Sigil eBook Editor = Well Worth a Try

After several weeks of experimenting and kicking the tires, I really must recommend the Sigil eBook editor. Check it out.

• Free and open source software under GPLv3
• Multi-platform: runs on Windows, Linux and Mac
• Full Unicode support: everything you see in Sigil is in UTF-16
• Full EPUB spec support
• WYSIWYG editing
• Multiple Views: Book View, Code View and Split View
• Metadata editor with full support for all possible metadata entries (more than 200) with full descriptions for each
• Table Of Contents editor
• Multi-level TOC support
• Book View fully supports the display of any XHTML document possible under the OPS spec
• SVG support
• Basic XPGT support
• Advanced automatic conversion of all imported documents to Unicode
• Currently imports TXT, HTML and EPUB files; more will be added with time
• Embedded HTML Tidy; all imported documents are thoroughly cleaned; changing views cleans the document so no matter how much you screw up your code, it will fix it (usually)
• An actually usable user interface
• Native C++ application

A Concise History of eBooks

This timeline from the Telegraph omits the old Voyager Toolkit (early nineties) - a Hypercard stack approach that I, at the time, thought exceptionally cool.

Amazon Updates Kindle for Mac

NetworkWorld.com: "Amazon's Mac application that allows you to read Kindle e-books on your computer, has been updated and given a fresh coat of paint. Amazon's updated reader now lets you add and edit notes and highlight passages, both of which are synced across all Kindle devices and apps using the company's Whispersync technology. This update also includes the ability to search within a book, a much-requested feature. Multi-column reading mode, which was just added to the iOS Kindle apps, makes its debut on Kindle for Mac with this release as well. ..."

New iWork 9.0.4 Exports to ePub

Softpedia: "You can now put your documents into iBooks on your iOS device, according to the changelog accompanying iWork 9.0.4, the latest version of Apple's productivity suite for Mac OS X. ... 9.0.4 includes compatibility with the standard ePub file format when exporting. Apple highlights that this is 'for use with iBooks.' Users can now create an ePub document that can be read in iBooks on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The feature comes with a note on behalf of Apple saying 'not all Pages formatting options are available in ePub.'"

Copia vs NookStudy/Blackboard in College Market?

From The Digital Reader:

I admit we don’t really know what Blackboard adds (to NookStudy), but I think it’s reasonable to assume that students will be able to share their notes, highlights, and other annotations with other students. This could be very similar to what Copia does. Of course, no one has seen either app is talking about it, so what do we know.

If I’m right, then right now Copia are in a race with B&N. They need to get their app out of beta and on to the market before B&N release Nookstudy. If they don’t, then Copia have pretty much lost the academic market. ...

B/N and Blackboard Announce Strategic Partnership

A very shrewd alliance. From CrunchGear:

Barnes & Noble continues to makes inroads into the education, um, space. It just announced that it has teamed up with Blackboard, the Web site/software suite that is used in colleges all over the U.S. (Lord knows I had to use it all the time.) The deal should ensure that college students, starting with the upcoming fall semester, have easy access to electronic textbooks.

It’ll work like this. You log into Blackboard and click over to your literature class. There you’ll find links to all (if any) electronic versions of the books you need to read for the semester, making it easy to purchase and download a semester’s worth of books in no time at all.

There’s also possibilities for NOOKstudy-Blackboard integration. View all your Blackboard assignments from within NOOKstudy, that type of thing. I mean, I guess that’s what we could be looking at.

Maybe even more important to Barnes & Noble: brand awareness. Yeah, we’ve obviously all know of Barnes & Noble, but from now on if a college student logs into his or her Blackboard account and sees notes everywhere to the effect of “Need this book? Download it right now on your Nook!” Considering how absolutely ubiquitous Blackboard is, that’s an awful lot of college students who will be within a few mouse clicks of learning more about nook, NOOKstudy, etc.

Will Tablets Be BMOC (Big Machine on Campus) This Fall? - PCWorld

From PCWorld, re: the inevitable replacement of textbooks with eTextbooks. With regard to NOOKstudy, the writer misses the point when he calls it a strategic mistake for B&N to provide that software for Windows and the Mac OS X, since this "actually gives users a reason not to buy" a Nook. Remember, B&N is not in the business of marketing devices. It is in the business of marketing content within its Nook ecosystem. Therefore, B&N has every reason to extend that ecosystem to the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, just as it already has extended a Nook app to the iPad, etc.

Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOKstudy -- Online Reading and Study Platform

Press Release:

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS | PowerRating), the world's largest bookseller, today announced that it has developed an integrated software solution for the higher education market. Called NOOKstudy, the feature rich, free software application is the ultimate study tool, enabling students to manage all their digital content -- eTextbooks, class materials, and notes -- on the computing device they rely on most, their PC or Mac. NOOKstudy, developed with input from students and leading higher education institutions, delivers a superior digital reading experience and is the first digital textbook application that enhances the academic experience through unique and customizable study features. ...

Very smart. Software-driven rather than device-driven approach. Also note that B&N, via its college textbook/wholesale division (founded by my late father-in-law, by the way), dominates the college textbook market, bringing a great deal of clout and preemptive penetration to the distribution equation.

Meanwhile, it seems - according to a recent survey - that 50% of U.S. college students plan to acquire an e-reader of some type before the start of the autumn term.

More Apple WWDC iBooks Noise - Syncing, PDFs, and Agnosticism

From MobilitySite:

Slipped into all the noise of the iPhone 4 announcement, Steve Jobs had some interesting [comments] concerning the future of iBooks. As we all assumed he would, he followed the normal Apple pattern of announcing expanded functionality for a product announced in the previous big event. In this case Apple is opening up iBooks to PDF reading, annotations and proper bookmarking, which are very important steps in the evolution of the product.

Even more interesting is that Apple is moving iBooks squarely into position to compete with the Kindle head on. For one thing, they are porting the iBooks functionality to the iPhone as well, and I assume the iPod Touch if not now then in the near future when they release iOS 4 for that device. This gives at least a hint that Apple is buying into the prevailing business models for other ebook vendors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, that ebook reader software should be agnostic, and not be tied down to a single device. Whether this means that we will see Apple providing the iBooks software for Windows Phone 7 or Android, I don’t know yet…however I am almost certain we will at least see iBooks Reader for Mac and Windows. Remember that Apple’s media empire didn’t really get going until they provided iTunes for Windows.

In addition, Apple is taking the incredibly important step of making books you buy from the iBookstore load and sync on ALL devices running iBooks. So when you close your book on your iPad, it opens to the same place on your iPhone. This mimics Kindle’s WhisperSync technology which would be essential if Apple means to seriously compete with Amazon in ebooks, especially since B&N PROMISES this ability, but their forums are filled with comments that it has yet to work. If Apple can sync iBooks between the iPad and iPhone before you can sync B&N Reader between them, or between a Nook and your iPhone for that matter, then that will give Apple a major advantage. ...

Apple Opens iBookstore to Self-Published Authors

Details from ars technica:

To take advantage of the service, you must first have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for each work you wish to make available for sale. Obtaining an ISBN isn’t as difficult a process you might think; it can take as little as two weeks. Second, you must have a copy of the work in ePUB format. There are a variety of different ways to convert text into ePUB format, many of which are free (a list can be found on the LexCycle website). You must also have a valid iTunes Store account as well as a US tax ID.

The last requirement is that you, as the author, must have access to a modern Mac. In order to participate, you must encode your eBook with Apple’s software, which needs an Intel Mac running at least OS X 10.5. The encoding process most likely adds Apple’s very own brew of DRM to the book, ensuring that your writings won't be distributed outside of the iPhone or iPad.

MacLife also has something.

DNAML Announces DNL 2, the Operating System and Device Agnostic eBook Reader

From PR Web:

DNAML Pty Ltd (‘DNAML’) today announced that it has commenced testing of its new DNL 2 eBook format, which is the next generation of its multi-media friendly DNL eBook format.

DNL 2 is designed to be operating system agnostic and work across multiple devices.

“Developing the DNL eBook format to work on multiple operating systems enables the end user to read their eBook on their Slate or iPad device, mobile phone as well as PC’s, laptops, tablet PCs and netbooks with a single purchase” said Adam Schmidt, Managing Director and Founder of DNAML.

In today’s market, device manufacturers are controlling which eBook formats can be read on their devices. This significantly limits the potential proliferation and penetration of eBooks and does not provide a great consumer experience. As a result, the eBook market is becoming oligopolistic and fragmented with multiple proprietary systems, which is not good for publishers or consumers.

DNAML supports openness and a free digital market economy. The new DNL 2 eBook format is operating system and device agnostic, so consumers will be able to freely read DNL 2 eBooks across whatever devices they choose. The DNL 2 format will be open to all distributors, publishers and authors.

DNL 2 is based on the industry standard ePub format and will enable eBooks to be resized where text will be automatically reflowed to suit the screen size of the device, the orientation of the screen, and the font size selected for viewing.

“We see DNL 2 as the security blanket for the publishing industry and consumers” said Schmidt. Consumers will have peace of mind knowing that they have a control centre which stores the purchased eBook, and makes sure it is always available to be retrieved if a device is lost, broken, or replaced.

Publishers will have the option to use the proven ‘Bullet Proof’ DNL DRM eBook security system, which is backed up with a full back office administration system. Most importantly, DNL 2 provides absolute transparency all around. The publisher can see essential data such as sales results, is able to adjust prices and territorial restrictions and much more, all in real time. ...

DNL 2 will support the following Operating Systems

iPhone OS: iPad, iPhone and iPod touch
Android: Devices running Android 1.5+, Android phones, Android tablets
Windows Phone 7: Windows Phone 7 phones
Windows: Windows 98 to Windows 7 on Desktops, Laptops and Tablets
Mac OSX: Mac OSX 10.4 and above, Desktops and Laptops
Linux: Desktops and Laptops
Symbian OS: Mobile phones running Symbian OS
Blackberry OS: Mobile phones running Blackberry OS