Create an impressive 3D page-turning digital book
Desktop Author sets out with an ambitious promise - to provide you with everything you need to publish your own eBook. Whether you want to create multimedia presentations, newsletters, photo albums or marketing infromation, the program aims to oblige.
The published output is designed to be as true to a real book as possible, allowing the reader to flip the pages realistically by clicking on the right side of the page to move forward, and the left side to move back. Besides text, you can adorn the pages of your virtual tome with images, MPEGs and even Flash movies.
There are many slick looking magazines and books appearing on the web these days that are beginning to seriously compete with traditional print publications in terms of reader experience. Judging by some of the example files on the publisher's site, there's certainly a lot you can achieve with Desktop Author, considering you need no special knowledge or programming skills, as used by many of the Flash-built flip-page publications online today.
The GUI is loosely modelled on a traditional desktop publishing app, and although it lacks the range of tools of a heavyweight like InDesign or Quark, Desktop Author contains the standard features you'd expect in such an app, including snap-to guides, image insertion, text formatting and shape drawing.
Considering the program is supposed to be aimed at beginners, the interface is a little cumbersome to navigate at first. Of course, you get used to it, but perhaps the program would have benefited from a Properties Inspector displaying the information about the currently-selected item, allowing you to move, edit, resize, apply styles or just view data on the file in question.
Having said this, there are a few useful tools that speed up the eBook creation process, such as the integrated (albeit basic) image editor, preset buttons to add to your pages, and a collection of built-in templates to get you started. This makes it possible to rustle up a decent looking book in just a few minutes. Of course, as with all creative applications, the more time you spend honing your skills the better the results will become.
Publishing your finished digital books is a matter of simply pressing the 'Publish' button and waiting for everything to be neatly packaged into a DNL file. This can take some time, and once it's done, you still need to install the DNL Reader provided by the developer. There is, however an option to package the eBook inside an executable file, which might be the best option to ensure everyone can read your words of wisdom.
The trial version only allows you to create two pages, but if you have the patience to overcome the slightly awkward toolset layout you'll be crying out for the functionality to add more, making the full version worthy of its $189 price tag.
Flow text between pages and text boxesPersonalize the about box and right click menuStream or Embed all Flash, WMP & QT Video, Audio & VR mediaSell your eBook with our all-in-one DRM and Payment GatewayLaunched eBrochures.com
Changes
Flow text between pages and text boxesPersonalize the about box and right click menuStream or Embed all Flash, WMP & QT Video, Audio & VR mediaSell your eBook with our all-in-one DRM and Payment GatewayLaunched eBrochures.com
User reviews about Desktop Author
by Deborah Phillips
This used to be a great product. First purchased in 2007. Repurchased in 2008, 2009 and 2012. Now, they are OUT OF BUSINESS. Because of this, if your computer crashes, or you need to reinstall the software, forget it. You must obtain a Product Registration Key in order to complete the registration when installing the program and because there is no website to initiate the key, the registration will repeat an error message, locking you out of the program. I am so angry as I published several books with this program and have copyright and ISBN numbers on these books. I can't update or change anything on these books due to the inability to access the program. Thousands of dollars are wasted as I seek to find another interactive program for books that won't lock me out of the software.Thanks Alex for taking our money and not offering your customers a general Product Registration Key to keep our software running for those who supported you all these years. You could have at least offered that. I would have paid for it!D. Phillips
USA More
by Anonymous
Buyer Beware!.
Do not buy! If you ever need to re-install they will not give you a new key. It use to be good, but the company no longer answers email and will not give key.You will need to purchase again.
Pros:
Was a great program.
Cons:
Can never re-install. You will need to re-buy.
No longer supports products. More
by Anonymous
true to the review and more features than I expected.
this is a great software, I downloaded it as I heard it allows me list mey eBooks on AndroidSO with this tool I can output to windows and Android and that is cool with me.
they provide you with the option of using their shopping cart to sell your ebooks
happy also becuase I got it on a special price so it only cost me $99 but in Germany it is now cheap as the US dollar is cheap
GOod software and happy with the result. Good luck to the dnaml company Pros:
Android export !
Cons:
no, its good so no bad things I can see More
by Anonymous
nice and eazy.
great end results, this software is simplistic yet powerfull. Honestly think the rating by sonic is absurd so I thought I would say something.
Pros:
neat interface, intuitive, briliant end results in ebrochures and or ebooks. I even did a photo album last week
Cons:
no mac More