So I have tested the eReader compiled ePub 3 on multiple software that read and show ePub books, it is inconstant on look and feel, what is the best device to do a test with to see how the compiled version will look? Should I buy a kindle and compile and put on the kindle to see how it looks? I would like to have a template that is common for as many digital readers as possible, physical devices over anything, but given the magnitude of readers out in the wild, i have tested different ebooks in different readers and they are pretty consistent, so not sure why this software would be different in how it compiles.
What does others here use, do you have your own template you use or do you use the default built in template, how can you compile, and it look identical no matter what software you use?
is it just best to use this software to make the book as a PDF text output then use external tools to finalize the book?
personally, i am starting to think the latter, just to compile to docx then fix everything up there then finalize that for sending to the editor then publisher, trying to figure this software’s niche
For troubleshooting ebook help tickets, I use a combination of Kindle Previewer 3, Calibre, and Sigil.
Kindle Previewer 3 does a good job of simulating how the book will appear on Amazon’s devices.
Calibre and Sigil are both open-source programs that have ebook editing capabilities. Often, using some of their built-in tools can correct minor flaws in the ebook file and allow it to successfully pass validation at the various online bookselling websites.
There is no such thing as a “universal look” with e-readers, as most of them allow the user to select font, size, justification and theme… some also allow the user to customise character, word and line spacing, margins and columns. And all of them differ.
Given that, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no point in spending time and energy on the look. I merely check for any glitches and then read through using the reader I’m most comfortable with myself; if anyone else ends up reading it, they will change the look to suit themselves.
As a Mac user, I first check with Sigil, then check with Apple Books, followed by Readest and Thorium. I have Kobo, but as the desktop app doesn’t allow you to load books directly from the disk, I’ll leave that till later as I will also with Kindle.
Thank you both Very much for the insights, it is extremely helpful. I will look up Kindle Previewer 3 and Sigil to see how they perform, the book is only 25 chapters with a prologue and epilogue so not that thick, it looks decent with ePub Reader+ I got off Microsoft Marketplace, but totally different with Adobe Digital editions.
I truly love this software for organization, it is hands down the best I have come across, thanks and kudos for making this beauty.
In addition to the above, there is also Adobe Digital Editions to consider as a proofing tool. Similarly to Kindle Previewer, it’s not a comfortable program, or one you might use to actually read with, but it is noteworthy in that many ePub-based ebook readers (like Kobo) use the ADE engine internally. So that can be a good tool in particular for cases where you are fine-tuning what might be design that has compatibility issues, like floating elements (drop caps).
Sigil and Calibre both use an open source webkit rendering engine that I bet constitutes a third major block of readers out there, particularly those that are free or cheap.
So yes, while there is no one tool, you can get pretty far with those three, and most would say, far enough.
