Adding iBooks Author functions in Publisher

[MikeV]

With Apple announcing the demise of iBooks Author this morning, and a very unhelpful suggestion to use Pages instead, could a future Publisher roadmap include adding key iBooks Author functions such as widgets, links and the glossary function?

I guess this could be part of an ePub capability that is proposed for Publisher?

It appears iBooks Author will not be available on the App Store from the 1st of July, but will be supported by at least by MacOS 10.15, so we have at least a year’s grace.

 

[PaoloT]

On 6/11/2020 at 10:06 AM, MikeV said:

With Apple announcing the demise of iBooks Author this morning, and a very unhelpful suggestion to use Pages instead

 

Did the recent versions of Pages miss much, compared to iBooks Authors, in developing eBooks?

Paolo

 

[v_kyr]

Quote

IBooks Author will end on July 1st. The macOS application, which can be used to easily create electronic books including interactive elements, will be deleted without replacement. Apple announced in an email that users should switch to Pages. There, two years ago, functions for creating e-books were integrated. With Pages, it is also possible to work on the iPad, use the Apple Pencil and share the work on books with other users. "Pages is a great platform for creating books."

iBooks Author will no longer be updated and removed from the Mac App Store. If you download the app in time, you can continue to use it, it should remain compatible at least with macOS 10.15 and earlier. Books published with iBooks Author will also remain available. iBooks Author projects will soon be imported into Pages for further processing - Apple promises a corresponding update here. iBooks Author was first published in 2012; In recent years, Apple has hardly maintained it. Apple lists details about the transition from iBooks Author to Pages here.

 

[MikeV]

Hi Paolo,

There are 'enhanced' book features in iBooks Author that cannot currently be created in a Pages generated ebook. Those include a fixed layout that can become a flowing read option through 'scrolling', a unique navigation system, higher levels of interactivity, and a powerful glossary function that allows for simple creation of linked pages that can then be applied anywhere through the main text, with glossary entries also being able to be linked. Probably the best way to get a handle on the difference is to look through the Apple Books store for those publications marked with a blue rectangle with 'Made for iBooks'. One I have been involved with is Treason Claus von Stauffenberg and the Plot to Kill Hitler.

[MikeV]

19 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

 

With iBooks Author you can can create books that are an order of magnitude better in look and interactivity that is possible currently in Pages. There is a suggestion that some iBooks Author 'enhanced' capability may be transferred to Pages, but speaking with an Apple Books team member yesterday they have no idea if that may happen. More may be revealed during WWDC starting on June 22.

Having created several titles in iBooks Author for sale on Apple Books, comparing the design/publishing capability of Pages and iBooks Author is a bit like comparing Apple Photo and Aperture. One is essentially a consumer program while the other is geared for professional use – Apple's spin not withstanding.

[v_kyr]

Personally I prefer iBook Author for such tasks, pretty much the same as I always prefered Aperture over Photo anyway. - However, maybe some former Apple employee, who was involved in the iBooks Author dev coding, will then do something similar like a previous Aperture coder did with RAW Power afterwards. - We will see.

[MikeV]

1 minute ago, v_kyr said:

Personally I prefer iBook Author for such tasks, pretty much the same as I always prefered Aperture over Photo anyway. - However, maybe some former Apple employee, who was involved in the iBooks Author dev coding, will then do something similar like a previous Aperture coder did with RAW Power afterwards. - We will see.

One can only hope.

Or maybe the 'enhanced' elements could be picked up by Serif.

Will really miss the iPad preview capability that was just a click, and  publishing to Apple Books was also much more streamlined that with Pages.

[v_kyr]

12 minutes ago, MikeV said:

Or maybe the 'enhanced' elements could be picked up by Serif.

Maybe, though I have my doubts here.