Showing posts with label ebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebook. Show all posts

Wednesday 9 March 2016

Creating an e-guidebook to Cesky Krumlov.


I am currently working on my guidebook to Cesky Krumlov, ready for publication at the end of the month (I hope). The text is written and edited, so nearly everything is done. The cover has been mocked up (see above). But I have a dilemma and I would welcome your feedback.

The book is designed as an ebook. I have observed that a lot of visitors to the town come with ipads and other electronic readers and so thought that there was a need for a downloadable guidebook.

This choice of book format offers opportunities and problems.
The opportunities are that:
  • with an ebook I can incorporate active web-links in the book, allowing the reader direct access maps, bus timetables and other resources
  • I can update the book easily
  • it does not take up space in people's luggage
  • the book is easily searchable.
The problems are that:
  • ereaders reformat the page to fit the screen, so there is an issue about the look of the page and in particular the position and size of images
  • the size and quality of images have to be limited 
  • Czech characters such as in Český do not convert easily into an ebook format.
To resolve the first two problems I will create a gallery of photos that readers can access if they want to see more images of Cesky Krumlov.

The third problem is the one I would welcome your thoughts on. It is possible to code the book to feature Czech characters using HTML, but I am not sure I am capable of doing it and more importantly I am not sure that I should. My readers will be English-speakers, readers and writers, using devices with a standard English keyboard. By using Czech characters I will probably be reducing their capacity to interact with the book. So what should I do?

Thursday 31 October 2013

New Book



I am planning a new novel, set in Prague, and drawing on my experience as an ex-pat. It will be a psychological paranormal mystery, so totally appropriate for Prague, that home of the esoteric, the Golem, alchemy and Jungian theory.

I am very excited by it. Having published five ebooks now, I reckon I can do something unexpected with the medium. This blog will play an important part in that, I hope.

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