Getting InDesign (CS5) to produce a decent ePUB format ebook is so problematic, that I sometimes wonder why we are bothering to use it at all! We could after all, use tools to build the components of the ePUB package by hand coding. Dreamweaver is a possibility and Sigil may also be a way to go.
However, one strategy may be to use InDesign as a starting point and then accept that we need to edit the resultant XHTML and CSS. This is the method that I am using, and I am promoting this method with my students.
After a few frustrating sessions recently, I thought I would note down a list of problems that can be solved. This may not be a comprehensive list...
Benchmarks are datum or reference points, from which other things are measured.
We were in Christchurch, New Zealand in January 2010.
I took this photograph of the benchmark on the stonework of Christchurch Cathedral - now sadly destroyed badly damaged by the earthquake in February 2011. Perhaps this stonework is still there. I doubt, though, if this is benchmark is at the same height above sea level. We were deeply saddened by the events in Christchurch (a city that we enjoyed visiting), and our sympathies go to the people who are still suffering.
I post here too, a photograph of a benchmark here in Oxford.
This article comes with some small print: It is unlikely to ever be finished. On this day in February 2011 (when I started to write this down), things are moving very fast and with new tablet devices appearing and new tools becoming available, the whole process of publishing to tablet devices sits on shifting sands.
How do like yours wrapped?
The terms eBook (e-book, E-book, EBook, whatever), eZines and APPS have some very fuzzy boundaries. We are seeing eBooks that might be considered applications. We are seeing eBooks that might be regarded as interactive games and eBooks that are partially audio books. The range of development tools for eZines on the iPad (and other tablets) is growing but some are coming at a significant price. On the other hand, open source tools are gaining ground (more on this from me soon).
Standards are evolving - just today we see the first public showing ePUB version 3.0.
