So I downloaded iBooks Author yesterday to give it a try and I must say I am impressed. Here is a free product that makes it pretty easy to create an electronic book (not an eBook, mind) that you can read on your iPad and, I suppose, sell in the Apple Store if you so choose. I am toying with that idea for my plays, old comics, and other stuff, and took an hour or two last night to start creating a book version of Sunday Night in Cinema 3. Not long after that I had exported a test file to my iPad.
I was very pleased with the workflow and the flexibility of what is essentially InDesign or Framemaker for Dummies. Half a dozen templates are provided, each loaded with text styles and widgets and section and page designs that you can customize or leave on your own. It rather reminds me of when I first saw iMovie, getting on ten years ago. I don’t think any professional would feel concerned about competition from the resulting product, but for those of us who want a consumer-level or short run book, this is a very promising start.
Sounds good, just as long as you want to sell it in iBookstore and nowhere else.
Exactly, and that is a tradeoff I am willing to make for what is essentially a short run publishing effort. Low effort, low return. That’s why I compare it to iMovie; a consumer level product. Maybe Apple will introduce a higher-end product, like the old DVD Studio Pro, that is intended for commercial use, exports to eBook and other formats, and costs money. There is certainly room for both in the market I should think.