ebooks

2011 was the year I expanded my skills in print book layout and typesetting, taking courses at George Brown in Digital Publishing software, but mainly practicing on my own initiative to learn typesetting. The actual technical skills weren’t too hard to obtain because I’ve been using InDesign for three years now. It was all about measuring actual print books to find out best practices for margin and text block sizes, and searching out the right font sizes and leading for a particular book.

I want to make 2012 the year I learn to make effective ebooks in .epub format. I’ve been working with ebooks for over a year now. I think it’s time to crack open that .epub file so I can create both print and digital books. My starting point is Liz Castro’s book EPUB Straight to the Point, which I bought in print format (is that ironic?). It is a great resource to learn the steps to creating your first ebook.

I’m interested in taking ebook development a step further as the year progresses and need all the help I can get! Let me know in the comments about your favourite resources, blogs, courses or books on ebook production.

Libraries across Canada are looking for an alternative to an ebook purchasing model that has constrained the development of ebook lending. I’m sure you are familiar with the current model, which has ebooks partitioned into a separate section from print books in the online catalogue. Library ebook wholesalers, such as Overdrive and Ebsco, have their own catalogue of book available to patrons. The lack of integration is unfortunate for both patrons and librarians alike; it’s so much better to have an integrated cataloguing system showing the greatest amount of data in one location.

As websites such as Canadian Bookshelf offer more information in one location, it’s frustrating that our libraries are forced to fall behind as an information source. Other problems emerge from the single-supplier model now in place, including lack of ebook ownership and obscured communication lines between publishers and libraries. An excellent blog post by Christina deCastell on Uncovering Ebooks blog provides greater insight into the current situation and the solutions being explored by librarians all across Canada.

I believe it’s important for libraries to have ebooks: We want our literature to be accessible to all and we want our authors to earn money from their works. One of the key ingredients to fulfill this situation is keeping libraries relevant with ebook lending programs.

My new adventures in ebook development

Canadian libraries seeking a solution to ebook lending