On Sun, 01 Nov 2015 22:40:24 -0500 Stephen Tiano <steve at tianobookdesign.com> wrote:
> So I?m a book designer/layout artist the past > 24 or so years. I?ve mostly used QuarkXPress > and InDesign, but I?ve familiarized myself with > Scribus version 1.4.4. > > Over the last 7 or 8 years my clients have > pretty exclusively been self-publishers. So I > got to thinking that a book of both ruminations > and making book design choices, as well as > how-to tutorials for self-publishers to design > and lay out their own books might be in order. > And as self-publishers very often work on > shoestring budgets, what better software than > open source Scribus. > > I started with version 1.4.4, taking > screenshots. Then I put the project down, as I > got busy woring on books. I?m now back to > having time to write this book. And i?m > thinking that, ideally, I want to use the > latest version of Scribes. Well, 1.5 is not > stable, I?m told. I wonder when 1.6 will be > ready and whether it?ll be dfferent enough to > warrant waiting for it, rather than writing the > book using 1.4.4 or 1.5 for screenshots and > step-by-steps? > > Thank you. > > Steve Tiano > > ================================================================ > Stephen Tiano > Book Designer, Page Compositor & Layout Artist > > tel. & fax: (631)284-3842 / cell: (631)764-2487 > Skype: stephentianobookdesigner > FaceTime: Stephen Tiano > email: steve at tianobookdesign.com > > website: http://www.tianobookdesign.com > blog: http://tianobookdesign.com/blog > twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenTiano > > -------------------------------- First, version 1.5.0 is stable enough for use today. I have no problems using it. Indeed I am using 1.5.1 for writing my book. I can always drop back to 1.5.0 if i get in trouble. Second, 1.6.0 (currently represented by the svn version labelled 1.5.1) represents a significant change from 1.5.0. Among other things the default icon set is newly designed. There is an option to go back to the 1.5.0 icon set under preferences>userinterface. The .sla file layout is compatible between 1.5.0 and 1.5.1. I too am writing a book on using Scribus, but I am limiting it to cover design. This will replace a pdf ebook I wrote in 2009 and marketed through Booklocker which has been obsoleted and withdrawn. My strategy is to write the book using overnight versions of 1.5.1 svn and hold off release until 1.6.0 is formally released. The 1.4.x versions (I am up to 1.4.6) are in my opinion already obsolete. But the developers are very conservative about labeling new versions as "stable." My OS is Slackware linux and I compile 1.5.1 using a script developed by Jluc. Whether this script works on Windows or Apple I do not know. I note that you use Apple. If you have a PC compatible computer or laptop lying around it might be worth your time to create a Linux partition on it just for development of your book. Jluc may want to comment on that. -- John Culleton Wexford Press Book layout, typesetting and Indexing Free list of books for self-publishers: http://wexfordpress.net/shortlist.html
