Courses
The eBook Ninjas program has been designed to encourage the creation of high-quality, well-formed ebook files that meet industry standards and to prepare students for the on-the-job challenges and rapid changes common in digital publishing.
Ebook Production and QA Workshop
Classes in Austin and Chicago
Have you ever seen a one-star review on Amazon that criticized the quality or readability of the Kindle file, but had nothing to do with the book’s content? This full-day workshop will ensure that your readers can judge your book on its merits, not how it looks on their e-readers.
High quality eBook files have a direct impact on reader satisfaction and on your eBook sales. Stay ahead of what you need to know, whether you use an outsource vendor or create eBook files yourselves, despite the challenges that result from constantly changing devices, formats, and retailer requirements.
Sponsored by BISG and Firebrand, this unique one-day workshop is intended for anyone independently publishing eBooks, anyone on staff in the production and design department of publishers large and small, or anyone emplyed as an eBook developer.
It will be offered in four cities this spring:
Austin, Texas | April 9, 2015
Chicago, IL | June 15, 2015
These workshops are taught by well known eBook developer and instructor, Joshua Tallent of eBook Architects, and presented by BISG and Firebrand Technologies. *Special price for IBPA’s Publishing University attendees! See details below.
Registration and Fees
BISG and IBPA Members: $249 | Non-members: $499
Special offer for Attendees of IBPA’s Publishing University! Take the class in either of the cities for only $99.
Click here for more information and to register. Email info@bisg.org with any questions.
Full Description
Every publisher struggles with ebook creation and quality testing. Whether you use an outsource vendor or create the files yourself, the constantly changing devices, formats, and retailer requirements can be confusing and frustrating. At the same time, high-quality ebook files have a direct impact on the satisfaction of readers and, thus, on the sales of your ebook. Have you ever seen a one-star review on Amazon that had nothing to do with the content of the book, only quality issues in the Kindle file? Unfortunately, that situation is all too common, even though it is completely avoidable.
In this unique, one-day workshop, you will learn everything you need to know about the creation and testing of high-quality ebook files, including:
- Practical information on the most common ebook creation tools and techniques, including free utilities, professional applications, other DIY options, and working with ebook creation vendors.
- Guidance on how to find a professional ebook developer—even on a budget!—and how to know if they are actually doing a good job.
- Practical advice on how to transition to an in-house or hybrid workflow that can give you more control over your ebook quality and design.
- An overview of the most common ebook devices and tablets, including a “digital petting zoo” where you can familiarize yourself with many of those devices during session breaks.
- Step-by-step instructions on how to test your ebook files for quality issues, with real-world examples and hands-on testing.
You will get answers to all of your questions about these complex and frustrating topics from a recognized expert in the ebook field, and you’ll walk away knowing what you can do immediately to make a positive impact on your ebook quality.
This will be an information-intensive workshop, so come prepared to take copious notes.
Joshua will explain and demonstrate all of the quality testing processes and steps in detail. If you would like to follow along and do these steps yourself for a more hands-on learning experience, bring your laptop with the following list of applications installed, as well as an ebook device or tablet of your choice.
- Adobe Digital Editions (www.adobe.com/products/digital-editions.html)
- Kindle Previewer (amazon.com/kindlepublishing)
- EPUBCheck (https://github.com/IDPF/epubcheck)
- Kindle Gen (amazon.com/kindlepublishing)
EPUBCheck and KindleGen are not installable programs, so just place the downloaded application file in a folder on your desktop.
Prerequisites:
This class requires students to have a very basic understanding of what ebooks are, how they are read, and other common consumer information about ebooks. The class does not require any special technical expertise, but some familiarity with HTML and general computer skills would prove helpful.
Register now!
