XMLmind Editor v 5.1.1

XMLmind is happy to announce the version 5.1.1 of XMLmind XML Editor.
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XMLmind XML Editor Personal Edition v5.1.1 can be downloaded from
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/download.shtml

Professional Edition users, please upgrade using this form:
http://www.xmlmind.com/store/download.php

(The above form is usually accessed through
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/upgrade.html.)
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XMLmind XML Editor v5.1.1 (January 10, 2012):

* Allows to convert DocBook and DITA documents to Web Help.

* Several minor, yet useful, enhancements.
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More information:
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/changes.html

D Publishing Network: D-layed for now

I was interested to read on Digireado that Dymocks is sorting out the quality assurance details before they launch D Publishing. Good - very good, because their original media release was very short on technical details. I raised my concerns with Dymocks and they have listened. They still haven't released any more details about how they would involve editors and designers in their so-called "push button" ebook production service. At the very least, Dymocks should be talking with the Institute of Professional Editors to discuss how editors can get involved - afterall, publishing is about building professional networks.

Have a look at Digireado's blog:
http://digireado.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/d-publishing-launch-delayed-until-later-this-year/

Pickings rewarding if would-be writers play it by the e-book

When browsing the plethora of media reports about the latest in ebooks, it’s not often that you come across any mention of editing – but today was a rare exception. The Australian newspaper’s IT supplement ran the above story and amongst the bigger news of Google’s ebook service and other ebook production services was a brief recognition that editing ebooks is a key to publishing success. Just after the snippet about the success of US author Joe Konrath in selling 20,300 ebooks in a month, and before the bit about how much Amazon pays in royalties was this:

“Not every budding author is going to achieve those levels, of course. There’s skill involved, not just in the writing, but also in the design, editing, proofreading and presentation required by e-publishers…”.

If that isn’t enough, further into the article, after talking about self-publishing through Smashwords, it states:

“There are no set-up fees and no cost for updating or revising your book, but you will need to do a professional job of editing, proofreading and formatting, or find someone who will do that for you.”

Someone? Hello! – how about an “editor”? Isn’t it time that media commentators recognised the players in publishing, and start to talk them up? It won’t be long before authors will become frustrated with the hype about self-service publishing and wonder why they are not selling much. The link between ebooks and editors just needs to get stronger now.

The online story is missing the paragraphs I’ve just mentioned, but you can find it at:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/opinion/monetary-rewards-if-would-be-writers-play-it-by-the-e-book/story-e6frgb0o-1226201681876

XMLmind XML Editor v 5.1

XMLmind is happy to announce the version 5.1 of XMLmind XML Editor.
_____________________________________________

XMLmind XML Editor Personal Edition v5.1 can be downloaded from
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/download.shtml

Professional Edition users, please upgrade using this form:
http://www.xmlmind.com/store/download.php

(The above form is usually accessed through
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/upgrade.html.)
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The new Compare tool will show you the differences existing
between two revisions of the same initial document.
This tool also allows to accept or reject some or all the changes.

The new Tools|Remark menu should be handy to use if you have
to review or comment documents.

The two above facilities have a lesson of their own
(including a 2:10 screencast) in our tutorial.
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More information:

* http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/changes.html

* Tutorial lesson "Reviewing changes using the Compare tool":

Text: http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_tutorial/review_changes/index.html

Screencast:
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_tutorial/review_changes/video/review_changes.html

XMLmind Editor v5

XMLmind is happy to announce the version 5.0.0 of XMLmind XML Editor.
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XMLmind XML Editor Personal Edition v5.0.0 can be downloaded from
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/download.shtml

Professional Edition users, please upgrade using this form:
http://www.xmlmind.com/store/download.php

(The above form is usually accessed through
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/upgrade.html.)
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XMLmind XML Editor v5 aims to be a good tool for authoring
highly modular documents: DITA maps, today's DocBook modular
books and tomorrow's DocBook 5.1 assemblies, Web sites comprising
a large number of XHTML pages, etc.

In order to attain this goal, we have added 3 new interactive tools
to XXE:

* the "Browse Files" tool,
* the "Search Files" tool,
* the "Document Set" tool.

These new tools are showcased in "XMLmind XML Editor v5 Primer"
(which includes a 3:30 screencast). Moreover, the "Document Set"
tool has a lesson of its own in our tutorial.

XMLmind XML Editor v5 is deemed to be as reliable and more
featureful than v4.9.x. Moreover, the 3 new interactive tools
are lightweight and absolutely not intrusive.
All in all, we recommend all XXE users to upgrade to v5.
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More information:

* http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/changes.html

* XMLmind XML Editor v5 Primer:

Text: http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_tutorial/v5_primer/index.html

Screencast:
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_tutorial/v5_primer/video/v5_primer.html

* Tutorial lesson "Working with a document set":

Text: http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_tutorial/document_set/index.html

Screencast:
http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_tutorial/document_set/video/document_set.html

D Publishing: D-tails yet to come

When I read about Dymocks’ new venture in online publishing – D Publishing – I was more than interested in how editors would play a part, and how quality assurance would be undertaken. Dymocks does, afterall, mention that authors would have access to editors and designers. Fine, but is that network of professional editors established to support such an ambitious venture? In response to the press release, I sent off an email to the nominated PR people. I was looking for specifics in the technology and supposed network of professionals, which would show whether Dymocks had thought all this through; I received a reply from Michael Allara. Below is my email and the reply.

11 September 2011
Attn: Don Grover, CEO, Dymocks

Don,

I have some questions about the D Publishing Network, and in particular the quality assurance processes involved. I am a qualified professional editor and the principal of Xmplar, an entry-level digital publishing business (http://xmplar.biz). I also run a blog on XML editing in Australia (http://xmleditoz.blogspot.com) and a resources website for editors (http://xmleditoz.net.au).

1. On the web page http://www.dymocks.com.au/publish/default.aspx it is stated that “To create a new book with D Publishing, authors will … Edit and organise their manuscript using our web-based editing tools and range of book templates”

Would you please advise what specific web-based technology and software will be used at the “back end” of D Publishing to allow authors to edit and organise their books. For example, is Google Docs or similar “software as a service” system used?

2. The D Publishing web page states “D Publishing will start giving authors access to a network of designers and editors,…”

Please advise what designers and editors are being employed in this network – what are their specific qualifications, professional memberships and experience.

3. It is stated that Dymocks will use a network of designers – but on the web page http://www.dymocks.com.au/publish/default.aspx it is mentioned that “authors will … add their own cover”. How do you justify the use of designers if it is expected that authors supply their own cover or choose one from a range of template designs? This seems incongruous.

4. It is also stated that Dymocks will use a network of editors – but on the web page http://www.dymocks.com.au/publish/default.aspx it is mentioned that “authors will … Edit and organise their manuscript using our web-based editing tools and range of book templates.” How do you justify the use of professional editors if you expect authors to self-edit using Dymocks’ web-based tools? This seems incongruous.

5. The D Publishing Network clearly emphasises that the author is in control of their book, but you attempt to add credibility to the service by mentioning that professional editors and designers are also involved – yet it’s not made clear how those professionals interact with each author. How do you justify that authors would get a “publishable” (ie readable and marketable) book using web-based tools rather than having personal contact with professionals?

Thankyou for your interest. I look forward to your reply.

Dave Gardiner
Xmplar

Michael Allara replied on 12 September:

Hello Dave,

Thanks for your email regarding D Publishing, and congratulations on the recent launch of Xmplar.

D Publishing has not yet launched to the public, and will do so in October. All further information about the platform and services that will be relevant and important for authors seeking to turn their manuscript into a professionally published book or ebook will be made available at that time.

(ends) _____________

I can’t wait to get that “further information … that will be relevant for authors”. How about what’s relevant for editors, too?

oXygen XML Editor v 13

Version 13 introduces XML Developer as a new product in the products family. This aggregates all the XML development features offering a cost effective tool for people that do not need the visual editing support. The XML Editor is the union of XML Developer and XML Author offering both XML development and XML authoring capabilities.

Version 13 is focused on user interface improvements that concern visual XML editing (Author), XML Diff, SVN support, attributes editing and the presentation of results for validation, transformation, spell checking and search.

The Data Source Explorer view features drag and drop capabilities that allow copy/move operations even between different databases.

The EPUB support was extended with visual rendering of EPUB specific files and enhanced validation. New built-in transformation scenarios allow the conversion of TEI documents to EPUB, ODF and DOCX.

DITA improvements include search references (where used) within a DITA map, map validation under multiple condition sets (ditaval files), use of subject scheme defined values and more.

The new version adds support for JSON document editing, validation and conversion. Browser specific CSS extensions are now supported in the CSS editor.