Book Uploads Posting Guidelines

HarryT · 04-11-2007, 10:17 AM

This post summarises the guidelines for posting to this forum section. If we all follow them, it'll make life a lot easier. If you have any comments or suggestions for changes, please feel free to make them.

1. This forum section is for book uploads only, the only exceptions being contributions to the "Sticky" topics at the start of the forum. Any message thread that is not an upload will be moved elsewhere or deleted, as the moderators deem appropriate. The moderators of this forum section are currently Alex Turcic and myself, HarryT.

2. When you upload, you must use a message subject of the form:

Author_surname, Author_firstname (or initials): Book_title. Version. Posting Date

Eg:

Wells, H.G.: The War of the Worlds. v1. 11 Apr 2007

The reason for this is that the thread title is automatically "parsed" to generate the index of eBooks.

3. Please attach your book to the first message in the thread. If you subsequently revise it, edit the first message and re-attach the revised book there, adding a message to the end of the thread to note that you've done so, and saying what the changes are.

4. If you are considering creating a particular eBook, please check before you start whether or not that book has already been uploaded to MobileRead (this can be done by clicking the "E-Books" link on the blue bar near the top of the screen, selecting the "Browse Latest Uploads" option, then selecting the "Search E-Books" link and entering either the title or the author into the search box). If you find that the book has already been uploaded, you are very welcome to upload a new version provided that it "adds" something different to the version already present - this might be a better layout, a new format, significant proof-reading and correction, proper dashes or "curly quotes", for example. If this is the case, when you upload your new version, please add a link to the earlier version (or simply say who the uploader was), and state in the description of your book how it differs from the earlier version.

5. Please respect copyrights, and don't post (or request) anything that's not in the public domain in at least one of the major public domain book collections - eg "Project Gutenberg" (PG) or "Project Gutenberg Australia" - without the clear advance permission of the copyright holder. Any material that clearly infringes copyright will immediately be deleted. Please notify one of the moderators immediately via private message if you believe that an upload does violate copyright.

6. Uploads here should add some notable "value" to a PG (or whatever) original (for example: nice reformatting, artwork, a TOC, footnotes, etc etc). There's really no point in posting here something which which a poster can get from the original source in two minutes.

7. Helpful hints: When uploading a text, mentioning the sources and edition you have used and which edition you have uploaded is always appreciated. We also recommend that you state in the summation and in a preface within your edition any changes you have made to the text, for example:

Have you proofread the text and corrected any obvious typos such as occur routinely in OCR scans?
Have you changed the spelling to conform to British or U.S. norms?
Have you updated archaic spellings?
Have you standardized the punctuation?
Have you made changes to make the text more appealing to modern audiences?

Readers have preferences concerning these matters, and they appreciate editors who are forthcoming about such changes.

Thanks!

HarryT · 05-08-2007, 07:38 AM

What is in the "Public Domain?

As you might expect, it's somewhat complicated.

In most of the world, it's pretty straightforward - things enter the public domain (PD) a certain number of years after the death of the author. In most countries that number is 70 years, in a few (eg Australia) it's 50. That means that, for example, all works of authors who died prior to 1937 (as I write this is 2007) are currently PD in Europe; prior to 1957 in Australia, and that advances, year by year, as you would expect it to (eg next year it'll be 1938/1958).

In the US, the rules are rather more complicated, largely due to the political lobbying done by companies like Disney who are desperate that M. Mouse and co should NEVER enter the public domain.

Basically, in the US:

- Anything published prior to 1923 is PD.
- Anything published between 1923 and 1963, with a copyright notice, for which copyright was NOT specifically renewed, is PD.
- Unpublished works: Author's death + 70 years.
- Pretty much everything else: publication date + 95 years (and this date keeps getting extended as the "danger" approaches of anything new entering PD)

The net result of this is that some stuff is in the PD in the US, but not elsewhere (early works of authors who had LONG lives - eg Agatha Christie), and a LOT of stuff is PD outside the US but not in the US (works of authors published after 1923 who died before 1937/1957).

As the years go by, the balance is shifting - what is PD in the US is a static set of works, whereas elsewhere new material is entering the PD every year.

That, at least, is the basics!

NatCh · 05-08-2007, 09:37 AM

I'm glad you didn't go for the complicated explanation, Harry -- just that left me feeling even more confused than I normally do!

HarryT · 05-08-2007, 09:44 AM

It's only complicated in the US; it's pretty straightforward elsewhere.

In the US, stick to books published before 1923, and you're completely "safe". It gets complicated for things published after that - that's when you get into issues of copyright renewals, and all that kind of thing. Prior to 1923, though, and it's guaranteed to be in the public domain (in the US).

This might help to clarify it for you:

http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/tra...lic_Domain.htm

NatCh · 05-08-2007, 10:05 AM

Stupid Disney.

HarryT · 05-08-2007, 10:12 AM

Unfortunately, in the US, "Mickey Mouse" literally is the whole foundation of copyright law

.

NatCh · 05-08-2007, 10:24 AM

Just goes to show what happens when things are run by a Mickey Mouse Outfit.

HarryT · 05-08-2007, 10:53 AM

What's basically happened in the US is that, for things published from 1978 onwards, you have a "life + 70" copyright law, just like most of the rest of the world.

Where it differs from other countries is that, almost entirely due to Disney's political lobbying power (which is considerable), you also have a "publication date + 95 years" protection for things published between 1923 and 1978.

What this means is that nothing new will enter the public domain in the US until the year 2018, and things won't start entering the PD under the normal "life + 70" law that everyone else uses until 2048! I wouldn't even get too excited about the 2018 date. What all observers gloomily agree will happen is that, as that date approaches, Congress will simply extend the "publication + 95 years" protection to something longer.

It really is a pretty shocking state of affairs. Effectively, the public domain has been "sealed off" to new work in the US for the foreseeable future. Things might start working normally again in 2048, but that's a long way off.

hapax legomenon · 09-02-2007, 08:59 PM

1. If I am the copyright owner and would like to upload a creative commons ebook, can I do so here?

2. My ebook is a collection of tasteful erotica stories. A small number are X rated, but most are PG and sometimes R rated.

It's not that big of a deal if I can't; still if you won't allow it, it would be nice to have a section where copyright owners can announce new ebooks and where to download them from.

HarryT · 09-05-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapax legomenon

1. If I am the copyright owner and would like to upload a creative commons ebook, can I do so here?

Certainly.

Quote:

2. My ebook is a collection of tasteful erotica stories. A small number are X rated, but most are PG and sometimes R rated.

Not a problem. As long as it's legal, and you make it clear what the contents are, that's fine.

Quote:

It's not that big of a deal if I can't; still if you won't allow it, it would be nice to have a section where copyright owners can announce new ebooks and where to download them from.

Please go ahead!

hapax legomenon · 09-07-2007, 10:38 PM

Great. I'll be uploading soon!

Here's another question.

I'll be hosting the ebook anthology on several sites, although this will probably be the first place I upload it to.

Is there any way to gauge the number of downloads from a particular ebook (for mobipocket vs. lrf, for example).

RWood · 09-07-2007, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapax legomenon

Is there any way to gauge the number of downloads from a particular ebook (for mobipocket vs. lrf, for example).

Yes, next to each downloadable file icon there is a counter indicating how many times that file has been downloaded. Here is an example (of Harry's Sherlock Holmes Omnibus) that shows how many times each version has been downloaded.

We always put the download in the first post of the thread to keep people from having to search the whole thread. When new versions are created they can either be added as it was in this case or the old one can be deleted and the new one added. When it is deleted most times the poster will add a note as to how many times the prior version(s) have been downloaded.

I hope this helps.

RosanaE · 01-01-2008, 09:09 PM

I noticed that most of the books uploaded have the title of the thread (book info) in bold. How is that done?

Patricia · 01-20-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RosanaE

I noticed that most of the books uploaded have the title of the thread (book info) in bold. How is that done?

It's automatic. The thread title is in bold if you haven't opened the thread. It is not when you have already looked at it

curtw · 01-26-2008, 01:36 PM

HarryT,

Would it be OK to post a file here in Adobe PDF if I specifically re-format it for the Sony Reader screen size? I would like to put the 1913 Webster's Dictionary on my Reader, and it's going to be a lot easier to build a linked index on page 1 using Acrobat than it would be in any other tool. Also with Acrobat, I can tell exactly how many pages it will be while it's still on the PC, and I can set up a link for every 10th "Reader" page.

would that be permissible?

04-11-2007, 10:17 AM	#1
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Book Uploads Posting Guidelines This post summarises the guidelines for posting to this forum section. If we all follow them, it'll make life a lot easier. If you have any comments or suggestions for changes, please feel free to make them. 1. This forum section is for book uploads only, the only exceptions being contributions to the "Sticky" topics at the start of the forum. Any message thread that is not an upload will be moved elsewhere or deleted, as the moderators deem appropriate. The moderators of this forum section are currently Alex Turcic and myself, HarryT. 2. When you upload, you must use a message subject of the form: Author_surname, Author_firstname (or initials): Book_title. Version. Posting Date Eg: Wells, H.G.: The War of the Worlds. v1. 11 Apr 2007 The reason for this is that the thread title is automatically "parsed" to generate the index of eBooks. 3. Please attach your book to the first message in the thread. If you subsequently revise it, edit the first message and re-attach the revised book there, adding a message to the end of the thread to note that you've done so, and saying what the changes are. 4. If you are considering creating a particular eBook, please check before you start whether or not that book has already been uploaded to MobileRead (this can be done by clicking the "E-Books" link on the blue bar near the top of the screen, selecting the "Browse Latest Uploads" option, then selecting the "Search E-Books" link and entering either the title or the author into the search box). If you find that the book has already been uploaded, you are very welcome to upload a new version provided that it "adds" something different to the version already present - this might be a better layout, a new format, significant proof-reading and correction, proper dashes or "curly quotes", for example. If this is the case, when you upload your new version, please add a link to the earlier version (or simply say who the uploader was), and state in the description of your book how it differs from the earlier version. 5. Please respect copyrights, and don't post (or request) anything that's not in the public domain in at least one of the major public domain book collections - eg "Project Gutenberg" (PG) or "Project Gutenberg Australia" - without the clear advance permission of the copyright holder. Any material that clearly infringes copyright will immediately be deleted. Please notify one of the moderators immediately via private message if you believe that an upload does violate copyright. 6. Uploads here should add some notable "value" to a PG (or whatever) original (for example: nice reformatting, artwork, a TOC, footnotes, etc etc). There's really no point in posting here something which which a poster can get from the original source in two minutes. 7. Helpful hints: When uploading a text, mentioning the sources and edition you have used and which edition you have uploaded is always appreciated. We also recommend that you state in the summation and in a preface within your edition any changes you have made to the text, for example: Have you proofread the text and corrected any obvious typos such as occur routinely in OCR scans? Have you changed the spelling to conform to British or U.S. norms? Have you updated archaic spellings? Have you standardized the punctuation? Have you made changes to make the text more appealing to modern audiences? Readers have preferences concerning these matters, and they appreciate editors who are forthcoming about such changes. Thanks! Last edited by WT Sharpe; 09-11-2014 at 01:50 PM. Reason: Add iTem #7.

01-01-2008, 09:09 PM	#13
RosanaE Member Posts: 23 Karma: 204 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nashville, TN USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kindle 3G	How do you bold the title? I noticed that most of the books uploaded have the title of the thread (book info) in bold. How is that done?

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05-08-2007, 07:38 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	What is in the "Public Domain? As you might expect, it's somewhat complicated. In most of the world, it's pretty straightforward - things enter the public domain (PD) a certain number of years after the death of the author. In most countries that number is 70 years, in a few (eg Australia) it's 50. That means that, for example, all works of authors who died prior to 1937 (as I write this is 2007) are currently PD in Europe; prior to 1957 in Australia, and that advances, year by year, as you would expect it to (eg next year it'll be 1938/1958). In the US, the rules are rather more complicated, largely due to the political lobbying done by companies like Disney who are desperate that M. Mouse and co should NEVER enter the public domain. Basically, in the US: - Anything published prior to 1923 is PD. - Anything published between 1923 and 1963, with a copyright notice, for which copyright was NOT specifically renewed, is PD. - Unpublished works: Author's death + 70 years. - Pretty much everything else: publication date + 95 years (and this date keeps getting extended as the "danger" approaches of anything new entering PD) The net result of this is that some stuff is in the PD in the US, but not elsewhere (early works of authors who had LONG lives - eg Agatha Christie), and a LOT of stuff is PD outside the US but not in the US (works of authors published after 1923 who died before 1937/1957). As the years go by, the balance is shifting - what is PD in the US is a static set of works, whereas elsewhere new material is entering the PD every year. That, at least, is the basics!

05-08-2007, 09:37 AM	#3
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'm glad you didn't go for the complicated explanation, Harry -- just that left me feeling even more confused than I normally do!

05-08-2007, 09:44 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's only complicated in the US; it's pretty straightforward elsewhere. In the US, stick to books published before 1923, and you're completely "safe". It gets complicated for things published after that - that's when you get into issues of copyright renewals, and all that kind of thing. Prior to 1923, though, and it's guaranteed to be in the public domain (in the US). This might help to clarify it for you: http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/tra...lic_Domain.htm

05-08-2007, 10:05 AM	#5
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Stupid Disney.

05-08-2007, 10:12 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Unfortunately, in the US, "Mickey Mouse" literally is the whole foundation of copyright law .

05-08-2007, 10:24 AM	#7
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Just goes to show what happens when things are run by a Mickey Mouse Outfit.

05-08-2007, 10:53 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	What's basically happened in the US is that, for things published from 1978 onwards, you have a "life + 70" copyright law, just like most of the rest of the world. Where it differs from other countries is that, almost entirely due to Disney's political lobbying power (which is considerable), you also have a "publication date + 95 years" protection for things published between 1923 and 1978. What this means is that nothing new will enter the public domain in the US until the year 2018, and things won't start entering the PD under the normal "life + 70" law that everyone else uses until 2048! I wouldn't even get too excited about the 2018 date. What all observers gloomily agree will happen is that, as that date approaches, Congress will simply extend the "publication + 95 years" protection to something longer. It really is a pretty shocking state of affairs. Effectively, the public domain has been "sealed off" to new work in the US for the foreseeable future. Things might start working normally again in 2048, but that's a long way off.

09-02-2007, 08:59 PM	#9
hapax legomenon Erotica Writer Posts: 102 Karma: 106 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tulsa, OK Device: ipad, Sony Reader PRS 505, Cybook 3	1. If I am the copyright owner and would like to upload a creative commons ebook, can I do so here? 2. My ebook is a collection of tasteful erotica stories. A small number are X rated, but most are PG and sometimes R rated. It's not that big of a deal if I can't; still if you won't allow it, it would be nice to have a section where copyright owners can announce new ebooks and where to download them from.

09-07-2007, 10:38 PM	#11
hapax legomenon Erotica Writer Posts: 102 Karma: 106 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tulsa, OK Device: ipad, Sony Reader PRS 505, Cybook 3	Great. I'll be uploading soon! Here's another question. I'll be hosting the ebook anthology on several sites, although this will probably be the first place I upload it to. Is there any way to gauge the number of downloads from a particular ebook (for mobipocket vs. lrf, for example).

01-26-2008, 01:36 PM	#15
curtw Outside of a dog Posts: 870 Karma: 4457646 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston, TX Device: Kindle Voyage	HarryT, Would it be OK to post a file here in Adobe PDF if I specifically re-format it for the Sony Reader screen size? I would like to put the 1913 Webster's Dictionary on my Reader, and it's going to be a lot easier to build a linked index on page 1 using Acrobat than it would be in any other tool. Also with Acrobat, I can tell exactly how many pages it will be while it's still on the PC, and I can set up a link for every 10th "Reader" page. would that be permissible?

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