My first iPad Photo Book Application - is this the right way to go?

[sbay]

shotworldwide -- thanks for sharing your experiences. This is helping me to understand the pros and cons of the various approaches.

Stephen

[shotworldwide]

You are welcome, Stephen. I hope that digital books become a standard soon. The biggest advantage of my app is that you can't share it. The question is, how safe iBook2 format is going to be. But I would say, that it will be much easier and cheaper to create your book with iBook Author.

Filip

[shotworldwide]

I just came across this site: http://appafolio.com

here you can create your own portfolio for iPad/iPhone for free ...

Regards, Filip
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http://shotworldwide.com

[jonathan.lipkin]

Gary - There has been a quite a bit of discussion that I've read about the iBooks Author software you are referring to (I think). From what I gather:
1. Apple does not claim copyright of your images and or your book. They explicitly say so here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5071#3

However, the EULA for the software was sufficiently vague that many people thought they were claiming to own the copyright of the book.

2. You are only limited to selling/distributing through the iBooks store if you sell the work. If you give the book away for free, you can distribute however you want. This makes sense - Apple wants its cut of any money you make using its free software.

EDIT - looks like Apple changed their EULA from its initial form. See:

http://www.litigationandtrial.com/2012/01/articles/attorney/trademark-copyright-infringement/apple-ibooks-author/

[luxborealis]

Now that your books have been out a few months, how have sales been?

[shotworldwide]

Yes, people are buying them

[shotworldwide]

Well, I have been working hard on my new native iOS version of my Photo Books and great news is that my new app was accepted into the App Store today. It is still just a basic version - something like a container - more apps placed within this application are on their way. This is something like a basic stone I can continue to build on.

I hope you will enjoy this free download: http://shotworldwide.com

Regards, Filip

[LesPalenik]

I hope that digital books become a standard soon. The biggest advantage of my app is that you can't share it.

I wonder also what is the advantage of writing an app instead of using ePUB format and releasing it as ebook.

The digital books have been around for several years now. There are quite a few Lula members who have been publishing photography ebooks rather than creating an app.
As far as I know, the Kindle books use DRM technology to prevent copying (I don't know about iTunes / Apple format).
 

[shotworldwide]

App is interactive. It can contain a movie for example. And you can add much more functionality to app.

[LesPalenik]

Thanks.
Good point with inclusion of a movie.
 

[Justinr]

I've followed the links and am still unsure quite what it is you are trying to sell me (other than photos) nor how much it is going to cost and what to do if I have no ithingy.

I know I sound a bit anti internet generally but since I'm posting here that can't be entirely true. What I do find frustrating is the inflated expectation of the web driven by those with an interest in promoting it over other forms of media. The physical book is far from dead. 

[shotworldwide]

The best thing is that I can offer whatever I wish to sell - photo books, tutorials, movies - even prints. I managed to learn Objective-C programming language so everything is up to my decision. Some content will be available for free of course.

Physical book is much more complicated and expensive to create and distribute. But I would say that apps and physical books can survive side by side.

[LesPalenik]

95% of digital books contain only pictures and some captions with possible inclusion of some web links, so the ePub, iBook or Word document formatted for Amazon will work as well and without any programming.
 

[LocalHero1953]

Thanks, Filip, I have downloaded your (free) app - great shots! This one appears to be mainly pictures with captions; is that the same pattern in your previous (paid) apps?

I have been looking at options for online publishing, including ebooks, so I can control layout and text precisely. Although I have an iPad, I am not normally an Apple fan, and I do not like the constraints of the iBook format, which tie you, I believe to distribution only to iOS devices. I recently published a book on the Issuu platform http://issuu.com/paulashley/docs/colours_of_iceland
I like the presentation on Issuu, and the basic usage us free, but it is still relatively unknown as a platform.

I tried creating an ebook from Blurb, but Blurb's conversion tool is extremely limited and clunky: it wouldn't accept my choices of font, for example, and it was difficult to change fonts easily. I would like to create books in epub3 format, which allows good layout of images and text, but the best way to do this is with Adobe Indesign, which is expensive.

I'm still looking for the best online publishing option, and I will look at your app-creation approach.

Edit: if you follow my link to my book on Issuu, you will find it presents the book in a PC browser with neat page turning and zooming animation. These don't work in an iPad Safari browser (Issuu uses Flash) but there is an Issuu app that allows you to view Issuu books with a better user experience. I've never used Issuu from a Mac-based browser. (PS I have no connection with Issuu).