Pentax K10D & K100D printed books versus e-books (in Adobe acrobat PDF)

**ebooks4pentax** · 11-10-2007, 05:54 PM

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.

Hi,

I have been self-publishing two books for the Pentax DSLRS in the past six months. One for the K10D and another for the K100D,K110D & K100D-Super. Many members of this forum have indeed purchase a book from me for either the K10D or the K100D. Both books have been selling for $19.95 each with a priority mail shipping of $6.00 to the US and Canada and $11.00 throughout the world. I believe that it may be time to make the books available as E-Books, using Adobe Acrobat to make them in a downloadable format (PDF). I plan to have them available for $15.00, and obviously no shipping costs, as they would be downloadable instantly or emailed within a 24 hour period. I see this as a great advantage for anyone residing outside the USA.

Please let me know what you think?

You can see portions of the book at k10dbook home and you can also visit our Pentax blog with various Pentax related posts. Pentax dslrs

You can always emailed at info@k10dbook.com

mattdm · 11-10-2007, 07:30 PM

Well, I'm not sure it's the book for me. But, if it were, I'd much prefer the PDF version.

tdmsu · 11-10-2007, 08:50 PM

I like the idea of downloading the book instead, if only to save paper, etc.
Can you describe differences between your book and the Magic Lantern book on the K10d?

Thanks!

**ebooks4pentax** · 11-10-2007, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by tdmsu

I like the idea of downloading the book instead, if only to save paper, etc.
Can you describe differences between your book and the Magic Lantern book on the K10d?
Thanks!

The Magic Lantern is more or less like the Pentax manual except that is has some pictures and the author talks about his exploits, although that in real life, he uses a Canon.

The Pentax K10D " Everything you need to know...and then some" revisits all of the functions of the K10D (or K100D), explains in down-to-earth terms how to use them and contains lots of photos of the camera's buttons, menus, etc, so that the reader can understand the camera's abilities. There are a lot of tips & tricks and things not found in the OEM manual. It is updated to current camera firmware status. When new firmware is added, revisions are downloadable for free on the website. The book is spiral bound which makes it easy to lay down flat while holding the camera to practice the lessons learned, and the pages don't separate from the book. The book is self-published so you don't give your money to another big corporation making all the money and leaving practically nothing for the authors. Everything in the book has been tested in real life with a K10D.

You can find a review here: OK1000 Pentax Blog: The K10D Book, a good companion to the Pentax K10D
and here: Pentax Photography Blog: New K10D Book
and positive feedback on Ebay here: eBay Feedback Profile for anniesmarket

Thank you for asking,

Yvon Bourque

jena · 11-11-2007, 04:25 AM

I would prefer the book in an e-book format, but preferably in Mobipocket or a format that I can convert to this format.

JamesD · 11-11-2007, 09:59 AM

I'd rather have it in book form but I don't do Pay Pal. Do you accept money orders?

cardinal43 · 11-12-2007, 06:14 PM

I bought the K100D book about 6 weeks ago and I like the fact that I can lay it flat on my desk or on the kitchen table as I read something and then look at the same thing on my camera. It works best for me that way. Actually, it might be nice to have it both ways. I guess the downside to that would be printing off the pages, if necessary. I'm pretty happy with the book.

jgredline · 11-12-2007, 09:20 PM

I would not mind purchasing a PDF download.

jena · 11-13-2007, 12:14 AM

One thing to keep in mind if you produce your books as a PDF file. Making the page sizes B5 (or the same size roughly as the current books or the Pentax manuals) would enable the books to be read easily on portable E-Reader devices such as the Sony E-Reader or the Iliad iRex Technologies

The other issue is whether or not you will use Digital Rights Management (DRM) to secure the files. If there is no DRM then the book would be able to be converted into more suitable formats.

My own view is that PDF is an unsuitable format for e-books.

richard64 · 11-13-2007, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by k10dbook

Please let me know what you think?

One improvement you might consider is to use clear acetate on the front and back (you can get a box of them cheap from an office supplier). The front and back covers appear to be glossy inkjet photocard. The problem with that is that if you get water on it, the cover is ruined. Also, when I read a book I use post-it notes as a bookmark and while I am reading I put the post-it on the backcover. When I did that with your book I found that when I removed the post-it it left a mark on the back cover that cannot be removed (which is why I think the back cover is photo paper, proper glossy card is not affected by post-it notes). An acetate cover would prevent that from happening.

BTW there are a few typos. As I've mentioned to you before, I make my living writing technical books and I can tell you from experience that as the author it is often difficult to see mistakes because in your head you see what it *should* say. It is valuable to get one, or preferably more, people to read it through for typos. The advantage of self publishing is that you can make changes quickly, and the next customer benefits.

I hope these suggestions help you.

Richard

**ebooks4pentax** · 11-13-2007, 10:29 AM

Well, I have decided that starting around November 15th, all my books (K10D and K100D) will be available in printed form in the USA and in downloadable PDF for the USA and all over the world. That way, nobody will have to pay so much for shipping anymore. The book will be at a very reasonable price of $15.00 with no other shipping charges or other charges. It will be downloadable immediately after payment, and will contain additional information that the printed book din't because of costs of printing. Also, it will be easier to update the information on the website for free downloads as new developments, availability of new lenses, firmware upgrade, etc are introduced.

Yvon Bourque
k10dbook home

JamesD · 11-13-2007, 11:42 AM

I was disappointed with the download file for the Pentax K10D. It contained information for the K100D and not the K10D. Furthermore the first chapter, which was the free download, was little more than what is contained in either the owner's manual or the first chapter of the Magic Lantern Guide. While I understand that there would be little difference in a chapter relating to the camera buttons and their operation, it seems to me that you need to show us WHY we would want to purchase your book. Simply telling us that it is different and contains more detail is not enough, in my opinion. You need to demonstrate this by giving us a chapter to download that contains some of what you are trying to emphasize. Then I might feel more inclined to make that purchase. As it is, I found the download to be a waste of my time. I'm not trying to be offensive, so please forgive me if you feel that is the case. I'm actually trying to be helpful. If you honestly believe your book would benefit K10D owners, then it seems incumbent upon you to offer proof. And the only way you can really do that is by offering a chapter other than the first one for a download.

All the best.

Confused · 11-13-2007, 12:01 PM

Hi Yvon

I am not familiar with how PDF formatting works, but unless Adobe offers you some kind of adjustable or scaleable print-out options, I can't see many people wanting to reproduce an A4 sized booklet to carry around with them, especially if their 'el-cheapo' ink-jet doesn't have any method of duplex printing like mine !!

Best regards,
Richard

jena · 11-13-2007, 02:27 PM

Originally posted by k10dbook

Well, I have decided that starting around November 15th, all my books (K10D and K100D) will be available in printed form in the USA and in downloadable PDF for the USA and all over the world. That way, nobody will have to pay so much for shipping anymore. The book will be at a very reasonable price of $15.00 with no other shipping charges or other charges. It will be downloadable immediately after payment, and will contain additional information that the printed book din't because of costs of printing. Also, it will be easier to update the information on the website for free downloads as new developments, availability of new lenses, firmware upgrade, etc are introduced.

Yvon Bourque
k10dbook home

Yvon, will the PDF be formatted to have pages smaller than A4. I use an Iliad electronic reader which I carry everywhere with me. In using this I always have access to a wide range of information without the hassles of carrying books which add weight. However A4 does not work wonderfully well on this device.

**ebooks4pentax** · 11-13-2007, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by jena

Yvon, will the PDF be formatted to have pages smaller than A4. I use an Iliad electronic reader which I carry everywhere with me. In using this I always have access to a wide range of information without the hassles of carrying books which add weight. However A4 does not work wonderfully well on this device.

Actually, with the PDF files, you can resize your print to whatever you want and Adobe will print to fit.

Regards.

Yvon Bourque

11-10-2007, 05:54 PM	#1
ebooks4pentax Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 464	Pentax K10D & K100D printed books versus e-books (in Adobe acrobat PDF) Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. Hi, I have been self-publishing two books for the Pentax DSLRS in the past six months. One for the K10D and another for the K100D,K110D & K100D-Super. Many members of this forum have indeed purchase a book from me for either the K10D or the K100D. Both books have been selling for $19.95 each with a priority mail shipping of $6.00 to the US and Canada and $11.00 throughout the world. I believe that it may be time to make the books available as E-Books, using Adobe Acrobat to make them in a downloadable format (PDF). I plan to have them available for $15.00, and obviously no shipping costs, as they would be downloadable instantly or emailed within a 24 hour period. I see this as a great advantage for anyone residing outside the USA. Please let me know what you think? You can see portions of the book at k10dbook home and you can also visit our Pentax blog with various Pentax related posts. Pentax dslrs You can always emailed at info@k10dbook.com

11-13-2007, 10:29 AM	#11
ebooks4pentax Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 464 Original Poster	K10D & K100D books in PDF Well, I have decided that starting around November 15th, all my books (K10D and K100D) will be available in printed form in the USA and in downloadable PDF for the USA and all over the world. That way, nobody will have to pay so much for shipping anymore. The book will be at a very reasonable price of $15.00 with no other shipping charges or other charges. It will be downloadable immediately after payment, and will contain additional information that the printed book din't because of costs of printing. Also, it will be easier to update the information on the website for free downloads as new developments, availability of new lenses, firmware upgrade, etc are introduced. Yvon Bourque k10dbook home

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
For Sale - Sold: Lenses, ring light, books & misc	gsrokmix	Sold Items	16	06-01-2010 03:29 PM
For Sale - Sold: FS: K100D body and 2 books	Dr Windmill	Sold Items	4	11-09-2007 06:28 PM
K10D Books...your opinion please.	ebooks4pentax	Pentax DSLR Discussion	17	04-24-2007 04:57 PM

11-10-2007, 07:30 PM	#2
mattdm Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boston, MA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,948	Well, I'm not sure it's the book for me. But, if it were, I'd much prefer the PDF version.

11-10-2007, 08:50 PM	#3
tdmsu Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery Posts: 131	I like the idea of downloading the book instead, if only to save paper, etc. Can you describe differences between your book and the Magic Lantern book on the K10d? Thanks!

11-10-2007, 09:18 PM	#4
ebooks4pentax Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 464 Original Poster	Originally posted by tdmsu I like the idea of downloading the book instead, if only to save paper, etc. Can you describe differences between your book and the Magic Lantern book on the K10d? Thanks! The Magic Lantern is more or less like the Pentax manual except that is has some pictures and the author talks about his exploits, although that in real life, he uses a Canon. The Pentax K10D " Everything you need to know...and then some" revisits all of the functions of the K10D (or K100D), explains in down-to-earth terms how to use them and contains lots of photos of the camera's buttons, menus, etc, so that the reader can understand the camera's abilities. There are a lot of tips & tricks and things not found in the OEM manual. It is updated to current camera firmware status. When new firmware is added, revisions are downloadable for free on the website. The book is spiral bound which makes it easy to lay down flat while holding the camera to practice the lessons learned, and the pages don't separate from the book. The book is self-published so you don't give your money to another big corporation making all the money and leaving practically nothing for the authors. Everything in the book has been tested in real life with a K10D. You can find a review here: OK1000 Pentax Blog: The K10D Book, a good companion to the Pentax K10D and here: Pentax Photography Blog: New K10D Book and positive feedback on Ebay here: eBay Feedback Profile for anniesmarket Thank you for asking, Yvon Bourque

11-11-2007, 04:25 AM	#5
jena Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 48	I would prefer the book in an e-book format, but preferably in Mobipocket or a format that I can convert to this format.

11-11-2007, 09:59 AM	#6
JamesD Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 536	I'd rather have it in book form but I don't do Pay Pal. Do you accept money orders?

11-12-2007, 06:14 PM	#7
cardinal43 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,412	I bought the K100D book about 6 weeks ago and I like the fact that I can lay it flat on my desk or on the kitchen table as I read something and then look at the same thing on my camera. It works best for me that way. Actually, it might be nice to have it both ways. I guess the downside to that would be printing off the pages, if necessary. I'm pretty happy with the book.

11-12-2007, 09:20 PM	#8
jgredline Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: LosAngeles, Ca. Photos: Albums Posts: 10,628	I would not mind purchasing a PDF download.

11-13-2007, 12:14 AM	#9
jena Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 48	One thing to keep in mind if you produce your books as a PDF file. Making the page sizes B5 (or the same size roughly as the current books or the Pentax manuals) would enable the books to be read easily on portable E-Reader devices such as the Sony E-Reader or the Iliad iRex Technologies The other issue is whether or not you will use Digital Rights Management (DRM) to secure the files. If there is no DRM then the book would be able to be converted into more suitable formats. My own view is that PDF is an unsuitable format for e-books.

11-13-2007, 09:55 AM	#10
richard64 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 309	Originally posted by k10dbook Please let me know what you think? One improvement you might consider is to use clear acetate on the front and back (you can get a box of them cheap from an office supplier). The front and back covers appear to be glossy inkjet photocard. The problem with that is that if you get water on it, the cover is ruined. Also, when I read a book I use post-it notes as a bookmark and while I am reading I put the post-it on the backcover. When I did that with your book I found that when I removed the post-it it left a mark on the back cover that cannot be removed (which is why I think the back cover is photo paper, proper glossy card is not affected by post-it notes). An acetate cover would prevent that from happening. BTW there are a few typos. As I've mentioned to you before, I make my living writing technical books and I can tell you from experience that as the author it is often difficult to see mistakes because in your head you see what it should say. It is valuable to get one, or preferably more, people to read it through for typos. The advantage of self publishing is that you can make changes quickly, and the next customer benefits. I hope these suggestions help you. Richard

11-13-2007, 11:42 AM	#12
JamesD Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 536	I was disappointed with the download file for the Pentax K10D. It contained information for the K100D and not the K10D. Furthermore the first chapter, which was the free download, was little more than what is contained in either the owner's manual or the first chapter of the Magic Lantern Guide. While I understand that there would be little difference in a chapter relating to the camera buttons and their operation, it seems to me that you need to show us WHY we would want to purchase your book. Simply telling us that it is different and contains more detail is not enough, in my opinion. You need to demonstrate this by giving us a chapter to download that contains some of what you are trying to emphasize. Then I might feel more inclined to make that purchase. As it is, I found the download to be a waste of my time. I'm not trying to be offensive, so please forgive me if you feel that is the case. I'm actually trying to be helpful. If you honestly believe your book would benefit K10D owners, then it seems incumbent upon you to offer proof. And the only way you can really do that is by offering a chapter other than the first one for a download. All the best.

11-13-2007, 12:01 PM	#13
Confused Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 1,067	Hi Yvon I am not familiar with how PDF formatting works, but unless Adobe offers you some kind of adjustable or scaleable print-out options, I can't see many people wanting to reproduce an A4 sized booklet to carry around with them, especially if their 'el-cheapo' ink-jet doesn't have any method of duplex printing like mine !! Best regards, Richard

11-13-2007, 02:27 PM	#14
jena Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 48	Originally posted by k10dbook Well, I have decided that starting around November 15th, all my books (K10D and K100D) will be available in printed form in the USA and in downloadable PDF for the USA and all over the world. That way, nobody will have to pay so much for shipping anymore. The book will be at a very reasonable price of $15.00 with no other shipping charges or other charges. It will be downloadable immediately after payment, and will contain additional information that the printed book din't because of costs of printing. Also, it will be easier to update the information on the website for free downloads as new developments, availability of new lenses, firmware upgrade, etc are introduced. Yvon Bourque k10dbook home Yvon, will the PDF be formatted to have pages smaller than A4. I use an Iliad electronic reader which I carry everywhere with me. In using this I always have access to a wide range of information without the hassles of carrying books which add weight. However A4 does not work wonderfully well on this device.

11-13-2007, 06:40 PM	#15
ebooks4pentax Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 464 Original Poster	Originally posted by jena Yvon, will the PDF be formatted to have pages smaller than A4. I use an Iliad electronic reader which I carry everywhere with me. In using this I always have access to a wide range of information without the hassles of carrying books which add weight. However A4 does not work wonderfully well on this device. Actually, with the PDF files, you can resize your print to whatever you want and Adobe will print to fit. Regards. Yvon Bourque