a horror fiction writer and fancied yourself as the Stephen King of the Canadian Prairies. Is that still a dream of yours, or have your tastes as a writer (and
perhaps a reader?) changed?

AS: I don’t read or write true horror fiction as much as I used to (though The Hunchback Assignments certainly has some horror influenced scenes). Part of the reason for me stepping away slightly is that I’m doing so much historical research for the series. I’ve always been a reader whose tastes wander around the fantasy/horror/sci-fi realm though. So in many ways The Hunchback Assignments is my way of infusing all three of those influences together. Of my fourteen books 7 are straight out horror novels and the remainder go from fantastical to historical to modern day, so obviously I have a “horror” bent.

Q: How did you make the mental shift from Stephen King to Jules Vernes? Or was the attraction to “steampunk” literature there from childhood? Do you think it’s your “geekness” that attracted you to this kind of literature? Or do you think the literature made you consciousness that you had a geeky side?

AS: My attraction to science fiction has always been there since I first started reading novels. My geekness certainly attacted me to this type of literature. I think “steampunk” fulfills two roles for me–I’ve always wanted to write fantasy and science fiction. I was never smart enough to extrapolate on modern science. But by concentrating on Victorian era science I can combine the scientific principles of the time with the fantasy side of my imagination.

Q: When a fellow writer suggested in a critique group that your story would make good young adult fiction, how did you react?

AS: I sent my novel at the time (the 6th unpublished book I’d written) to
a critiquing service offered by a provincial writer’s guild. When the
suggestion came back that I was writing young adult fiction I was
offended. I was 28 at the time and felt I was writing with more
“adult” themes. It seems silly now. I didn’t understand how difficult
young adult fiction could be to write and how much depth there was
(and is) to it. Once I turned my mind to writing for a younger
audience it unlocked a real joy in reading and adventure that I hadn’t
felt in the fiction I had been writing or reading for years.

Q: What are the best things about current young adult literature that didn’t exist when you were a teenager?

AS: The authors are actually alive! When I was younger it seemed like everyone I read was dead or old. Not that there’s anything wrong with being old, but as a teen it was harder to identify. Now writing for young adults certainly is a much wider path, you can find everything under the sun within the spectrum of young adult literature–science fiction, fantasy, historical, modern tales. And they all seem to be given equal weight.

Q: You seem to be fairly sunny character yourself. Yet you are drawn
to the macabre. Why do you think that is?

AS: I like to think I have a sense of humour, but as a writer, and as a human, I don’t think I should look away from the “dark side” of humanity. There is also a “release” side to writing and reading macabre stories that I find satisfying. A good horror story is like riding a rollercoaster, you get scared, your get exhilarated, but in the end you step off feeling alive and lucky that you’ve survived.

Q: I’m curious what drew you to the Hobbit when your teacher in 4th grade read it to your class and how you reconciled that with your love of Iron Maiden’s heavy metal?

As: I see them as being on the same continuum. The Hobbit was fantasy and many of Iron Maiden’s songs are based in fantasy or science fiction. Obviously the primitive beats and the complicated muscianship drew me towards them, but the fact that they had songs about Dune, Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner were very affirming to me. It meant I wasn’t the only human being out there liking this fantasy fiction. Of course Iron Maiden never wrote about hobbits. I supposed that’s because they’re too cute for heavy metal.

Q: Given your ability to take a character like Modo and transform him into a hero, what advice would you give to your young readers who have disabilities and may be seen as misfits in society?

AS: It’s always been my opinion that no one is normal. Humanity would be so boring if we all were the same. So sometimes what  separates you from your classmates and society is also what makes you stronger and
more interesting. This isn’t a pie in the sky answer because many disabilities are hard to overcome.  In many ways we are in a golden age of understanding disabilities–I know that there are all sorts of negative attitudes you can point towards–but as a society I do feel we are becoming more accepting of those with differences from the norm.

Q: What would you say to young (or old) writers who aspire to be novelists when they grow up?

AS: I, personally, feel extremely lucky to be writing novels for a living. So on one level I’d highly recommend it to everyone who is interested  in writing. That said I know that the market is extremely tough to get  into and it’s also very hard to become a writer full time. My best advice is that if you truly love it you should write a little bit
every day. You’ll be surprised how quickly a novel or short story will come together.

The Hunchback Assignments, by Arthur Slade (US cover)

 

[Via http://thescribblerschronicle.com]