e/publishing

[Robert Brummitt]

I have been in a writing tirade this morning. I guess I have lots to say.
If you are reading this sorry.
I just asked here in DPUG about have a thread on Apps for tablets and I should have included for other tablets and smart phones. But, now I want to hear your thoughts on e/publishing?
I believe that it will be taking off soon. We're witnessing it's dawning. Right now, publishers are figuring how to deal with it. They treat it with a ten foot pole. And I have a neighbor who writes and he attended a conference for writers and one subject was how do you autograph a e/publish book? Go figure?
I think e/publish books are here to stay once the bugs are gone. Once we have a way of distributing. I think that this will lead to a whole new way for us photographers to market our photographs. Another venue to be explore. I can see someone like me publishing a collection of my work to friends and family to have. Without the expense of printing, bounding and marketing myself to publishers who don't want to do another photography book.
It almost like a garage band. Very free and very exciting!
Don't get me wrong. I still like seeing a printed book or page. I love portfolios. I have photographs on my wall. But, I have limited space and just removed twenty book to make room for new books. With e/books I can store more images and books and look at them when need be.
What do you think?

 

[pschwart]

Online (web) access *is* electronic publishing. You can already publish your work for friends, family, or the whole world viewable on a computer, a smart phone, or a tablet, or downloadable in print format. Maybe you are thinking specifically about digital rights management?

 

[donbga]

What do you think?

I love e-publishing! It is definitely the way of the future for common books not of the fine art class. I purchase Kindle books from Amazon, most of which are technical books aimed at Photoshop or LR topics. My wife on the other hand purchases e-books and Kindle books of fiction. Neither of us own a hand held Kindle, instead we use the free PC - Netbook Kindle reader app. Some Kindle titles are free like a recent purchase I made on Vuescan.

Even though Apple has +95% of the tablet market, that margin is eventually going to be trimmed markedly. Amazon is rumored to be planning a soon to be released Kindle tablet for about $250. If they do I may purchase one. I really like the iPads but I honestly think they are way over priced. I would have loved to have gotten one of the HP Touchpads for $99. So I think that's the problem right now for most if not all of these devices, they are just over priced but the price will eventually drop.

Apple's monopoly of iTunes music, video, and app sales is going to fall soon. Their insistence not to support flash and control the app market is going to be their undoing with the adoption of HTML5. Amazon is going to be the first in line to be the giant killer followed by Google and probably Samsung.

I do think having ones portfolio on an iPad or tablet is a great way to carry your work around and show it off to interested parties.

So yeah e-publishing is here to stay. Look at what Lenswork has done- very shrewd. If Steve Simmons could wake up and smell the coffee and publish an e-version of LF magazine I would re-subscribe.

Another thing to note about potential tablet usage is tethering to digital cameras wirelessly simulating a LF experience. Gotta love that!

 

[pschwart]

I do think having ones portfolio on an iPad or tablet is a great way to carry your work around and show it off to interested parties.

I have a notebook pc for this, but is there a way to do this with the dedicated Nook or Kindle devices? Are their screens high enough resolution? Do they support color management and enough shades of gray for high quality b&w viewing?

 

[donbga]

I have a notebook pc for this, but is there a way to do this with the dedicated Nook or Kindle devices? Are their screens high enough resolution? Do they support color management and enough shades of gray for high quality b&w viewing?

The current Kindles are, as far as I know only B&W, 'e-ink.' The PC-Netbook readers support color and are very nice but the document pages are still size limited. Additionally, I don't know if the Kindle document format is completely Open Source hindering published docs, though I maybe entirely wrong. Adobe InDesign would be my preferred app for publishing carry around portfolios. As for the rumored Kindle I think the screen size won't be quite as large as an Apple iPad because the first generation are reported to be retailed at or slightly under cost. Still if they do it right the product will probably sell well. As for tech specs., no one knows for certain. Perhaps we will know very soon, later this week. The OS is a home grown Android fork.

5 Things We Know About Amazon's Kindle Tablet - Personal-tech - Tablets - Informationweek

BTW, most if not all of the other 'Droid tablets are extremely over priced (IMO) when the specs are compared to the iPads. Who do they think is going to purchased these things? The tablet wars are going to see some serious casualties in 2012. And if I were to purchase an iPad it would be WiFi only. Ditto for a `Droid. Perhaps the marketing angle is to get reduced prices based on cell provider's service agreements.

HP is baffling everyone with their wishy-washy position on the TouchPad. Rumors are that they may re-enter the market now that they have chummed the market with their fire sale of the abandoned product. Rumor also has it that their initial intent after dropping the TouchPad was to sell webOS but there appears to be a very soft market for that. HP's whole adventure is one of the weirdest tech faux pas since the IBM PCjr, considering that they spent 4 billion and purchased Palm. Unfortunately the demise of this product looks like a done deal even with top levell executive changes.

Major Changes at HP’s Helm Make No Difference to HP TouchPad’s Future


Apple is still trying to stiff arm competition from Samsung in old Europe and Samsung's future plans here in the US are not clear considering Apple's Euro legal action. Google is sure to come roaring in too, even though they have some estranged business partners from last year. And what of Microsoft? Windows 8 is in beta and they, MS, have a pretty good track record with their hardware offerings. Win 8 is definitely all about mobile computing. Still the hurdle of bleak economic times will slow sales and probably stave off price reductions for the survivors.

Hell for $100 I'll buy a used iPad. Or $200? Anyone?

 

[ann]

When I was shopping for a tablet, I checked out the Kindle among several others at the time, and went with the Ipad for the graphics alone as the ebooks I am viewing are photo related with a lot photos and the Kindle lost in that department.

On the other hand Kindles beat an Ipad for daylight viewing.

I love ebooks and these days stay away from hardback books, mainly for space reason.

However, a fine art book is hard to beat in hand.

 

[Joe Lipka]

I have been e-publishiing for almost ten years. My website is not much more than a "book shelf" for acrobat folios. I can't think of creating photographic projects anymore unless it is published as a small book or folio.

 

[donbga]

I have been e-publishiing for almost ten years. My website is not much more than a "book shelf" for acrobat folios. I can't think of creating photographic projects anymore unless it is published as a small book or folio.

That is one of the things I love about your site Joe.

 

[donbga]

Perhaps we will know very soon, later this week.

Well now we know. Yesterday Amazon announced the Kindle Fire for $199! Will I purchase one? I don't know. But the device does have it's appeal. And as every tech blogger covering the release of the new KF has mentioned, this tablet will sell very very well. Why? It's the price with the right set of features. Studies are starting to reveal that the iPads are over enabled with features most people ignore.

Anyway the biggest negative for me about the KF is the 7 inch screen and the fact that like Apple they have a monopoly on the source of material and apps. And yeah, perhaps will will see an iPad light for under $200.

 

[Robert Brummitt]

Well, I read the the iPad 3 will be cheaper and have a brighter, sharper screen. I use the first ipad and it's a lot of fun. I do't have many photo apps on it right now. It has been a cool tool for show my photography reading books and so forth. I believe it will be a great way to sell, buy, look at and share photographs. I have been using it for showcasing my work to friends instead of lugging print portfolios.
But time will tell if tablets will take off. Amazon is in, Google is planning to play, HP is out and Apple is far into it.
Lots of fun watching how things develop.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have been in a writing tirade this morning. I guess I have lots to say.
If you are reading this sorry.
I just asked here in DPUG about have a thread on Apps for tablets and I should have included for other tablets and smart phones. But, now I want to hear your thoughts on e/publishing?
I believe that it will be taking off soon. We're witnessing it's dawning. Right now, publishers are figuring how to deal with it. They treat it with a ten foot pole. And I have a neighbor who writes and he attended a conference for writers and one subject was how do you autograph a e/publish book? Go figure?
I think e/publish books are here to stay once the bugs are gone. Once we have a way of distributing. I think that this will lead to a whole new way for us photographers to market our photographs. Another venue to be explore. I can see someone like me publishing a collection of my work to friends and family to have. Without the expense of printing, bounding and marketing myself to publishers who don't want to do another photography book.
It almost like a garage band. Very free and very exciting!
Don't get me wrong. I still like seeing a printed book or page. I love portfolios. I have photographs on my wall. But, I have limited space and just removed twenty book to make room for new books. With e/books I can store more images and books and look at them when need be.
What do you think?

I doubt there is any money init for the author/writer and the web is a terrible marketing tool. You only reach the folks who know you or your product already.