How long from Delivery to getting a book into the store - 5days!

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Level 4

1,880 points

How long from Delivery to getting a book into the store - 5days!

My post record on here will show I am one of a group of despondent 'authors" who have had real problems trying to meet Apples iBookstore requirements.

So why did I have so much trouble and aggravation in getting a photo book accepted into the store.

I say "did" because I have just had an email to advise a book I submitted 5 days ago is now in the store!

My experience is with photo books. I am no Stephen King and have no abitions to write a text only book.

I have had eight books getting tickets for a variety of faults such as images the wrong size, using the word iBooks (copyright!) and mentioning prices.

Actually it was a free book and I had asked anybody using any of my images to make a donation to a ceratin charity.

The others were, no content in portrait mode and and "Lack of functionality", which I found very confusing and still do.

Apple are (seemingly) unable to comprehend simple Photo / picture books.
Functionality is enhanced by inserting a galley or slide show or apparently any widget. Why that would "enhance" a photo book beats me.

I have followed many threads here about picture sizes and resolution and being a photogarphy enthusiast, considered I knew how to size and manipulate images. So having complied I still got emails telling me that my book as a ticket which advises image sizes are not acceptable.

I started a new book, first I gathered all the images into a folder, split the landscape and portrait pix into a separate folder each, then using Adobe PS I batched processed for 1024 x 768 and 768 x 1024 resolution was set at 72ppi. I will worry about Retina if I get a complaint from Apple !

I used the linked text standard Chapeter and section pages but the others were all Blank pages and any text was inserted using the text box option.

Despite my disagreement about widgets, I inserted a photo gallery of just five pics as a token offering.

having tidied up teh contents where needed, I rechecked everything again. I found and used the Proofreader to point out any errors.. a wagon load of double spaces between words and spell checks later and that appereared complete.

I then created "screen shots" these again have to meet the picture sizes required by Apple. Finally the a screenshot of the book front cover.

In case you missed it - as of August this year the photo image of your book cover page needs to be 1400 pixels across the shortest side, which seems to be the normal width. having got the copy into Adobe Fireworks I simply resized the width to 1400px and let the height sort itself out.

This is for the iBook store icons and requested by iTunes Producer during the delivery process - NOT the title page in your book.

Taking info from another post here, I made a copy of the book files from iBA and changed the suffix to .zip and opened the file. I opened the images folder, if you do any web site building, you will see that in fact iBA is akin to a website and used HTML and CSS in the build process.

Checking the images, all the sizes were well below the 2 megapixel stipulated. I did find that using the Inspector in iBA, I can check and alter images sizes.

Today, I found that having got hacked off with iBA and deleted all the ticketed books and iTunes Producer files - having found a copy I stached away on an external HDD, by using the metadata option in iTunes Producer and typing in the Apple ID number for the book.. it brings up all the entries and simply needs the new book files adding. If you moved folders or whatever, reload screenshots and Cover page images and submit.

On Delivery any found errors are notified and need correcting and replace the book file with the newly amended one.

There must be a lot I have yet to find in iBA but the above relates to my recent experience. maybe the second book corected and delivered today will be as lucky.. or as correctly formatted as the one now in the store.

I do think Apple could have saved a fortune on staff salary and support for iBA simply by making a full manual and not assuming users will be smart enough to find every little hidden gem.

BUT.. as my wife just said as she brought in my morning cuppa.... " not much point Apple doing a manual.. men don't read them".

iMac, iOS 5.1

Posted on Oct 5, 2012 6:49 PM

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Answer 1

K T

Level 7

23,877 points

Oct 5, 2012 7:35 PM in response to vinnyvg

"...not much point Apple doing a manual.. men don't read them".

Of course not....tell her - they write them.

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Answer 2

Nov 14, 2012 10:01 AM in response to vinnyvg

Vinnyvg

Well done. I have read a number of your responses to various issues. You are at least attempting to put together a comprehensible set of memos that will plug the "Missing Manual" that is NOT supplied with iBA. I am conviced Apple have hired some Microsoft rejects to put this iBA package together.

I am almost mirroring your experience in attempting to make available a photobook on istore.

So,

I have exported my images from Lightroom 4 into jpegs and resized to 2048x1536 at 240px per inch. (This results in a file with dimensions 2048x1365 which i don't understand?)

In iBA I insert a new Blank default page which has a dotted line all around the inside of the blank page. I presume this is some form of mask?

I drag and drop the jpeg image onto the masked area and it opens. The metric box shows as follows

Size 536ptx357pt

Constrain proportions is ticked.

I want this photo to open in ipad2 retina as full screen.

This is where i get confused.....

If I move the image up to the left top edge of the mask and drag it out so that it fills the other edge of the mask i am seeing the following metric

945ptx630pt but there is a gap at the bottom edge with the bottom mask?

Alternatively I click "Original size" (with constrain proportions still clicked) and the photo enlarges way beyond the mask outline. I am now seeing the following metric

2048ptx1365pt which seems to agree with your suggestions but the image in the small page overview on the LHS is severely cropped.

Which method should I be using or am I completely wrong and need to use another approach?

Again, thank you for your efforts to assist and resolve image problems here.

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Answer 3

vinnyvg Author

Level 4

1,880 points

Nov 14, 2012 4:32 PM in response to christian heretic

OK, well.. as usual I am no iBA guru, I can only relate to how I do things in iBA that work for me,this is what I do and how I do it.

Either create a template design of your own, ( which later you will learn is easy to strip out a supplied temp and change around) or use one of the Apple designs. Jumsoft do a pack of 20 templates at about $1 each I think.. well worth the money and a really fast and efficient support system. I customise these very easily.( Book Pallet in the app store)

Assuming you want different sized "photo's" on a single page, you can format as you want, but, if you have a blank page - delete the linked text or it can cause problems later. Drop a background image and arrange to the back. select a shape ( rectangle) - if you want a frame add one. pull it to the size you want.

Before all this you need to have prepared your pictures. I use Adobe Fireworks. The image size I use is 2048 x 1496 ( you can remove the tool bar and use 2048 x 1536) in FW I set the resoultion first and set these sizes after. if you reverse that, and do resolotion first it will multiply the image size. To date I have used 150 ppi resolution.

Apples iPad Retina screen on the store iPad page states the display is 2048 x 1536 at 264 ppi

Forget the other iPad displays because your book can be downloaded by users of each verion iPad.

Select your image and DRAG it over the framed shape you made... a blue line will show all around the inside, drop your image, it auto created a mask so you can juggle the picture around inside the mask and after that adjust the display your prefer and size the pictures as you want on the page. If you dropped image does not react as above.. delete it and repeat making sure it drops into the shape and not over it. If it appear inside the frame its OK. The image size on screen will show in the Inspector, but if you preformat ALL your images as you want in landscape or portrait 1536 x 2048... the image dimention are accepted by the review team. The 2 million pixels limit is misleading and basically seeems to date back to ePubs being made in Pages.

Thats it.. repeat as you want things to appear on your page.

The logic I apply to the page is simple - I simply place image where I want at the size I want - because thats what the reader/viewer will see on his/her iPad. If you size your masked image at 200 x 250 on the page, remember the images INSIDE the mask is still 2048 x 1496 - or whatever size you used. When expanded by the user oniPad, that image is clear, sharo and un-pixelated.

I want this photo to open in ipad2 retina as full screen.

Why ? Another thing I consider is.. ( as some on here will attest) what suits me/ how I see things or my thinking process.. is not always OK with others. I create teh page layout to suit the images and my opinion.

There is an option I think that you can use.. but I never have and forget where I saw it! Maybe a real guru can deal with that for you.

I have exported my images from Lightroom 4 into jpegs and resized to 2048x1536 at 240px per inch. (This results in a file with dimensions 2048x1365 which i don't understand?)

These quirks happen when adjusting the resolution and can depend ( ??? WHY) on application used to re-size your image and how you resize.. which is why I said ...set the resolution fiorst .. then type in the image sizes - check they stay as your set them before saving.

If I move the image up to the left top edge of the mask and drag it out so that it fills the other edge of the mask i am seeing the following metric

945ptx630pt but there is a gap at the bottom edge with the bottom mask?

Look at what I said about moving your image INSIDE the mask, you dropped it in off centre of the mask. Click the edit mask buttion and make sure the IMAGE - not the frame now has drag handles.. pull the image to fit the frame - when done.. size the frame to suit your display.

Hope that helps...pity there is no way to send private msg or emails then ist easier to explain more. I suggest you save your book and start a playbook! set up different pages and images etc,. I did this with t the templates and its easy to use a basic template and clerar out all the images backgrounds etc and use your own. Remember.. Apple created this lot for the written word - photo books is a bit of a grudging consession IMHO as seen in the new templates.. the "PhotoBook" is a joke!

Even Jumsoft only have 3 or 4 templates with a photo book in mind.

And finally...delete the linked text box on photo pages.. I forgot once and got a ticket cos the Ipsum Lorun junk was under the images!

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