I am trying to generate some ebooks for my Pocket PC.  These are
public domain titles that are currently unavailable (C.S. Lewis).  I
don't have time to type a text file for each book.  Is there someone I
can pay to produce an ebook for me?  Is there a practical way to
create ebooks (Microsoft Reader format)for a single reader?

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Request for Question Clarification by journalist-ga on 28 Dec 2002 12:14 PST

In researching your query, I located this bit of information from
http://www.aslan.demon.co.uk/cslfaq.htm#_Toc5085850:

"In Europe, C.S Lewis's books will enter the public domain 70 years
after his death, that is to say, January 1st, 2034. In the US, the
books will enter the public domain 95 years after their publication:
for example, you will be free to publish The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe on the net from January 1st 2046. Until that time, anyone
publishing his works on the net (without permission from the executors
of his estate) would be guilty of a serious breach of copyright.
 
The one exception to this is "Spirits in Bondage", Lewis's 1919
collection of poems, which was placed on some US public domain
websites in 1994 under the old 75 year rule

http://www.anglicanlibrary.org/lewis/spirits/
 
Technically, it can only be legally downloaded by readers who are in
the US."

I wanted to alert you to the above facts because you made mention of
public domain titles.  I also tried to find a way to access NetLibrary
for you but to even search their online books catalog, you must sign
up through a public or university library.  Not knowing your location,
I wasn't able to search to see if a library in your area had access
plus I don't know if NetLibrary has any of the titles for sale.

I'm not certain of the legality of paying someone to reproduce a book
for an ebook when the title is not in the public domain because paying
someone to reproduce it might constitute copyright infringement.

I wanted you and other researchers to be informed of what I
discovered.

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Request for Question Clarification by tisme-ga on 28 Dec 2002 12:17 PST

Hello goosetek,

Just a follow up to the Request for Clarification by journalist...

How much are you willing to pay a third party to produce the ebook for
you? Does it necessarily have to be an ebook (would text format do)?
You could have someone type up the book and convert it to ebook format
yourself...

Do you currently have a copy of the books in question and are willing
to send them to someone else to type up? Are you certain that the
books are in public domain where you are located? Where are you
located?

tisme-ga

Hi, 

OverDrive, Inc, has a package called ReaderWorks 
http://www.overdrive.com/readerworks/

Which will create ebook formats from basic text and HTML files. Very
handy program.

To create a text file of a book I use my scanner which has a program
call CRS (character recognition software) it might also be called OCRS
(object character recognition software). Most scanners come with this
software, and it is very easy to use. Most of the time I purchase a
used copy of the book I want on my handheld and carefully take it
apart to scan. My average time spent in making an e-book is about 1
hour, of course this depends on the speed of the scanner. You can scan
the books without taking them apart, but it is a slower process.

Since you own the copy of the book and are not looking to let others
read it, or publish it on the Internet or anything like that, this is
a perfectly legal means of using your book. I do it all the time. Many
of my reference books have served me much better in e-book form than
on the desk at home.

A good scanner these days can cost under $100.00 and the OCR either
will come with it or be about $20.00 - $50.00. Once you start making
e-book copies of things it is fairly addicting, at least that's what I
have found. I've started making e-text versions of lease agreements,
ISP agreements and several other basic info type of things. I have the
small advantage of a home webserver which I can download my e-book
references from, located in a hidden area.

I've been doing this for several months now and I consider it very
practical. Some books, such as computer books from O'reilly come with
a CD HTML version of the book, and these are read by the software I've
linked to above which will convert the whole book to e-book format.
Public domain books can be found at :

The EText Archive
http://www.etext.org/index.shtml

http://www.bartleby.com/

and Project Gutenberg
http://promo.net/pg/

Thanks, 

webadept-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by goosetek-ga on 28 Dec 2002 14:33 PST

If I provided you with a book (let's say approx. 250 pages), would you
be open to sending me the book in a Microsoft Reader format for my
Pocket PC and if so what would you charge?  I have a dozen or so
titles I would eventually like to convert.  You could keep the book
and since I would be buying it I don't beleive that I would be
violating the "spirit" of the copyright laws as royalties would be
paid.  It is understood that I would be the only reader of the ebook.

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Clarification of Answer by webadept-ga on 28 Dec 2002 17:09 PST

I'm afraid that goes a bit beyond the scope of what we as researchers
can do for clients as a Google Answers Researcher according to our
TOS. I personally wouldn't mind, but I like being a Researcher, so I
need to follow the rules here. Thanks for the offer though.

The scanner I use is a hp scanjet 2200c and it works great for this.
It was $75.00 when I bought it almost 2 years ago, probably less now.

http://h21001.www2.hp.com/apipc/AU/EN/series_-2066962638.html

Checking the Office Depot website I see they are down to $49.00 (might
have to get another one :-)

If it doesn't come with it, the best OCR software I've used is
ScanSoft TextBridge Pro. Very impressive software. Looks like the
current price for a full copy of this is $89.99, so that has gone up,
but I have to admit it is well worth it in the 'hassle' department. It
reads the pages and makes the text very quickly and works directly
with the scanner, so you don't have the two step thing that many
packages have.

http://www.officedepot.com/shop/catalog/sku.asp?ID=561528&LEVEL=SK&SID=A7KKNPEVEQ4H8GV5HF0XRMX96UAQ7QF1&PP=14

Thanks, 

webadept-ga

thanks, 

webadept-ga