Re: Re: PDF ebook formatting best practice?

On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 10:26 AM, jon_noring <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Erica Frank wrote:
> >
> > I make a lot of PDFs for my Sony PRS-505. I use 3.46" x 4.6" pages
> > (although some people use 90x120mm; I gather that's close enough)
> > with .15" margins (because the Reader itself provides plenty of
> > space around the text). I use 9 or 10 pt Georgia or Fontin, but a
> > lot of people like a larger starting font than that.
> [snip]
>


> Thanks for your feedback.
>
> Now I fully recall why I avoided selling ebooks in PDF (a decision
> which cost me some sales) because of the difficulty of formatting a
> single PDF to be "all things to all people."


Yep; that's the problem. PDF is a ready-for-print format that only
incidentally deals with the variety of devices & screens available for
reading today.


> Reflowable PDF would
> help, but then when considering reflowability, I believe it best to
> simply go with a format designed to be reflowable.


The PRS-505 will reflow any PDF that's not just image scans. And yes,
reflowable formats are better for any book that expects to reflow. It mostly
allows me to read publisher's PDFs that are the same size, with the same
page margins, as print books, which come out too small on the 6" screen.

Also, when my eyes are tired, I'll use the larger text size, which requires
the reflow.


> So the question of the publishers and book readers here: if you buy
> PDF ebooks, what do you use to read the book?


I read either on a computer (not by choice, for text-based books) or Sony
Reader. I'm comfortable making changes for that, but most people won't be;
if it doesn't read easily on their device-of-choice, they won't use the
format, and if they had to choose a single format before purchase, they
won't make a second purchase.


> (This includes printing
> it out on paper.) Is there a general consensus as to what works the
> best for most people who primarily purchase PDFs? (I suspect they
> simply print the book, or read it on their desktop or laptop using
> Adobe Reader.)


I read comic-book PDFs in Acrobat Pro, or with Foxit Reader (because it's
portable & I can keep the reader on my flash drive.) Which, as you say,
isn't expected to be standard.


> Whatever I do with regards to offering PDF -- if I do
> -- I would likely add a note to the book description stating what the
> PDF is optimized for.
>

Yes please; that would help a great deal. If not the exact specs, at least
page size & main font type & size. Readers who don't care won't mind if
those are listed on the page; readers who do care will be better-informed
before buying.


> Btw, Erica, I would suspect that most ebook buyers are not savvy as
> you are in reformatting PDF documents, or converting other formats
> into PDF, to adapt them to a particular reading device, such as the
> Sony.
>

I've been working professionally with PDFs for over 10 years. I don't expect
anyone else to be that comfortable with them or know that much about them; I
bring up some of technical issues mainly so people know that complexity is
there, and can be addressed if they care to. And that aspects they didn't
consider can bite them if they're not careful.

FWIW, my ebook format-of-choice is ePub. But I can't effectively create
those myself (I'm not very skilled at the programs available), and I know
exactly what I like in ebooks, so when I make my own, I make PDFs. (On the
Clié, I used eReader .pdb because I could do the markup myself.)

-- 
"I follow Eris blindly in all things. That She is the Goddess of Chaos
simplifies this immensely."  -- Christian the Pagan


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------
Post a message:   ebook-community [[at]] *
Unsubscribe:      ebook-community-unsubscribe [[at]] *
Switch to digest: ebook-community-digest [[at]] *
Switch to normal: ebook-community-normal [[at]] *
Put mail on hold: ebook-community-nomail [[at]] *
Administrator:    ebook-community-owner [[at]] *

(* == yahoogroups.com)
-------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[email protected] 
    mailto:ebook-community-fullfeatured-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ebook-community-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/