Google Apps update alerts: Export Google Docs files as EPUB publications http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/export-google-docs-files-as-epub.html
New Version of Sigil EPUB Editor To Have WYSIWYG Editor
The forthcoming 0.6.0 version of Sigil, my favorite desktop EPUB editor, is going to have a WYSIWYG HTML editor in the BookView. This is a much needed addition to a great tool that will allow for greater control over the editing and creation of EPUBs.
From Making epub happen:
The next release of Sigil is shaping up nicely. There is so much going into it that the next release will be 0.6.0. Unfortunately, EPUB 3 will not be one of the features making it into 0.6.0. One major change coming will be a new BookView (BV) editor. Here is an unfished preview of what it might look like.
This is only a concept preview of the new editor. One issue that needs to be resolved is the double tool bar. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to use the one in the BV pane or the global one in the window itself
iBooks Author Gives You the Power to Design Your Own Book, Here
Last week Apple released iBooks Author as a free tool to create and design books for the iPad. But is this just a niche tool for creating textbooks or is there something useful you can do with it? The niche factor is going to depend on what type of creative person you are.
This article provides a balanced review of iBooks Author.
FastPencil Brings Self-publishing To The Web
FastPencil is self-publishing with a twist. The traditional publishing process is a daunting one that can take many months of effort and more money than most writers anticipate. It’s no wonder authors get discouraged.
You shouldn’t have to ask anyone’s permission to write and publish your own book! We have removed the hurdles inherent in traditional publishing by combining amazing advances in print on demand technology with a sophisticated online workflow system.
This site provides a one stop resource for writing and publishing a ‘book’. On the authoring side it provides a light weight web interface for creating an outline and entering text so you can write in the browser. It provides tools for importing blog posts, adding collaborators, assigning editors and more.
Once you’ve committed your work to ‘paper’ the publishing features allow you to categorize the work, set copyright, including Creative Commons licensing, add cover art, and select formats. You may publish your work as an EPUB e-book or as a printed book. If you opt for a physical artifact, you can select typeface, paper size, set a price, and more.
FastPencil is free to use up to the point where you want to order physical books. Packages are available that provide services such as professional review and editing, cover art design, retail distribution and more.
So, it looks like FastPencil may be a good choice for authors interested in retaining complete control over their work or those interested in publishing their work but not inclined to clear all of the hurdles imposed by traditional publishers.
Sony Reader Goes EPUB Only
On Thursday, Sony Electronics, which sells e-book devices under the Reader brand, plans to announce that by the end of the year it will sell digital books only in the ePub format, an open standard created by a group including publishers like Random House and HarperCollins.
via Major news: Sony goes EPUB only; scraps its own format!! | TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home.
This is a big deal and puts some pressure on Amazon to open up the Kindle to more formats natively and let its ebooks onto other devices.