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#1 |
F. BluDevil
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: St. Louis Missouri
Device: Pocketbook Inkpad3 pro, Kobo Libra, Kindle Paperwhite
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So, how do I start?
I would like to edit some books and contribute but I don't have the faintest idea how to start.
Like Where do you find content? How do you determine whether a book is still protected by copyright? What tools do you need? What knowledge/background do you need (XHTML, CSS, Python)? While, I could keep piling on the questions, what I really could use is just some advice as to how to get started. ![]() ![]() |
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#2 |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Paris, France
Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?
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hi fbrII, thanks so much for wanting to contribute ! that's really great.
to answer some of your questions, a good place to get content is project gutenberg. you can be sure that anything you find there is definitely in the public domain in the US. likewise, there is a PG Canada and Australia. check to see whether the title that interests you is already available here ; if it's not, convert away ! if it is, take a look at it and see whether you feel like making different formatting choices in a new edition (it's up to you). as for tools, i recommend you try out the new epub editor, sigil, which has its own forum here. if you know xhtml / css that will definitely help you, but it's not an obligation ; sigil has a wysiwyg interface. maybe the *best* place to get started is by taking a look at some of the books already available here ; we have some really beautiful editions by uploaders like jellby, patricia, mtravellerh, and lots of others. take a look at how they present the text (special styles for titles and chapter headings, page breaks for each new chapter, etc.) and try out the different styles on a test document for yourself. then dive right in with a book you'd like to read and make it look gorgeous. ![]() |
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#3 |
F. BluDevil
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: St. Louis Missouri
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Ok, I'm writin this down
1) Go to project Guten-b and pick out something nice 2) Check and see if we have it here in MobiRead 3) Check out Sigil 4) Check out jellby, patricia and matravellerh's work 5) Hope matravellerh wanders by and leaves a few tips Ok, did one, ignored two, until I know what I'm doing and it matters, did three, ditto four, downloaded Robroy, five, still hoping Sigil puzzles me - not knowing anything - looks like I can align text, insert chapter breaks and not a whole lot else. But, I do plead ignorance Oh yeah, least I forget - Zelda, thanks for the tips! |
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#4 |
frumious Bandersnatch
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Location: Spaniard in Sweden
Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura
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I'm not sure you want to use Sigil yet. Or at least, if you do, you need some basic HTML and CSS knowledge.
If you already know HTML and CSS, making an ePUB book is not hard, you can have a look at this tutorial for a first contact. A Mobipocket book is maybe easier, but less flexible, it's basically a stripped down HTML (see here), but you would need some tool to convert it to mobipocket (I use MobiPerl's html2mobi). I'd be glad to provide source files of my mobis, and to give further advice if you have more specific questions. |
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#5 |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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you are welcome for the tips, and i'm sure you'll get plenty more.
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#6 | |
GuteBook/Mobi2IMP Creator
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Location: Toronto, Canada
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Quote:
Establishing the proper workflow greatly helps with the creation of ebooks; whether for your own use or for uploading here as well. If you would like to see how its done, using a more automated approach, try converting a Project Gutenberg ("PG") or PG Australia ebook using GuteBook. You'll also need calibre, eBook Publisher and GutenMark to best use the program. Then, you can experiment with what formats appeal to you and what changes work best, all without even knowing the how's and why's... ![]() All you need for PG is the Etext-no. and for PG Australia the link to the html as well. |
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#7 |
F. BluDevil
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: St. Louis Missouri
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Wow - A lot of good information. I'm on a lunch break so I can't get into it now, but I did get an introductory xhtml, css etc., book, so I'm on it.
I will belabor everybody with questions as I stumble along. But, I feel like I'm off to a great start and want to thank everybody for their help! |
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#8 | |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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