A while back, I got a request from a reader, but I’d been busy with website redesign.

On the surface of things it was a simple request: "Can you please make an eReader (.epub or .mobi) version of the character profiles?"

Had things gone according to plan, the request would have been easy enough to accommodate with a bit of free time, some mental elbow grease, and maybe more than few tears as I fought with the validation checks (I tend do things old school because I like the control. Aaaaand the last time I trusted a convenient piece of software, it was supposed to help make web design easier and all it did was spew out broken code and gibberish. NEVER AGAIN!)

You see, this reader didn't have the tools necessary to view my rather nicely designed (If I do say so myself) character profile pack. It has about 7 pages of text, set in two columns, and 9 commissioned illustrations, set against yet another commissioned backdrop.

For a smidge more context, this illustration pack was part of my initial give away to attract readers to my work. You see as a major fantasy buff (though plenty of people will put me to shame) I was quicky fell in love with the artwork and really learned a ton about visual storytelling in the science fiction and fantasy through the sheer volume of thoughtful application and skill behind each piece.

Anyway, I hadn't designed the package for eReaders, which is… kind of stupid now that I think about it. I mean, I'm trying to attract people who read book on what? You guessed it! eReaders (I'm not always the sharpest tool or the shiniest).

My plan was once I collected enough art assets, I was going to make a visual compilation available on Amazon. A physical artbook is still something I'd like to make but that's an expensive pursuit that looks terrible on eReaders.

Which brings us to this week. 

After reviewing backlinks in existing books (the woes of website redesign from scratch), I finally sat down to turn my beautiful looking character profile pdf into an ugly ePub. It took less than 8 hours to do with coding an everything. 

If I sound resentful, it's because I am. 

I mean not for the request, but rather for how limiting eReader tech can be when it comes to layout and design. The reason for the limitation on the design side is to give you, the reader, control - which makes sense. 

You can view the text on tan, white, or black screen which reduces potential eyestrain. Awesome! You can resize the print to suit your needs which re-flows the text and changes page count accordingly. Also awesome!

The design restrictions are also a good thing for the average non-designer indie. Limiting their options means that as readers you're less likely to be overwhelmed by an author trying to show-off by including every gimmick under the sun.

Remember the early days of the internet with pages of flashing text on a titled photo background with illegible text in all sorts of different colors and sizes? Yeah, I still have nightmares too.

This is why design restrictions are a good thing. Because quite literally, anyone can publish a book on Amazon (I'm not complaining. It's a wonderful advancement that give content creators freedom to test the market!). We don't want family photo backgrounds (because it illustrates something in the scene) with flashing misc. text (insider info for only the truly initiated) obstructing our reading experience. So despite my gripping, the restrictions really are a good thing.

But where eReaders are fantastic for text, they're terrible for showing off illustrations. This is where my frustration comes in especially with my background in the visual arts.

P.S. from Future Amber.

I no longer offer this semi-terrible eReader version. I do have something in the pipeline to use the artwork, but really my attention is on working with my developmental editor and wrapping up book 1 of Hunter’s Gambit (formerly Awakening: Prodigy which has been split into 3 books). I’m not a complete dick, so I’ve included some of the illustrations in this post for your enjoyment.