The Digital Option
DEC Publishing

Frequently Asked Questions

1. 1.  How much time does it typically take to create a digital version?

2. This is a loaded question because it really depends on the length of your project, the quantity of media elements, etc...  Most projects are completed within a week, with some rush jobs even quicker.  Publishers typically speak in months... we talk days or weeks.  For many projects, we often say 72 hours.

3. 2.  What are the costs?

4. This will greatly depend upon the length and breadth of your project.  However, we often deal in revenue sharing, meaning that it may be possible to do your project for free, and we will take a small share of whatever profits you make.  We can assure you that the costs are FAR less than traditional publishing.  For many projects, we charge $2-3/book (and that is only when YOU make a profit), plus no charges for development and setup.

5. 3.  What do you need from me?

6. The easy answer is that we need 2 things... the base PDF and your media elements.
7. a)  The base PDF will be the same one you have already created.  You can create your project in any way you feel comfortable (DTP program, Word, Open Office, PP, etc...), then output to a PDF.  This is where we start from.

b)  The media elements are the sound files (mp3, mid, wav, wma), video files (mp4, wmv, mov, m4v), flash videos (swf), tests (qz2), etc...

1. 4.  What platforms can the products I create be accessed on?

2. Final product may be viewed with either a Windows or Mac computer (Local App... no internet connection required).
3. In addition, they can also be accessed on most of the newest devices, such as:  Tablet PCs, iPad, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Galaxy Tab, and smart phones.  This is the WebApp version, which requires a connection.
4. These products cannot be viewed on readers such as the Kindle.  These devices cannot handle multimedia elements such as flash, video, etc...

5. 5.  Can users share and trade books and keycodes?

6. No.  Our products have DRM (digital rights management) which prevents the sharing of books.  Keycodes are unique and locked to a particular user. 

7. 6.  Can users copy and paste my content?

8. No.  We feel this protects the content creator.  Some may find this an inconvenience, but we feel that the ability to copy large chunks of text may encourage misuse.

1. 7.  What can you tell me about the technology behind all of this?

2. We work very closely with the folks at MTC (MediaTechnicsCorp) who created the BookOn platform for publishing textbooks.  The software was initially developed in 1996-97 and has been used by millions of students around the world.  The production process has been refined over the years, so it is stable and easy for the end user to navigate.
3. There are 2 versions of this software... BOP (BookOnPublish) and BOB (BookOnBrowser).  You will get them both.
4. BOP offers a few more features and is best viewed in a Win or Mac environment (Local App).
5. BOB offers more convenience as it can be accessed from any browser-capable device (WebApp).

6. 8.  Do end users need to buy a reader, get the reading software or download device drivers?

7. No.  Everything that is needed is contained within the end product (your product).

8. 9.  Shouldn't I just make an app for the iPad?

9. The iPad is a great product and worthy of the hype.  Some 20 million units have been sold, and that is impressive. But the tablet, PC, and phone market is certainly not in the 10's of millions, but in the billions.  So why limit yourself to one device?  Besides, an iPad App means losing 30% to the App Store, with no marketing, sales, or production support.  
10. There are also the costs.  Making an iPad app is not cheap.  For every Angry Bird app out there, there are many more struggling to recoup their investments.  We want to help you to access ALL markets and devices, in the most cost effective way possible.
11. However, your product will still be playable on the iPad, and will look fantastic on that device.  You simply do not need to incur the costs, and frustrations, of making it so.

12. 10.  Why is there no "page-turning" and zoom?

13. That is a software capability and based around "flash."  In our minds, we simply do not read like this.  I do not put a book far away from me (look at a 2-page layout) and then bob my head in and out (zoom) to read a book.  It is fun to play with for 5 pages, but does not provide any real enhancement to the reading, and learning, experience.
14. We are all educators and look at books from that viewpoint.  The content is the driver of the book, not the software. We want people to interact with a book, clicking a picture which turns into a video, listening to a narrated passage, doing self-assessment quick checks on the page to ensure that the message is understood, and testing which can be tracked back to the instructor or institution.
15. We look at it as "eye-candy vs true functionality."  I would take functionality first, any day.