Index

Here’s part of a fascinating blog post from Future Ebook on the problems with digitizing a backlist.

Maybe you will think I am naive, or just hopefully optimistic, but when I took on the challenge of heading up the digital development of DBP I thought that we could have our entire monochrome backlist converted into ebooks and on sale within 6 months, and then we could start on our illustrated list. Now as we approach the end of the year (some 8 months after I began this adventure) I am about halfway through the list and this is what I learned….

The first, most important thing I learnt, was that as simple as ePublishing seems in your head it’s really quite involved and always more complex than you or anyone else in your company thinks it will be.

To start with the logistics of publishing an ebook are not filled with the most efficient processes, there are different formats, each with their own limitations and eccentricities, there are lots of retailers out there with their own requirements for metadata and even bookdata have their own specifications on filling out a bibliographic entry, it really isn’t enough to say it’s an ebook in the format field.

Then there are the internal difficulties, someone needs to gather the files (making sure for backlist titles they are the most up-to-date version), then you need to assign isbns for each type of eBook, and then you need to check that any images you bought for the jacket have been cleared for digital editions (and create a new jacket if it hasn’t) – all this before you even begin the conversion process.

More in the article.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Not to come down too hard on Vicky, but this does sound like almost everyone’s impression of doing things electronically; that it just takes a push of a button (and hire a geek if you don’t know which button is the right one) and it’s done. In fact, I sometimes have to remind myself that most people without technical backgrounds don’t realize the work that usually goes into digital production.

    Still, Vicky makes it sound like it’s an incredible bother, when really, the process can be easily broken down into (mostly) very simple steps. Then procedures can be massaged until the entire process can be handled smoothly.

  2. Dear Steven,

    Sadly I am a tech geek who started of life as a web developer so none of this is new to me, but I really felt that the way things happened in our company showed to others that you really have to plan, be organised, informed and make sure everyone is aware. If you are a one-person digital department with a list of over 300 books things can be overwhelming and I hoped that sharing my experiences would help others know they should not believe its as easy as sending the book out for conversion and then everything will be fine.

    If you plan well then you can separate the processes into simpler steps and get on top of things – then yes you can make it work for any size company.

    Thanks for the feedback.

The TeleRead community values your civil and thoughtful comments. We use a cache, so expect a delay. Problems? E-mail newteleread@gmail.com.