Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hank wrote: "...The problem with these advanced ebooks is that most of world lags Apple’s ability to display the latest Ebook standards, EPub-3."

[cynical] And that Apple's storefront is almost totally useless for finding books other than top sellers unless you know the author's name or book title in advance. [/cynical]

I don't have access to an iPhone or iPad here now so I can't sample it. My real problem with "enhanced" eBooks is that I can't imagine most readers really wanting to interact with a multimedia book. When I want to read, I want immersion. Having video or audio or anything that takes me out of the actual act of reading breaks immersion, forcing me to think and act as if I'm not reading.

Conceptually I like the experimentation aspect of it, but I can't see it ever really enhancing the reading experience. When I want to watch/listen to something, I don't reach for a book, I turn on youtube or Netflix. When I want to read, I don't turn on a TV.

Micah wrote: "When I want to watch/listen to something, I don't reach for a book, I turn on youtube or Netflix. When I want to read, I don't turn on a TV..."

I agree completely! Reading a good book is Immersive. [The capital 'I' is commentary.] It shouldn't be turned into a video game with a bunch of interactive links. That's an entirely different experience.

And, why must everything be an attempt at multitasking? Whatever happened to the concept of doing one thing at a time and doing it well?

Going back before the age of digital books, publishers made interactive board books for children. They were meant to be educational tools for early childhood development. However, making something similar for adults to me is just odd.

Sure, it has potential, just like those video games that were little more than interactive movies, but calling it a book is incorrect. If we get to the point where books are little more than sound and moving pictures, well... I'm not going to finish that sentence because it would be a violation of our own group rules.

I can see interactive e-books being great for nonfiction (where they are already gaining some traction). But for fiction, I agree. I don't even like audiobooks because I like reading, not listening to someone else read for me.

I hope you're all wrong. I'm using song snippets (20-30 seconds) of songs from the 50s and 60s to augment and advance my story. I think it'll work. Seriously considering adding pivotal pictures. Getting permission for the songs is daunting enough. Why not take advantage of the power of eBooks?

Wrong about what? We aren't saying that this isn't going to take off. To the contrary, Apple has a way of pushing their products out to the masses and making them glom onto ideas like no other. However, there will always be those of us who enjoy reading books, not 'enhanced content' which is not a book.

And besides, I'm already taking advantage of the power of ebooks. I own a library that weighs a few ounces. I can't simply take that for granted.

D. Reed wrote: "I hope you're all wrong. I'm using song snippets (20-30 seconds) of songs from the 50s and 60s to augment and advance my story. I think it'll work. Seriously considering adding pivotal pictures. Ge..."


Just a thought, but have you checked the laws about using songs? If you can't use lyrics without their permissions, I'd be surprised if you could used them.

G.G.D. You can't. A major issue. Working it now. Painful.

D. Reed wrote: "G.G.D. You can't. A major issue. Working it now. Painful."

:(

It sounds like the target may be the 'wattpad' reader. Will it let them add their own trailers, I wonder? I'd be interested in how it works.

M. L.
What's the 'wattpad reader'? Looked like a service similar to Kindle. Did I miss something?

Wattpad is a site where writers and reader connect. Writers post works completed or in progress. It's geared toward teens/late millenials and that sounded to me like the target for what Hank described above, the idea of embedding music. I don't know if a trailer could be embedded, but it would be a fun thing to do. While the demographic is generally younger, there are traditional authors, such as Margaret Atwood. She has a book there but you have to sign up to read it free. Sally Slater is a good example of a Wattpad success story.

If you google Wattpad, you can read more, but if you google the author name and 'wattpad' you can go to their page without signing up (but still have to sign up to read a story in depth). Hope that helps!

Thanks. I didn't get that when I googled it. I'll look into it. Could be what I need.

ML Roberts wrote: "Wattpad is a site where writers and reader connect. Writers post works completed or in progress. It's geared toward teens/late millenials and that sounded to me like the target for what Hank descri..."

Wattpad site is for books tat are posted there to be read and sampled. The ebook I'm describing is different in that it is a complete entity divorced from a website.

Ken wrote: "I can see interactive e-books being great for nonfiction (where they are already gaining some traction). But for fiction, I agree. I don't even like audiobooks because I like reading, not listening..."

I agree that audio and video tracks would be a disaster in a fiction book. It would violate one of the cardinal rules of story-tellling; don't stop the story. With non-fiction,it is quite different. The capanbility can be used to expand a topic or offer a different explanation. In my case, I'm using the new ebook capability to entertain readers and introduce them to the characters in my books.

Disaster? What if it didn't 'stop' the story, but enhanced it. Does a picture, map, diagram stop the story? One of the nice aspects of hyperlinks is the reader is free to click or not. He gets to choose if he wants to 'stop'.

"In my case, I'm using the new ebook capability to entertain readers and introduce them to the characters in my books." This can work in fiction as well as non-fiction

D. Reed wrote: "Disaster? What if it didn't 'stop' the story, but enhanced it. Does a picture, map, diagram stop the story? One of the nice aspects of hyperlinks is the reader is free to click or not. He gets to c..."

I think we're talking about two different capabilities. The ones you mention have been around for awhile and they can enhance a story. The new epub capabilities allow an author to embed audio and video tracks into the epub. These are not links: the video is inside the ebook and can activated by clicking on it. Same with the audio track. Click on the audio block and listen to the talk. Again, this tracks are not links to an external site; the are inside the ebook the same as the text is inside the ebook.

Doesn't necessarily have to be embedded. Allows greater flexibility - can change, and reduces file size. Does require eBook access to the internet (most do). Several ways to 'skin a cat'. Either way, brings a new dimension to the experience. More bang for the buck. Gives the author more creative outlet, or not.

D. Reed wrote: "Doesn't necessarily have to be embedded. Allows greater flexibility - can change, and reduces file size. Does require eBook access to the internet (most do). Several ways to 'skin a cat'. Either wa..."

No, it doesn't require internet access. You can read the epub on an IPad and open the audio and video tracks without internet access. The epub is completely self-contained.

Can be, but doesn't have to be.