General Design Links:
Digital | Elements | Font | Header/Footer | Page Numbers | Indexing | Layout | Margins | Photos | POD Options | Title | Insert Items | Packaging and Shipping coming soon

Further Digital Design
To Book Design or Disk E-Book
Go to Package Publishing Pricing

• Extras

• Audio

Will you make an electronic edition available as well as printed books? Consider your formats in each to decide if one manuscript can be used without modification or by adding functionality to the electronic edition. Sometimes dual manuscripts for dual format editions are best.

EXTRAS: 

Regardless of your final disk/internet format and file type, E-books are now being marketed as not only a stand alone body of work, but also published in conjunction with a printed and bound (paper) book as a further service to the reader/buyer. While online distribution (cloud, website, etc.) is almost everywhere, disks can be placed in envelopes or slim-line jewel cases to be delivered (or shrink wrapped) with printed books, or spindles may be attached to the end sheets to secure a CD in a hybrid book. Ideas for electronic content include:

1. More design elements like full color spread including backgrounds, watermarks, etc.

2. Direct links to additional information not included in original or electronic text layout.

3. QR Codes

4. Cross reference links

5. Interactive table of contents and/or index

6. Book can be made fully computer searchable

7. Color photos (where black and white were used in the printed book)

8. Original manuscript in digital form.  Example - prepared in MS Word, the reader can use the Edit+Find command just like a search engine. Also editing & updating can be accomplished by the reader. This makes an excellent handicapped edition that can be shipped with the printed book, or sold separately.

9. GEDCOM files (alone, or in addition to other formats such as PDF or HTML) so readers can update and add information in a variety of genealogy programs including Family Tree Maker

10. Supplementary material not included in the printed book.  Examples include: Documents (letters, vital statistics, etc.) where the book contains transcriptions, "then and now" photo sets (early photo and one today), extra photos or pictures not in printed book, family artwork or sketches, colorized b/w photos or graphics, and mementos the author couldn't fit in their target page count.

11. Audio or "sound bites": messages, family performances, original music, taped letters, etc. (embedded or separate)

12. Family screensaver(s)

13. Family desktop theme

14. Family puzzles (crossword, find-a-word, etc.)

15. Video - if planning to include a DVD (embedded or separate)

16. Fact or fiction files - your notes, unrelated information and "best guesses"

17. Etc.!...

E-books fitting the description of #2 or 3 above have also been known to be sold as a stand alone book or even as an "add on" price to the standard book retail.

Audio: 

When making personal CD's it is sometimes enticing to use commercial music. With today's technology it's really easy to pull our favorite songs off our own CD's. However, none of this music should be used if you are selling the books, or making lots of gift copies because that is Copyright theft without Copyright release. Not all is lost though, there is music of all sorts that can be found online that you can use. An online search for public domain music or royalty-free music will find several sites for free or low-fee music. One place to start is http://www.archive.org. One might choose an emerging "ebook" format and embed specific files in-context - this can be referred to as enhanced ebooks.

Services continue to develop all the time. An online service that offers both free and professional (paid) services is Booktrack and there are many more.

For more suggestions on this subject and more, order our book:
G550-$20.00 WRITING Family History Or Genealogy For Pleasure and Profit Complete Edition, by Gregath Company, Inc., 2011. ISBN: 978-0-944619-00-1, 8½x11", softbound book, 132 pages, suggestions & examples of all facets of your project for the typist and/or computer user. Note: All G prefix books 100 pages or more, this one included, that are SB can be special ordered in hard cover edition - contact for details. Also available on disk. | Click here for more information.

> Home Page > Publishing Overview > camera ready digital Prep > Electronic Publishing > On Removable Media > Extra Digital Elements
> Home Page > Book Preparation Tips > Getting Started > Publication Design > Extra Digital Elements
> Home Page > Book Preparation Tips > Publication Digital Design

Page Last Updated: January 09, 2019