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How to get Document Preparation for Classical Languages, Second Edition

 

 

Just to get this out of the way first:

Why do you charge for this book, even in PDF form?

Unlike other materials that are freely available on my web site, this book involved some significant expenses; for instance, to purchase the ISBN numbers cost US$250.  (ISBNs in the US are not freely available, as they are in some countries.)  I would like to recoup some of these costs, while keeping the book within reach for as many people as possible.

 

International customers should see the special note below.

 

The Options

Document Processing for Classical Languages is available in three formats.  All prices are in US dollars.  If you have not already viewed the page with general information about the various options, click here.

 

Refunds and Warranty

I do not offer refunds.  Before placing an order, please read the contents, introduction and sample chapters offered here to see whether you will like the book.  Problems with the printed versions (shipping damage, etc.) should be addressed to customer service at CreateSpace or Amazon.com (whichever you purchased the book from).

 

Information in this book is provided to help users find appropriate ways to prepare their documents. It is the responsibility of each user to evaluate any product or procedure mentioned to see whether it is suitable for his or her needs. Although great care has been taken in the preparation of this information, it is provided “as is” and without warranty of any kind. In no event shall David J. Perry be liable for difficulties with or damage to any computer system or data file caused by use of any product or procedure mentioned in this book.  Your purchase of the book indicates your acceptance of these terms.

 

 

pdficon_large.gif       Option 1: Order and download the PDF

The full PDF is just under seven megabytes.  If you have a dialup connection, look at the table of contents and the sample pages to see if the long download would be worth it for you.  Read more about the PDF below, or click to order the PDF from Lulu.com.

 

Can I print the PDF?

Yes, printing of the PDF is enabled.  See the Introduction (page xiii) for some suggestions about printing.

 

What’s the best way to read the PDF on screen?

There are several PDF viewers available in addition to the ubiquitous Adobe Reader; you may wish to try more than one.  I find that the PDF-Xchange viewer (freely available from this link) gives the crispest display on my Windows system but your mileage may vary. 

 

If you have a large monitor, you can view two pages side by side, which preserves the facing-page layout of the printed versions.  In Acrobat Reader, choose View▶Page Display▶Two-Up.  Also check the option to show the cover page, which preserves the two-page spreads as they were designed to be viewed (otherwise right-hand pages are shown on the left and vice versa).  In PDF-XChange, choose View▶Page Layout▶Facing and check “View Cover Page in Facing Mode.”  Other PDF readers have similar options.

 

Can I share the PDF?

I ask that you not do so.  There was an option to apply Digital Rights Management (DRM) to the PDF, but I chose not to.  Doing this would prevent printing and restrict the number of PDF viewers that could be used, which would make things less convenient for users.  If you have friends who would like the book, please ask them to buy their own copies.  I have kept the PDF and black and white prices low so that this will not be difficult for people.  Remember that DPCL is copyrighted material, and reusing any portion of the text without permission or posting it on line is illegal.

 

Can I load the PDF into my e-book reader?

You can load it into any reader that accepts standard PDF files (as opposed to special e-book formats such as ePub).  I have read, e.g., that Amazon’s Kindle v. 1 does not support standard PDFs but v. 2 does.  However, I don’t recommend this.  DPCL is not set up to work well as an e-book; the layout is complex, with many tables, illustrations, and marginal notes.  E-books work best with simple layouts that can reflow easily, as in a novel. 

 

Apple’s iPad supports standard PDFs.  Its larger screen and support for color make it a better option for DPCL than the smaller e-book readers.  I have tried DPCL on the iPad and it works well in single-page mode; only those with really good eyes would use facing-page mode.  If you use the iPad, you will need a PDF reader.  The GoodReader app works well, but there are others and I have not tried them all.

 

Click to order the PDF from Lulu.com.

 

Option 2a: Order a black and white version (color cover) from the CreateSpace eStore

This is a good option if you are ordering just the one book.  You will pay shipping, but I can offer those who found the book via my web site a discount of $3.00.  Enter the code JCMM6G5U when you place your order.  (You can copy and paste it rather than retyping!)  Click here to go to the CreateSpace eStore for the black and white version.  (Note: CreateSpace shipping is a bit more expensive than I wish it were.  The discount will help offset this, or order from Amazon.com if you need to get some other books and use their free shipping on orders over $25.00.)

 

Option 2b: Order a black and white version (color cover) from Amazon.com

You can also order the book from Amazon.com (the U.S. division; see below about international Amazons).  The price is the same as on CreateSpace, but you may be eligible for free shipping or other discounts if you are ordering additional books at the same time.  (I have no control over any discounts or free shipping—that is strictly Amazon’s domain.)   Amazon takes a bigger percentage of the price for itself than does CreateSpace, so I cannot offer the $3.00 discount code.  Click here to go to Amazon.com and see the listing for the black and white version.

 

Special note for Amazon customers: if you sign in with an Amazon account, you can see many more pages using Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature than are available on my website as samples.  You will note that the Table of Contents on Amazon’s site has blue highlights; these are a result of Amazon’s creating links from the TOC to the various pages in the book.  This blue shading is not present in the printed books, or in the downloadable PDF.

 

Option 3a: Order a full color version from the CreateSpace eStore

I think the full color version is much nicer; see the samples on the general information page.  It is of course more expensive to print.  Ordering from CreateSpace is a good option if you are purchasing just the one book.  You will pay shipping, but I can offer those who found the book via my web site a discount of $3.00.  Enter the code JCMM6G5U when you place your order.  (You can copy and paste it rather than retyping!)   Click to go to the CreateSpace eStore for the color version.  (Note: CreateSpace shipping is a bit more expensive than I wish it were.  The discount will help offset this, or order from Amazon.com if you need to get some other books and use their free shipping on orders over $25.00.)

 

Option 3b: Order a full color version from Amazon.com

You can also order the book from Amazon.com (the U.S. division; see below about international Amazons).  The price is the same as on CreateSpace, but you may be eligible for free shipping or other discounts if you are purchasing additional books at the same time.  (I have no control over any discounts or free shipping—that is strictly Amazon’s domain.)   Amazon takes a bigger percentage of the price for itself than does CreateSpace, so I cannot offer the $3.00 discount code.  Click here to go to Amazon.com and see the listing for the color version.  Amazon customers see the special note above under the black and white version.

 

Note for International Customers

I do not know how much either the CreateSpace e-store or Amazon.com will charge for international shipping; it might be quite a lot.  In some cases you might not be charged VAT or other taxes.  The PDF version has no shipping charges, so it may be the best option for people outside North America. 

 

If you do wish to purchase a printed copy and find the shipping prohibitive, send me an email.  I want to find out how this works (let me know where you are and what Amazon.com or CreateSpace wants to charge for shipping to your location).  I may be able to work out some other arrangements.

 

If you are in Europe, ordering from one of the European Amazons (UK, France, Germany) might be cheaper.  The distribution arrangement that I have with CreateSpace does not guarantee that DPCL will be available from the the international Amazons.  Other CreateSpace authors tell me that their books sometimes are available on those sites, but there is no guarantee that this will happen.  If it does, it will take some time (2–3 months, perhaps) after the book goes online at the American Amazon.com.  If you are in Europe and spot DPCL on one of the local Amazons, I’d appreciate it if you would drop me an email to let me know.

 

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Additional information

Which version should I buy?

Price is one factor, of course.  Many people prefer a printed book in their hands, but those whose bookshelves are overflowing or who like reading electronically may choose the PDF.  With the PDF, you can also click on the cross-references within the book or on the external URLs and jump to the location you want.

 

Why the different methods?

I really wanted to have the book in color, but of course color printing is much more expensive.  I think the arrangements I settled upon meet everybody’s needs.  Those who want to spend less can buy the PDF or the black and white version; those who don’t know my web site may find the book via Amazon and get access to the information in the book; and those who want the nicest version can get that.

 

Want both the PDF and the printed book?

Why would you want both?  One reason might be so that you can check out some of the web sites you saw while reading the printed version without typing all those long URLs.  Here’s the deal: send me an email with the code and the name of the city shown on the last page of your printed book, and I will send you the PDF version.  (It’s a seven megabyte attachment, so make sure your email an handle that.)

 

Can I order the book through my favorite bookstore?  Can my library order the book?

Yes, but perhaps not in the ways that they usually do.  Bookstores and libraries generally order from large wholesalers.  The b&w and color editions have separate ISBNs and are listed in Books In Print but may not be available through wholesalers.  (This is a very complicated thing to explain, and one that may change over time.)  If DPCL is not available through the usual wholesaler, the library or bookstore would need to order directly from CreateSpace or Amazon.com).  The ISBNs are 978-0-9826548-9-7 for the b&w edition and 978-0-9826548-8-0 for the color.

 

About Print on Demand Technology

Because a book such as Document Preparation for Classical Languages is highly specialized and will not sell large numbers of copies, it would never be produced by a traditional publishing house.  Fortunately, technology has evolved to the point that books can now be produced economically in small amounts, even one at a time, as they are ordered.  This is known as print on demand (POD) publishing.  The advantages are obvious: there is no need to pay in advance for a large print run that may not sell or to stock books in a warehouse, and updated versions can be put into circulation more easily.

 

There are a number of POD companies operating today.  The one I chose is CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon.com that produces music CDs and video DVDs on demand in addition to books.  See their home page at http://www.createspace.com.  For a very interesting video of a big POD printing machine—basically a combination of a digitial printer and a binding machine—in operation, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ0X--D7haQ (the first quarter of the video is company publicity, but then they start showing the machine at work).  If you are considering publishing via POD, be sure to check out the guide to POD publishing and the comparison of POD companies offered by Dehanna Bailee at http://dehanna.com/database.htm.

 

Books from CreateSpace are of good quality; I have been very pleased with the copies I’ve ordered for my own use.  On rare occasions one is shipped that isn’t perfect (cover misaligned, corners wrinkled, etc.).  If this happens, don’t hesitate to contact CreateSpace (or Amazon, if that’s where you bought it) customer service and ask for a replacement; they ship replacements promptly. 

 

CreateSpace does not sell downloadable PDF files, so I listed the downloadable version of DPCL on another site, Lulu.com.

 

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