EPUB 2.0.1 and EPUB 3.0

[Hosun26059267k946]

Hi,

Which one should I choose (EPUB 2.0.1 or EPUB 3.0)?

Hosun

[James Gifford—NitroPress · Accepted solution]

Never use EPUB 2.xx. It's a legacy format for use only when an existing document library needs to be matched.

[Hosun26059267k946]

In EPUB 2.1.0, I see below.

In EPUB 3.0, the Table of Contents doesn't appear.

What's going on?

Hosun

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Is the TOC at the end of the exported document? (Probably.)

You have to anchor the TOC frame to the main text flow for it to show up in place and not be considered a  'second flow' and pushed to the end of the document. Drag the anchor point (blue square at upper right on the frame) to the end of the immediately prior paragraph that you want it to follow.

And keep in mind that ebooks typically don't need a visual/in-text TOC if the dynamic (reader) TOC is set up correctly. Use the features of EPUB etc. to create an advanced publication, not just replicate print.

[Hosun26059267k946]

Thank you very much for your reply.

The screenshot below is what I did.

Could you comment on it, if you don't mind?

Hosun

[Hosun26059267k946]

Or, deleting TOC is the best way?

Hosun

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Oh, I see, you're using a Book.

It looks as if there is no primary flow text ahead of the TOC, depending on how the Cover section is structured. You could put the TOC in that first chapter and anchor it to the last paragraph.

Or you might try putting a text frame in the TOC chapter, with one Body Text paragraph in it, and anchoring the TOC frame to it. I can't recall offhand having done a TOC  this way (completely in a Book chapter of its own), but it's where I'd start.

I am not sure I'd use a Book structure for something this short. Keeping chapters in individual INDD files is usually to permit collaboration (with the chapters from different author/sources) or to break up a very large publication. Going to a single file would bypass many steps, complications and potential problems.

[sedesign]

it's nice to say "never" use it... except that... Smashwords, which distributes to most of the other ebook platforms besides Amazon, REQUIRES epub2 for whatever inexplicable reason. 

And if one is working for authors who want broad distribution, one needs to use epub2. 

So that begs the question... how the heck do we do it, because InDesign22+ doesn't even offer it as an option.... 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I must have missed that in uploading several books in EPUB 3 there.

EPUB 2 is obsolete; if a sales portal demands only that, it too is obsolete.

I have no patience with pointless demands in the e-book world that stem from a lack of understanding or seriously outdated methods and tools. But by all means, limit yourself to awkward, outdated approaches if some minor poetry portal demands it. 🙂

[sedesign]

hehe... i don't disagree! but the client wants it... so... how do we deliver it? My intent is to give an epub3 a try, so if you've not had an issue then thanks for guinea-pigging that process. 

after looking through a few other posts, if I run into a minute of headache with this format, i'm thinking we'll just put this step off for a while, til that update you mentioned here  is released? 

Thanks! I appreciate you sharing your insights and experience to save the rest of us time and grey hair. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I'm not sure where/why you got the idea that SmashWords only accepts EPUB2, but I suspect you're confirming one of my towering peeves with the e-book community: the amount of Completely Authoritative, D*mmit, and Thoroughly Outdated information out there is... titanic. And no shortage of experts, gurus and nabobs continue to repeat this obsolete catechism, sending newcomers into unrecoverable tailspins.

It's very difficult to judge information on EPUB and Kindle and e-books and so forth you find on the web, because it's usually undated and nothing, ever, is taken down. So you will find all kinds of cross-reinforcing info about some issue that hasn't been true for years. And self-proclaimed experts will jump in to answer every faint newcomer question with a list of links that largely point to such outdated info.

But enough, before I get really steamed up. 😄