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Jan 27
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iBooks Author Review: Video ebooks and intriguing iPad possibilities

By Blog

Last week, i30 Media released a new In 30 Minutes title that is remarkable in several regards. Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes by author Shiao-jang Kung is the first cookbook in the In 30 Minutes series. It’s priced at just 99 cents, another first. It’s also the first title made with iBooks Author (Apple’s authoring tool for rich media ebooks) which made it possible to embed video and other app-like elements such as photo slideshows. In this blog post, I am going to give a short iBooks Author review, covering some of the pros and cons of the tool. I also urge you to download a copy of the cookbook — it’s only 99 cents, and it will let you see what the finished product looks like and how the various rich media elements work (it’s also a great cookbook!)

iPad edition of Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes


I have known about iBooks Author for a few years, but never had to use it until now. Even though there are already many In 30 Minutes guides in Apple’s iBookstore, all of them were created using other production tools — namely Scrivener, which lets me export a single manuscript in various formats to multiple devices. This means I can relatively easily create an ebook that uses Amazon’s .mobi format for the Kindle, PDF versions for on-screen reading and paperback production, and books based on the ePub format, which can be uploaded to Apple’s iBookstore via Apple’s clunky iTunes Producer software.

So why turn to iBooks Author? The answer: Video. I have been producing how-to videos since 2012 on YouTube, and have wanted to bring video to my titles, but Scrivener doesn’t allow authors or editors to place video clips inside ebooks. For that matter, most other production tools don’t either. While pundits have been talking about video and app-like functionality in ebooks for years, and various ebook technical specifications support video in theory, only Apple has actually incorporated video and other rich media functionality into its production tools. I know that video and other new features will come to the Kindle and Android e-readers in the future, but I want to start experimenting now … and iBooks Author was the only tool that allowed me to do so.

iTunes Producer vs iBooks Author

I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about trying the tool. It wasn’t just the fact that there is no ability to export to non-Apple formats. I was worried that it would be like other Apple software for ebook production, such as iTunes Producer and iTunes Connect, which are hobbled by terrible user interfaces and error-prone, labor-intensive processes.

But Apple made a better effort with iBooks Author. It’s reminiscent of iMovie, in that the interface is pretty slick and there is a lot of dragging and dropping of elements. But as a sophisticated authoring tool that deals with lots of rich media elements and settings, there were additional complexities that were more akin to Photoshop or Pages. For instance, there is an “inspector” which allows users to tweak settings for the widgets that hold photos and videos. If you’re an experienced user of “prosumer” software, it’s not hard to get the hang of iBooks Author, but newbies can expect a steep learning curve.

iBooks Author Templates

Fortunately, iBooks Author makes it relatively easy to get started with templates. In fact, Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes was based on a cookbook template that Apple supplies with the software. This made it much easier to create individual recipe pages — I basically just copied and pasted from the text document that held Kung’s original recipes, and applied some basic formatting. The way iBooks Author is set up, titles already have formatting applied and the information (and navigation links) are flowed into the table of contents and chapter previews.

The cookbook template also had preformatted pages for text sections, such as the introduction and the special page devoted to Chinese Kitchen Gear. However, I had trouble organizing frontmatter and backmatter in the way that I wanted — for instance, the page numbering in the frontmatter was messed up (some roman numerals, and others using Arabic numbers) and I was unable to create a stanadlone conclusion without its own chapter heading.

Another issue was the cover. The template comes with a cover that contains placeholder text and an image. It’s easy enough to replace them — just type over the text and drag a new image onto the cover template. But In 30 Minutes guides use a standard cover style, which are designed by a professional graphic artist, Steve Sauer. I wanted to use Sauer’s great design, but couldn’t, because the text is part of the image, and iBooks Author wants you to manually type in the cover text so the title and author information becomes part of the TOC and uploaded metadata to the iBookstore. I was forced to do a lame recreation of Steve’s design, but may replace that in the future with a photo.

Video In iBooks Author

Video was easy to set up in iBooks Author. It basically involves adding a Media Widget from the toolbar, dragging and dropping the video from your hard drive into the widget, and then adding some title and caption information. I tested the video in iBooks Author preview mode (enabled by attaching an iPad to my MacBook Pro, opening the iBooks app on the iPad, and then going to File>Preview in iBooks Author) to make sure the quality and playability was OK.

However, one thing to consider when it comes to video is the size of the clip(s). Larger clips are not only more inconvenient to manage, they also lead to huge iBooks downloads that can be problematic for readers. Because of the video files, Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes ended up being about 70 MB in size in the iBookstore, which is 10x the size of other In 30 Minutes ebook downloads, and rivals the size of animated games in the App Store.

Because of the file size problem, I ended up doing the following:

  • Created videos for just 3 or 4 recipes.
  • Limited videos to just a few minutes in length
  • Tried to use static shots (that is, limited panning, zooming, and following) which leads to smaller file sizes
  • Limited transitions and text overlays
  • Experimented with export formats in iMovie and Quicktime, before finding a format that was acceptable in terms of quality.

iBooks Author accepts various video formats, including .mov (Quicktime Movie format) and .m4v (a variant of MPEG-4 used by Apple). The clips were shot with various cameras and devices, and then edited in iMovie. What I ended up doing was creating an HD version of the clip for Web promotional purposes, and then created a smaller m4v clip for iBooks Author. There are two ways to do this:

  1. Use Quicktime to export/convert the HD version to “Web”, and then choose the iPhone broadband option. Quicktime will append “iPhone” to the name of the file and export as .m4v, which reduces the size of the clip to 10% of the original 720p HD file. If the HD file is 480p (or it’s converted to 480p via QT, and then converted again for iPhone broadband) the resulting size will be the same as if it were converted directly from 720p.
  2. From iMovie, choose “Sharing” and then the “mobile” option (which iMovie indicates will play on iPhones). It will create an .m4v file of almost the same size as the Quicktime method. This shows the size as 480 pixels wide by 272 px high, compared to 640×360 (iPod or “medium”) and 1280×720 in HD. Also, iMovie won’t create the additional assets (HTML page, screenshot, etc.) which Quicktime produces during exports.

Here’a chart which shows how the conversion process cut down the file size:

Example video: Chicken with green peppers (4 minute video, about 10 clips and titles on both ends)

  • HD 720p: 316 Megabytes
  • HD 480: 58 MB
  • iPod: 49 MB
  • iPhone (.m4v): 29 MB

The m4v files are not tiny, but at least they kept the ebook size to under 100 MB. If I had used HD video, readers would have been downloading 1 GB ebook files from the iBookstore!

Here’s what a video widget looks like in iBooks Author:

iBooks Author Review

If you are interested in seeing what the m4v videos look like in the finished product, please download the book.

Photos And More iBook Widgets

Photos in iBooks Author deserve a special mention. While other ebook authoring tools (including Scrivener, Pages, and Word) support photos, the software designers behind iBooks Author really made an effort to have photos be central to the reading experience. The templates are filled with placeholder photos, and it’s easy enough to drag a new photo over them. Or, you can use the photo slideshow widget, which lets you create a touch-activated photo slideshow. The chapter templates that include static photos and the widgets look great.

I used the widget for several recipes. For instance, for Beef With Scallions, one of our testers sent me a group of photos that she had taken with her iPhone while preparing the recipe. I selected four of the best photos to create a “timeline” of making the dish.

But be prepared for a significant extra step — getting the right photos! I had anticipated the production work associated with adding videos to the ebook, but I totally underestimated the work required to get photos in iBooks Author. Each recipe required at least one photo, and they had to be well-lit, framed, and made to look nice on the countertop or table. Further, I had to pay close attention to the timing, in order to get the right shots during prep and serving. I could have outsourced this step, but it would have added a significant cost to the book plus lots of hassles arranging for multiple shoots.

There are other widgets, too, including interactive photos, simple multiple choice tests that let people review their comprehension, and an HTML widget (which apparently allow for Web-like functionality beyond linking). They looked interesting, but I did not have enough time to test them … this time!

Publishing From iBooks Author

Once your book is finished, preview it on an iPad to make sure it looks and behaves the way you want it to. Then, click File > Publish.

No, your book won’t go straight to the iBookstore. Remember that clunky piece of software I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, iTunes Producer? You still have to go through that. Basically, iBooks Author exports a book file and metadata, which is then passed along to iTunes Producer so you can enter more data such as descriptions, categories, and prices for different markets.

The problem with iTunes Producer is processes for non-iBooks Author titles are still visible, which can be confusing (don’t try to upload a book file when prompted!) and if you make an error, you can get really hung up (as I discovered when I got a perplexing “You Have Unsaved Changes” message that took me a full day to resolve). Then there’s the review process, which typically takes a week … and if Apple finds one small problem, you have to fix it (as I did, when I was told I needed to lock the book to Landscape Mode — it’s an obscure setting in the inspector).

The Final Product

Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 MinutesAt the end of the day, I am very happy with the results of my iBooks Author experiment. Despite some hiccups and unanticipated challenges, the tool produced a wonderful-looking ebook that includes helpful features for readers. I urge you to check out Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes in the iBookstore — it’s only 99 cents, and will let you really understand the product and reader experience.

Will I do it again? That depends not only on sales, but also on the development of other authoring tools that support video. Ideally, someone will create a tool that allows video to be exported to multiple formats, not just a format that works on the iPad. But until that happens, it looks like iBooks Author is the only game in town for authors and publishers who want to experiment with video.

Jan 21
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The story behind Content Marketing: Recycling & Reuse

By Blog, News

Content Marketing - Recycling and Reuse by Derek SlaterLate last year, Online Content Marketing In 30 Minutes author Derek Slater and I discussed the idea of breaking out some of the chapters of his book, and releasing it as an inexpensive, standalone miniguide for content marketing professionals. He quickly identified the topic that was most suitable — the recycling and reuse of existing content, which had been covered in chapters 4 and 6 of Online Content Marketing In 30 Minutes. The miniguide was just published as Content Marketing: Recycling & Reuse – How your best online content can attract and engage new customers, and is available now for just 99 cents as a Kindle version, an iBooks version for the iPad and iPad mini, a Google Play version that can be read on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Nexus 7, and other Android tablets, and a PDF that can be printed out or read on practically any computer screen.

“Recycling” has negative connotations in mass media. As Derek points out in his introduction, who wants to re-read old news? But certain types of content are suited to reuse and recycling. A content marketing strategy that integrates recycled content can breathe new life into information that has resonated with readers and customers in the past. New readers — and new customers — can derive value from this content, even if it’s years old.

In addition to selecting suitable evergreen content, content marketers have to consider the format(s) that will be used to resurface the content. It’s not simply a matter of copying and pasting text or reposting an old video. Derek describes eight ways content can be repackaged, ranging from “best of” link lists to content reborn in a new format, such as a video or ebook. One of my favorite examples in the miniguide is a Harvard Business Review publication titled “HBR’s Ten Must-Reads: The Essentials“. Derek describes it as follows:

It costs $24 to download. There is no new writing or editing involved — not so much as one word of an introductory blurb. The content consists of ten articles, in their entirety, from previous editions of the magazine.

One of the articles was originally published in 1974. They are still selling it today.

May your content live so long, and prosper so well.

As in his first book, Derek makes sure that Content Marketing: Recycling & Reuse gives a strategic approach that emphasizes context as well as practical tips, including lots of examples. He even includes a bunch of killer headline templates that a good blogger can start using right away.

Here is the table of contents to the miniguide:

  • Foreward
  • Introduction: Why Recycling & Reuse Is So Important
  • Context: The Secret to Reusable Marketing Content
  • Context And Content Shelf-Life
  • Content Recycling Vs. Google Penalties
  • 8 Ways To Recycle Content
  • Bonus: 9 Killer Headlines
  • Conclusion

Content Marketing: Recycling & Reuse is aimed at anyone who is responsible for producing website content, building engagement, or using content to generate leads — that is, bloggers, journalists, editors, e-commerce managers, inbound marketers, social media managers, and SEO specialists. For just 99 cents, you’ll get some fresh ideas about how to leverage existing content to attract new readers and potential customers. Available formats include a Kindle version, the iBooks version for the iPad and iPad mini, a Google Play version that can be read on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Nexus 7, and other Android tablets, and a PDF that can be printed out or read on practically any computer screen. More information about how the guide can be found here.

Jan 01
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In 30 Minutes: Looking back at 2013, looking forward to 2014

By Blog, Industry

As the founder of i30 Media Corporation, which publishes In 30 Minutes guides, I wanted to write a quick post outlining some of our accomplishments in 2013, and look ahead to 2014.

Although In 30 Minutes guides were launched in the summer of 2012, the company wasn’t launched until the beginning of this year. I started out with a bang in the first few weeks of January 2013, incorporating the company, applying for a trademark, and setting up the other systems that would help get In 30 Minutes guides off the ground. At the time, there were only three titles (Dropbox In 30 Minutes, Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, and Excel Basics In 30 Minutes) but over the next 12 months the family of guides expanded to nearly 10 titles, including LinkedIn In 30 Minutes, Twitter In 30 Minutes, and C Diff In 30 Minutes.

Readers were impressed. You can see the reviews on Amazon and in Goodreads, but I also received emails from people who really liked the In 30 Minutes concept of easy-to-understand guides to mildly complex topics. The tone, the humor, the screenshots, the low price — all of these elements made for a great package that resonated with people all over the world. When I started getting messages from readers who had spontaneously purchased multiple titles, I knew that I was on the right track.

There were other developments. Importantly, the guides expanded from just one author (me) to a total of four. The new authors incude Melanie Pinola, Derek Slater, and Dr. J. Thomas Lamont. I would like to thank all of them for their hard work in getting their manuscripts ready for publication, and helping with various promotional efforts. They proved themselves to be true professionals, not only in their ability to work within the In 30 Minutes format, but also in the creation of high-quality content that helped readers understand mildly complex topics in a relatively short period of time. Melanie even won an award for her efforts (see LinkedIn In 30 Minutes Honored In The 2013 USA Best Book Awards).

Sales of certain titles have been steady. A few of the guides have gotten into the “Top 100” lists in various categories in Amazon, and the company has been profitable since the beginning. Authors are rewarded for their hard work with a generous royalty rate (if you’re interested in learning more, read this post for prospective authors), and the proceeds have helped i30 Media expand into new topic areas (more on that below).

I have to admit not every title has sold well. I’ve written about the struggles with Excel Basics In 30 Minutes elsewhere (see “Using metrics to turn around a failing title” in my PBS MediaShift post How to Boost E-Book Sales by Tracking Marketing Tactics). I have also taken one title out of circulation (iPod Touch In 30 Minutes) and relaunched Online Content Marketing In 30 Minutes. I won’t analyze what happened with those guides here, but I am happy to say that in the case of the latter title, author Derek Slater and I have repurposed some of the content into a new short-read format, titled Content Marketing: Recycling & Reuse – How your best online content can attract and engage new customers. These types of experiments speaks to the Lean Media philosophy I have imbued into this venture, which involves constant iteration, close communication with authors and other stakeholders, and learning from both successes and failures.

Easy Chinese Recipes cookbookWhat does 2014 hold? January will see a slew of new releases, including Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes and the short chapter about content marketing recycling mentioned earlier. Windows 8 Basics In 30 Minutes is currently being written by a new author, and may come out by the end of the month.

I will also continue the Lean Media spirit of innovation and constant experimentation in everything we do. In the publishing front, I am preparing the first In 30 Minutes title with embedded video (Easy Chinese Recipes In 30 Minutes) as well as expansion into new topic areas. I have some interesting things lined up in the sales & marketing arena, including expansion of educational licensing and an interesting partnership in the works for one title (sorry, I can’t reveal details yet!). I am also reaching out to new retail partners, who I think will appreciate In 30 Minutes concept for their customers. I have also started writing a personal-finance focused title, scheduled for release in the spring.

As always, I appreciate the feedback from readers and observers alike. Post comments below, or email ian -at- in30minutes dot com to share your thoughts.

Oct 04
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Scribd’s ebook subscription service: Why authors should be skeptical

By Blog

(Updated) Inc. magazine just published a blog post titled Why Are E-Book Subscription Start-Ups So Hot? It mentioned Scribd, the PDF-and slideshow-hosting service which has just added a $9 per month subscription service for ebooks. Writer Stephanie Meyers concentrates on the tepid response from large publishers, but I wanted to highlight another view — what independent publishers and authors think about their ebooks appearing in a subscription-based catalog. I’m the founder of In 30 Minutes guides, and have authored many titles, including the just-released Twitter user guide, Twitter In 30 Minutes. I have some opinions about this topic, as well as some questions about how Scribd’s scheme works for ordinary authors.

scribd subscription authors

First, it’s worth asking what authors will make from the service. It’s not clear. Scribd’s website urges readers to “support authors. Your proceeds go to writers” but the Scribd FAQ on the subject only says this:

Are authors being paid when I read books this way?

Yes. Scribd’s subscription service operates legally through agreements with authors and publishing partners. Revenue that Scribd earns from monthly subscription fees is paid out to the original authors of the included titles, ensuring that they can continue to write great books.

GigaOM dug a little deeper, but no hard figures emerged:

Scribd — like Oyster — is a bit vague on how authors are being paid. Payments currently “vary a bit by publisher,” Adler told me, and said Scribd “[plans] to eventually be public about the terms.” But HarperCollins CEO Murray told Publishers Lunch, “We have negotiated very hard, to the point where if the whole business went this way, we and our authors would be very pleased, because the economics are more favorable…[it’s] the exact opposite of the music industry’s subscriptions models. The revenues that go to our authors is up, somewhat significantly.”

Murray is apparently referring to Spotify and other subscription-based music services, which are famous for paying content creators next to nothing. NPR reported last year that independent artists were getting $0.004 per play on Spotify, and many large artists refuse to place their music on the service. The same article reported that large music companies give artists less than a 20% royalty.

Think about that for a moment. Spotify and the labels get most of the money from subscribers and advertisers. The artists get the scraps. I’m very suspicious that HarperCollins’ arrangement with Scribd, far from being the “opposite” of the music industry’s subscription agreements with labels, will actually be very similar: The platform and the middlemen will make most of the dough, while the content creators get pennies.

So, Scribd, how much will authors get per read under your subscription plan? If it’s pennies per read, and it’s cannibalizing book sales, why would I ever sign up for such a scheme?

Update: See my follow-up post on this topic, Authors as an afterthought in the ebook subscription marketplace

Jul 25
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Twitter In 30 Minutes: Author needed!

By Blog

Readers have been asking for an In 30 Minutes® guide to Twitter. If you are a writer, know Twitter like the back of your hand, and are interested in helping newbies get up to speed with Twitter, then let’s talk! First, I will share a few details about what this assignment entails.

In 30 Minutes guides are designed to make mildly complex topics easy to understand. Most topics relate to software (Dropbox In 30 Minutes) or other hardware and software technologies, although we recently released a health-related title that was written by a doctor (C Diff In 30 Minutes). They are not comprehensive tomes that cover every aspect or use case under the sun, but rather serve as quick-start guides that can get mainstream audiences up to speed in just 30 minutes. Readers love the “In 30 Minutes” concept, and appreciate the contents, which really make it easy to understand these subjects and take action. Many readers end up buying more than one book.

In 30 Minutes guides don’t take long to write. They range in length from 10,000 to 15,000 words — about 1/5th the length of a typical novel. You can see a sample table of contents on What’s Inside Dropbox In 30 Minutes. For authors who have full-time jobs, it typically takes 3-4 weeks to produce a first draft, writing nights and on weekends. subsequent drafts and special content (such as producing screenshots) take an additional two weeks.

The style is very casual and reassuring, with lots of bullet points and step-by-step instructions. Here is a sample page from Melanie Pinola’s LinkedIn In 30 Minutes: How to create a rock-solid LinkedIn profile and build connections that matter:

… It’s crucial to understand what separates an average LinkedIn profile from those that truly stand out. Many people make the mistake of breezing through LinkedIn’s simple wizards to create the most barebones online profile. They then walk away, only to later wonder why LinkedIn “doesn’t work” or do anything for them. Although you can add as little information to your profile as you want, the more you customize your page, the better your chances of LinkedIn actually being a useful tool (instead of something that’s there just for the heck of it, like a stack of business cards you never hand out.)

To make your profile as effective as possible, we’ll use a three-prong strategy:

  1. Align your profile with your goals (so you attract the right kinds of opportunities)

  2. Incorporate search-friendly keywords to highlight your skills and strengths (this will make it easier for people to find you on the network)

  3. Create as complete a profile as possible (so anyone who reads your profile will know what you’re all about)

In many ways, the “voice” in In 30 Minutes guides is similar to what you might find in a blog … and, in fact, if you are an experienced blogger, that will serve you well as you write and market the guide!

The guides also include screenshots and a few photos to make the topic easier to understand. I generally ask the authors to gather the screenshots. Photos, if used, are generally stock photography, and diagrams will either be created by the publishing company or our graphic designer.

You may be asking: Why not simply produce a Twitter guide and self-publish on Amazon or Smashwords? Here are some reasons why it makes sense to write an In 30 Minutes guide, as opposed to doing it by yourself:

  • i30 Media Corporation (the publisher of In 30 Minutes guides) is an independent publisher that has released nearly 10 titles in the last year, and has been profitable since the beginning.
  • In 30 Minutes is a brand. Readers recognize it, and some of them go out of their way to look for other titles. It’s also a registered trademark.
  • All In 30 Minutes guides are professionally edited and produced.
  • The finished product is released by i30 Media Corporation on various ebook platforms (Kindle, iPad, Nook) as well as in PDF format and paperback books. All paperback titles can be ordered through Amazon as well as the distribution system that serves libraries and bookstores.
  • We realize the importance of marketing. Although we can’t afford big-budget advertising campaigns, we are very savvy about inbound marketing and other creative ways of attracting readers. Authors who are willing and able to actively participate in marketing the guides double the already generous royalty rate.
  • We do not charge publishing or marketing costs against authors’ royalties.

If you’re interested in learning more, please contact me at ian -at- in30minutes dot com. I’d be glad to answer any questions about writing Twitter In 30 Minutes. If you have an idea for another topic, I’d be happy to hear your pitch, too — just send a one-paragraph introduction and a short list of some of the chapter headings.