The
Smashwords Meatgrinder conversion engine performs a lot of magic behind the scenes to automatically correct many EPUBCHECK errors, though we're unable to correct them all.
One author volunteered that they'd heard such horror stories
of Meatgrinder from their publisher that they kept their books off of Smashwords for that reason.
Smashwords is well known
for Meatgrinder, its automated conversion platform.
If I get this right, a basic foreign language WORD document that is your precious book goes to Babelcube, they do the equivalent of Smashwords»
Meatgrinder program only the final product comes back to you instead of being posted online?
With Scrollmotion being a leader in the mobile book app space with their Iceberg reader technology and polished children's book apps, I myself am curious if this partnership will bring about any future opportunities for Smashwords authors to have access to creating and publishing their books using the Iceberg Reader technology directly without going through the Smashwords
meatgrinder process.
But one problem
with Meatgrinder is that it doesn't offer output that satisfies ebook design pros, many of whom think that (compared to making an eBook from scratch) it's not easy to control the quality of the output.
Smashwords ran several alpha tests through the program and states: «Some of the sample files we received were beautiful, and contained features such as drop caps or nested NCX navigation that we don't support
in Meatgrinder.
And Apple is an enticing market, although only to indies with Macs and / or those who are willing to subject their work to the Smashwords
Meatgrinder so far.
Smashwords
uses Meatgrinder to generate EPUB file formats from the Word format manuscripts submitted by authors / publishers.
He also formatted my manuscript so perfectly that it sailed through Smashword's
meatgrinder on the first try.
Here is where eBook Enhancers is helpful in providing authors with an EPUB file of their Word format manuscripts, which is done MANUALLY without using any automated formats
like Meatgrinder, so as to have the text appear properly aligned, retaining originality and look similar in any eReader devices as well as computers.
And I got through the Smashwords
meatgrinder really quickly, with only one small detail I had to change with a bit of random garbage -LSB-...]
The ability to create a bunch of other formats
via Meatgrinder is nice in theory, but in actual practice, my sales have been small enough on Smashwords to not make those other formats worth considering.
In 2015, Smashwords plans to open up even more distribution channels for authors and rights holders, unveil new price management tools (in keeping with the company's open - book glimpse at how pricing affects authors» sales), and perhaps in the best news of all to anyone who's been frustrated by the upload process, there are anticipated upgrades to the
infamous meatgrinder process that allows anyone from virtually anywhere to craft a quality ebook from their manuscript document.
The downside is that you lose the ability to control what comes out of Smashword's
Meatgrinder Word - to - ePub converter.
Book processing time: Smashwords has the edge when it comes to getting the book into its own storefront, since that happens right
after meatgrinder has completed its magic.
There are thousands of E-Book Conversion companies in the market that are using automated software (what we
call meatgrinders)
The user interface isn't as slick as some others, and the ebook conversion engine (their
famous Meatgrinder) isn't my favorite.
I would think that, since EPUB is standards - based, that an EPUB -
based Meatgrinder would be easier to set up and maintain.
I just noticed that the epub file of my book that
Meatgrinder made back in March 2009 is more than 2.3 megabytes, whereas a test epub I made today with Calibre is only about 450 kilobytes, less than one - fifth as big.
Starting in 2012, Smashwords is going to allow everyone to submit other eBook files instead of the DOC file that is used as the source
for Meatgrinder.
epub files that were no better (and some worse) than what the average Smashwords author is already creating
with Meatgrinder.
Smashwords»
meatgrinder conversion process sometimes has a few issues that can defy logic... or what passes for logic in my brain, anyway.
Converting a file
using Meatgrinder may cause undesirable flow of the text, that is, the originality of text appearances could not be retained when the eBooks are viewed in varied eReader devices.
And I got through the Smashwords
meatgrinder really quickly, with only one small detail I had to change with a bit of random garbage code that came from I know not where.
Then humanity turned it's new technoligies against itself and produced
the meatgrinder of World War 1.
The meatgrinder reads multiple returns — I think four or more — as a page break.
Smashwords developed
their meatgrinder which allowed you to upload a DOC file and they'd convert it to all the required formats.
Yet
the meatgrinder managed to insert them.