Enhanced ebooks - a good thing?

[MattC]

Hi Matt, there are lots of excellent quality programs and software that may suit your needs, which are Open Source, and free. Check out Sourceforge.net and have a look around. A lot of it is cross-platform, too. Don't know if you've ever used open source software, but would recommend dipping your toe in the water if you haven't. I haven't used MS Office or Word in years - only Open-Office, which is more intuitive and just as powerful, whilst a fraction of the size, and certainly seems less prone to viral attacks etc.

Thanks for this. I've been using some open source software already with regards the Kindle book, such as Open Office and GIMP. For the iBooks thing will be using Pages, GIMP, Word (and Open Office), probably Hype and Artrage and even GarageBand. There's a host of other program's I've probably neglected to mention too, little art manipulation software that will get the added effects required, oh and Sony Vegas for the video too. (Yeah, that's a lot of software).

 

[MattC]

I'd go with no, at least at current technology. As others have mentioned, you can make all this material available on a web site, and not have to worry about delivery or file size. Readers can get it if they want and ignore it if they don't. Including such material in your ebook has two consequences I can think of right way. (1) It's going to take up more room on the reader's device. That would annoy the heck out of me, remember, as I do, when memory was $1 a byte. (2) Amazon on one of their pricing models (I don't know about other ebook publishers yet) charge delivery costs, which translate into file size. The more you add; the less you make, whereas if available through a web site, unless you get 100,000 hits a month, you're not going to have to worry about bandwidth or delivery cost.

Thanks Nightdreamer

The size thing shouldn't be much of an issue, as this would be for iBooks, which means iPads and iPhones only. I've no intention of doing this for Amazon's Kindle (mainly because it's even more of a faff, but also because of the amount Amazon charges for the size of file). iPhones and iPads tend to be of a decent size capacity wise, and there is a maximum size for iBooks (Apple have taken into account heavy usage by iBooks readers).
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I'm leaning towards appendices now, something the reader can go into if they want to. The website is a good idea and may increase traffic, but again I'm not wanting this stuff to be publicity material, but additional content that might be of interest to those liking the book. In that respect, the reader may well keep the book on their device after reading the actual story. If they don't like the book, they will delete it, freeing up space. It won't cost the reader any more to have this additional material either - it will priced the same as the Kindle and Kobo editions.

 

[billhafan]

Thanks for this. I've been using some open source software already with regards the Kindle book, such as Open Office and GIMP. For the iBooks thing will be using Pages, GIMP, Word (and Open Office), probably Hype and Artrage and even GarageBand. There's a host of other program's I've probably neglected to mention too, little art manipulation software that will get the added effects required, oh and Sony Vegas for the video too. (Yeah, that's a lot of software).

You're welcome Would certainly recommend paint.net too - superb. I use if for artwork and even with my limited personal abilities in this field, managed to produce pretty decent results. Lots of free-plug ins, too.