Which do you use?  Complete the following poll:

“The AAP announced their tabulation of sales for October from reporting publishers. In the closely watched eBook sales category–where the AAP’s monthly number is the only standing statistic we have to go on, the now 20 reporting publishers recorded sales of $72.8 million, down from $80.3 million in August. It’s the lowest monthly eBook total recorded since April, and lower as an absolute comparison since the matching results that month came from just 14 publishers.

Seasonably sizable shipments of print books and flat month-to-month eBook sales trends left digital books in fourth place, trailing hardcover and trade paperback adult sales as well as hardcover children’s books. eBooks comprised just 12.6 percent of all recorded trade sales. (As a reminder, the AAP counts religious sales as trade; we do not in calculating our percentages, in part because their “religious” category includes both print and eBook sales.)

Once again, the gain in eBook sales compared to a year ago (up $32.6 million) could not overcome the decline in print sales, with the monthly trade sales total for October of $577.6 million down almost 10 percent from $639.5 million a year ago.”

1. We will see more self-published best-sellers next year with an exponential rise in the number of million-selling authors.
2. Large publishing companies will go through major restructurings, creating new positions and redundancies of all shapes and sizes.
3. Amazon will come out with a larger tablet with an 8.9-inch screen and it will be priced at $299 or lower.
4. Apple will come out with a smaller iPad at a reduced price.
5. Sony will get a second life in the e-reader game when Pottermore launches in the Spring.
6. Literary agencies will engage in a campaign to communicate the value of their services to the book industry.
7. Authors will become disenchanted with the rights they sign away to publishers. Shorter and more flexible copyright terms will become more attractive to authors.
8. The standard e-book royalty from major publishing houses will rise next year and will escalate with increased sales.
9. Standards of what an app and what a book is will change and apps will eventually be sold in the iBookstore.
10. More publishing companies will form in-house transmedia groups.

Read the details at DigitalBookWorld.com: Ten Bold Predictions for Book Publishing in 2012

You can download your free eBooks from today, 4 July, for one month, ending 4 Aug.

Contributions from 100+ eLibraries and thousands of volunteers from around the world made possible this World eBook Fair’s monstrous number of eBooks. The collections include light and heavy reading materials, more reference books, scientific items, and more. There are about 50,000 music entries in addition to the 12,000 that debuted last year.  The Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg are also presenting a number of items in other media, including music, movies, artwork, and even dance choreography.

Here’s an estimate of the numbers of titles available from different sources:

• 2,800,000 from The Internet Archive
• 2,100,000 from World Public Library
• 1,510,000 from Wattpad
• 115,000 from Project Gutenberg
• 100,000 from International Music Score Library Project
• 10,000 from various other eBook sites

In addition to presenting twice as many eBooks, the Fair’s organizers are trying to reach ten times as much of the population by including a number of programs a person can use to read these eBooks on phones, MP3 players, PDAs, iPods, and other mobile devices. Think about it this way: There aren’t even a million Kindles or Sonys, but there are now about 4.5 billion cell phones—which means the potential of readers reading via cell phones is larger than any other media.

As the organizer’s believe that the cell phone is the wave of the future (not, they claim, the Kindle or Sony approach), the World eBook Fair is looking to reach billions in this year’s month-long giveaway. And, obviously, to reach billions of worldwide readers, the Fair is offering more eBooks in more languages, including in English, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, and Urdu.

Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg and co-founder of the World eBook Fair says “We hope you and yours will find lifetimes of reading materials to expand your horizons over the years.” He also suggests that you “Start with the Browse Collections page.”

I’m curious: How many of you took part in the World eBook Fair last year and how many of you are planning on taking part this year?  Please complete the following poll:

• A Canadian couple saved 360,000 books from being burned. Sad side effect: the sheer weight of the books is destroying their house. See full story at UPI.com.
• Reuters reports that spam has hit the Kindle, “clogging the online bookstore of the top-selling eReader with material that is far from being book worthy and threatening to undermine Amazon.com Inc.’s publishing foray.”
• According to a PR.com press release, in a recent survey of bibliotastic.com users, when asked where they will get their books from in the future, more than 50% cited free eBook sites as their main source, but only 2% admitted to pirate eBook sites. About 25% of respondents said online book retailers, while bricks-and-mortar book stores and libraries both scored under 10%.
• In “Pressing Beyond E-Books,” Inside Higher Ed author Steve Kolowich notes that university presses are not shrinking from new modes of communication, but rather are looking to harness them to reach new audiences and preserve regionally oriented publishing.
• Gov. Rick Scott is opening the door for E-Readers in all public school classrooms in Florida, writes Mercy Pilkington in Good E-Reader Blog. While most consumers see e-readers in terms convenience, such as massive storage capacity, instantly downloadable e-books, and go-anywhere portable libraries, Gov. Scott sees the devices as potentially revolutionizing public education.
• In TeleRead, Robin Birtle writes a first-hand report from Tokyo on  the Japanese eBook market in 2011. His summary: “The Japanese eBook industry is crowded and awash with activity but is making no progress.”
• Denis Papathanasiou writes in his blog about using the SVG image element in illustrated eBooks with EPUB. He shows how he marks up EPUB’s XHTML files at eBookBurn.com.
• Hongkiat.com, a design weblog dedicated to designers and bloggers, presents 20 of the best websites to download free eBooks. Worth checking out.

The question drew more than 50 responses. I’d like to present a few of those comments, edited, of course, to correct grammar, spelling, and to conform to style.

• Liam C. wrote that he was reading more, but also “skimming more”. He wrote: “Reading for five minutes here and there because I have a phone or iPad handy. Instead of carrying one or two books, I now have hundreds available, with many on the go. I am reading more, but reading differently.”  He continued: “I am reading faster, thinking less about what I am reading compared to how I used to read, constantly battling with the temptation to ‘tab out’ to email or Twitter, and thinking I might be better off with a dedicated eReader rather than an iPad with all it’s other distractions.” Lastly, he wrote that he misses “the opportunity to pass a great book onto a friend once I have finished reading it.” 
• Massimo A. wrote that ”the general reading and concentration attitude of today is going toward flicking through things and multitasking many things instead of committing to one thing. So much choice is bad in this instance….”
• Bill M. agreed with Massimo, writing “I completely agree. This, to me, is the “dark side” of eBooks, and, for that matter, all things in the realm of digitally distributed information. Much as I like having so much information readily available, with every passing year I feel like I’m sacrificing ever more depth for breadth. We may be well on our way to an epidemic of adult-onset ADD.
• Bill G. wrote that he’s fascinated that people “rea”‘ differently when they read eBooks. “I read the same way–I’m interested in the language and not the ink and paper. I read more because it’s more convenient to have a large number of books with me always.”
• Kevin M. wrote that he uses his Kindle mostly to just read. “I’ve been bringing the thing with me everywhere since I got it at Christmas. I’ve read 16 books since then, only two of which were paper. That’s quite a lot for me. I generally read about two books per week, on average, so 16 in 45 days is above average.” He also wrote that he’s ”finding it incredibly fun to sample works. With sampling now available on most books, I think I’ll be sampling much more often before I make any purchases.”
• David R. wrote that “I’m still old school. I love the printed book in my hand, but the market has changed and so must I. It’s hard for me to let go, I don’t like looking at a screen. I think I’m still a little Amish at heart. I have a passion for publishing, so I’m going to embrace the new.”
• Simone R. wrote that her “reading experience hasn’t really changed that much. I tend to just plough on through the book regardless of the format….until I have finished what I am reading.”
• Rich T. wrote: “Since I always have my iPhone at hand (well, almost always), I have my library (limited) at my fingertips. I find that I’m reading more in smaller chunks, but it reminds me of when I used to carry a paperback around at school all the time. I can read in line, while walking to the cafeteria, while sitting in my car, at the doctor’s office, etc. I really enjoy the convenience.” He concluded: “The book is a memento. eBooks are mere moments.”
• Kenneth M. wrote that “since I have begun reading eBooks, especially in a Kindle format, I’m reading much more. For me, it’s got something to do with the centralization of all my books in one spot.”
• Jack P. wrote: “I have heard from friends outside the book industry and most of them are reading more. One went back and purchased the entire backlist of a few of his favorite authors. I probably am reading about the same. As with a lot of us in publishing, I have been reading 8-10 books at one time for the past 20 years. So my reading volume has not changed….”
• Danielle S. wrote that “I’ve definitely been reading more fiction, but I’ve had the Kindle for almost a year and have yet to put a nonfiction book on it. I’ve continued to buy and read even narrative nonfiction in print because, once read, they become my reference materials. I want to easily flip through one and find the section on prehistoric human migration patterns, or King Joseph’s War, etc. The Kindle doesn’t provide the kind of natural back and forth within the text that is critical to my nonfiction reading.”
• Lorraine H. wrote: ”I’m reading more fiction, but almost all of my nonfiction is still in print, peppered with sticky notes and carefully filed by subject on my shelves for easy retrieval. Since I write nonfiction on a range of topics, my reference library is well used and up to date…. I find that fiction is great for ereading, especially fast page turners that are easy to pick up and put down, fit into a busy schedule. I find myself reading in short bursts at all times of the day now, rather than just a couple hours in the evening or on a weekend.”
• Wolf H. wrote “I actually find that I read more nonfiction (business and history) books on my iPad than fiction. Case in point, I have two fiction books currently resting on my bedside table. There’s just something about owning a tangible version of a piece of literature. Like owning a piece of art, or getting your favorite album on vinyl.”
• Anna J. wrote: ”I’m an avid reader of three novels a week (at least) as well as a novelist publishing three novels a year. After a ten-hour day on the computer I don’t want to read eBooks because I’m sick of screens. Maybe if I were in a different job….”
• Perry W. scribed that he reads more. “I buy more books that I probably wouldn’t have bought if they were paper because I don’t have to worry about recycling or other disposal.”
• Mark W. wrote that “I bought a Sony E-Reader and got 100+ classics pre-installed. I’m emigrating later in the year and this allows me to sell off a lot of my library and thus reduce transport costs. I’m reading more at the moment certainly, but it seems that paper copies are in the majority 3-1 over the e-reader.”
• Graeme H. wrote that like  many of the other members, he found himself reading more. “Owning a Kindle has meant buying books is only a click away. For some reason I still buy my favourite authors (fiction writers) in paperback, whether it is an excuse to go to a real book store and browse, it is something I enjoy doing and find relaxing.”
• Larry T. wrote: “I find my self reading more with my Kindle. I rarely go to the Amazon store and buy one book. I go there with that intent but usually buy three or four. With two jobs, trial lawyer and author, my reading time is usually limited to an hour on the elliptical and maybe a half an hour at night. Kindle was made for aerobic machines.”
• Michael J. wrote that “If possible, I’m reading more than ever. Most people still give me print books as gifts and I’m happy to read those. However, my preference is to buy an eBook if it is available.”

All in all, a very fascinating view of eBook readers.  For myself, I switch between reading a printed book and an eBook. I mostly read current books in print and use Project Gutenberg for downloading older books that I’ve always wanted to read.  I am a historian specializing in the 1865 to 1893 era, and I love that I can find books written during that era and can download them (free!) to my smartphone in the EPUB format. I do all of my eBook reading on my smartphone using eReader (PDB) or Freda (EPUB). I also read books in PDF.

I’d love to hear how reading ebooks has or has not changed your reading habits.

It’s kind of hard to believe that eBooks are 40 years old.  40!  That’s how long ago Michael S. Hart created the first “eBook”.  Now his Project Gutenberg site is one of the best in the world for locating eBooks.

Today the eBook world is growing and becoming just another way to read.  Join us during Read an E-Book Week. You’ll be happy you did!

The most significant findings from this survey include:

• A widespread inability to calculate return on investment (ROI) from eBooks − 62%, and of those able to calculate ROI, only 14% are recognizing a stronger ROI from eBooks than print.  These stats confirm that most publishers are not employing scalable digital workflows, but rather retrofitting print production process and forgoing significant cost savings.
• The main eBook production challenge facing publishers is still eReader/content compatibility issues.  Even with the near universal EPUB eBook format standard, today’s fragmented eReader market makes quality eBook production a moving target, with expert, manual manipulation required to retain consistent formatting across device-types.
• Almost a quarter of publishers producing eBooks are employing XML, indicating a positive shift to scalable, digital workflows in support of efficient eBook production across all eReaders.
• Only 7% of publishers are implementing enhancements to their eBooks, suggesting that most publishers are not aware of the EPUB standard’s inherent support for content enhancement, including audio and video.

“With a desire to meet the growing expectations of digitally-savvy readers, publishers are delving into eBook production. Yet the road to scalable, quality eBook production is neither quick nor smooth, as confirmed by our second survey,” said Dev Ganesan, Aptara’s President and CEO.

 “eBook market revenues get larger every day, but most publishers just aren’t prepared to profit from it. From accounting for software and device-specific nuances of available eBook readers, to designing and implementing custom digital workflows with support for XML-early production and multi-channel output, the need for intelligent content technology solutions has never been more critical.”

The recent dramatic success of multi-purpose mobile devices like the Apple iPad and the consistent growth of the single-function eReader device market, led by the Amazon Kindle, have resulted in more publishers producing eBooks than reported in our first survey, and significantly broader support for multiple devices. The same percentages of publishers (36%) are distributing their titles for the iPad, the iPhone and the Kindle.

Other key survey findings:

• 41% of all publishers surveyed support the EPUB format; 25% support the proprietary Kindle format.
• 61% of Trade/Consumer publishers support the EPUB standard; 18% more than any other publisher type.
• 64% of all publishers are offering titles in eBook format; up 11% from the first survey.

To download the full results and analysis of Aptara’s second eBook survey, click here.

Here’s a summary of what primary speaker Eric Freese, Solutions Architect at Aptara, said:

•  Myths
  • eBooks are simple extension of books
  • eBooks do not require planning
  • Make it look like a book is sufficient conversion instruction
• Selecting the material
  • Source material
    • Is it appropriate for eBook?
    • Who is audience?
      • What devices do they use?
      • What are their expectations?
      • Limited by functions of the devices?
    • eBook vs. app?
    • Is there additional content or material or media at your disposal?
    • Longevity? How often it will be updated?
    • Language? What does device handle if in multinational environment?
  • Evaluating enhancement options: how do you handle these?
    • Finding: TOC, index (could be color coded [if device supports in] and should link to content)
    • Navigation: TOC, index, footnotes (inline vs back of book) (enhance index entry to give more information to help decide if they want to go there), using graphics for text (that don’t readjust size) vs. text that readjusts to reader size
    • Appearance: color, flow, layout, fonts (love of the look of the page needs to be relinquished)
    • Additional content: illustrations, audio, visual, external links
    • Interactivity: testing ability within book, hooking to social media, geospatial enhancement
    • Standards: they support items but devices don’t implement the standards
• Devising eBook/app strategy
  • Ask same design and layout questions as a printed book (reflow and rotate add a whole new dimension)
  • Determine enhancements based on target audiences/devices
  • Establish test plans and parameters: test against targeted devices; consider degradation impact
  • Always plan for accessibility: while eReaders are a boon to sight-impaired, accessibility impacts everyone
  • Can only use one CSS in current ePub standard (future spec to allow more than one?)
  • Ensure workflow includes all departments involved in book process, which should include eBook ideas at same time as print book is being designed
• Conversions
  • Easiest to convert is XML
  • Application files are next easiest
  • PDF is not as easy depending upon how built
  • Going from paper is hardest
• Tools that will do “same as ePub”
  • Apple Pages
  • InDesign (CS5)
  • Word (coming?)
  • Google Docs (coming?)
• Enhancements
  • What will grayscale do to color?
  • Placement of graphics
  • Ability to zoom
  • SVG (resizes along with text)
  • Use ALT attributes on images with meaningful descriptions for accessibility
  • Audio, using MP3
  • Video, using MP4
  • Large TOCS, but can be problematic
  • Always make sure reader can get back to they started on links
  • Indexes need most information possible to help reader decide if they really want to go there, since back button is only way back
  • Some eReaders won’t start MP3
  • Audio and video dramatically increase eBook file size
  • Linked (vs. embedded) audio or visual files are iffy, since they requires internet connection
• Taking different eReader capabilities into account
  • Graceful degradation:
    • Pros
      • Single file with all info works across multiple devices
      • Reduced configuration management demands
    • Cons
      • Large files
      • Additional complexity
      • Reduced nimbleness
  • Device-specific version
    • Single file works on single device
    • Nimble
    • Reduces file bloat
    • But needs separate ISBNs for all of those versions
    • More complex configuration management
• Case study: World English Bible
  • Can download variations of full Bible & sample set at:
    • Host: ftp.aptaracorp.com
    • User: marketing
    • P/W: TBmark10
    • Path: /pub/incoming/11-02
  • See README for more details about what’s in the directory
  • Files named based on what is enabled, for example:
    WEB-bidiFN-inlinePIX-linkGEO-noHIDDEN-noAUDIO-noVIDEO.epub
  • Files on ftp for about 60 days
• HTML5
  • Not officially part of current ePub spec
  • ePub Check will flag as error
  • Next version (3) will include?
• Good practices
  • No hidden text
  • Bidirectional footnotes
  • TOC
  • Some external links
  • Images

You can find the on-demand webinar on the Digital Book World archives.

• Peter Costanzo, Director of Online Marketing, The Perseus Books Group
• Pablo Defendini, Interactive Producer, Open Road Integrated Media
• Eric Freese, Solutions Architect, Aptara

My notes from the webinar:

Enhanced eBooks University identified a catalog of 27 types of enhancements for ebooks (from “Enhanced eBooks Today and Tomorrow: A Survey for Authors and Publishers”), some of which include:

• Media: audio, video, screencasts, animations
• Enhanced content: covers, annotations, accessible, supplemental
• Social: sharing, social reading, social networks
• Device-based: geolocation, accelerometer
• Interactivity: games, analytics, transmedia

Apps are considered a form of enhanced ebook.

Enhanced ebooks are:

• Ebooks that go beyond a digital snapshot of a printed books
• Data files (based on a standard) that can be viewed and processed by a variety of platforms and devices
• Based data files (non-DRM) are interoperable between devices that support the same standard
• Dependent on access being provided by target platform

Apps are:

• Programs written to run on a specific platform, such as, the Kindle for iPad and Kindle for Android are different programs
• May be based on published materials
• Interoperability cannot be guaranteed: app written for iPhone will run on iPad, but there are iPad apps that won’t run on iPhone
• Generally easier access to functionality provided by target platform

Enhanced ebooks vs. apps: side-by-side comparison matrix:

Matrix showing various eBook device enhancement options

Enhanced ebooks are:

• Easier to develop
• Generally less expensive
• Endowed with some degree of interoperability
• Functionally dependent on platform and standards

Apps:

• Require custom development expertise
• Must have access to full functionality of platform
• Are perceived to be more feature-rich

Enhanced eBook concepts

• Based on ebook functionality, maintain all the good things about ebooks (reflow, portability, etc.)
• The EPUB standards supports enhanced ebooks now (many perceived limitations come from eReader implementations, not the standard)
• Graceful degradation (support new capabilities without abandoning the installed base; give info to reader that they are not able to do something, like not fun Flash or video or whatever; can offer several ways to show and if not)

Sample ebook enhancements (based on use of World English Bible)

• Collapsible table of contents
  • Allows easier navigation of large content
  • Can be set up in ePub file
  • Displayed controlled by device/software
• Hidden searchable text: Allows users to search terms that might not occur in the content
• Internal linking (footnotes/annotations/cross-references/indexes)
  • Bidirectional linking: when you click to go to a link, you can go back to where you were originally linked; stay away from either one character or subscripts or superscripts, which may be hard to actually touch or click
  • Inline footnotes/annotations
    • Allows extra data to be shown inline (formatting can be an issue)
    • Reduces back page confusion
    • Can results in cluttered display
  • Pop-up footnotes
    • Reduces clutter and confusion
    • Uses JavaScript in background
    • Works on eReaders built on browser interface
  • Cross-references (not discussed)
  • Indexes (not discussed)
• External linking (geolocation/directions/associated websites): Make link to map, for example, which opens a browser in separate window; iBooks prompts user before leaving, which can be annoying
• Audio
  • HREF method opens new app window
  • HTML5 Audio tag works within reader app (will play clip within reader)
• Video
  • HREF method opens new app window
  • HTML5 Video tag works within reader app (will play clip within reader)
• Interactivity
  • Ability to play Flash, for example. Like playing Tic-Tac-Toe vs. the book
  • Slide show of pictures

Enhancement considerations

• Should be dictated by the content, not vice versa
• Ebooks, enhanced ebooks and apps should receive the same level of planning as print materials
• Design for graceful degradation: allows files to work on widest range of devices possible by building in fall-back options
• Keep finished file sizes in mind
• Test on all target devices

App development considerations:

• No “apps for the sake of apps”
• Separate content from programming as much as possible to capitalize on portability
• Use open standards whenever possible

Major formats for ebooks (what will deliver best experience for user should be considered; no sweeping strategy at Perseus on a format)

• ePub
• Mobi
• PDF

Major apps for ebooks:

• Windows
• Android

ROI: these are still the early days for trying out these pubs and just seeing what can be done; just keep learning and keep progressing.

3 most important things to keep in mind for publishing projects:

• Know customers & what do they expect
• What devices, platforms they are using
• Know content and what’s available and how to enhance for the user