Tag: eBooks

Categories
ideas & suggestions

Camping guide/scrap book

A mini guide to an activity is always a great ‘must – have!’ Using Bookleteer to create a type of guide is a quick and easy way to do so, with the handy pocket size, easily fitting into a pocket or a handbag, meaning easy access whenever needed! Creating the guide or even a scrapbook, means its can be printed numerous time for many people and purposes.

There are a variety of things I decided to include in my camping guide. For example:

  • how to build a tent.
  • a survival kit/checklist – compass, plasters, tents, sleeping bags, a whistle, a torch and so on.
  • a map of the area

Alternatively, you can add to the guide and turn it into a scrapbook too, so for children not only is it an informative book, but also a keepsake or memento if you like of their camping trip. For example in my scrapbook I included:

  • blank pages for a treasure hunt map – for kids on camping trips it could be a fun idea to draw treasure hunt maps in each others books and have a competition to see who can find the most ‘treasure.’
  • ‘My Journal’ section to write about my daily (and nightly) happenings.
  • activity pages – ‘starry eyed’ – search the sky for constellations – draw and match up the stars in the sky, or ‘night time sounds’ – listen, write and guess what your hear in the woods!
  • Keepsake pages – ‘things I found on my camping trip’ – collecting and sticking in things found, such as different types of leaves, funny shaped twigs etc.

Have a look at the ‘Guide to Camping for Kids’ book I have created…

This is a format which can be replicated for a number of activities, such as Sailing, Skiing, Golf, Poker, Surfing and the list goes on!

 

 

 

 

Categories
ideas & suggestions

A,B,C..easy as..1,2,3

In my previous blogs I have mentioned about the variety of eBooks you can make on Bookelteer, from invites, to user guides to scrapbooks. However I haven’t yet mentioned how Bookleteer can be used in the learning process as a valuable learning tool.

A number of ideas prop to mind when I think of using Bookleteer in education. The part I like most is that it’s not restricted to one age bracket. From younger children to older kids in secondary school an eBook can be used in many ways.

For example, for the younger age group, I have created an alphabet book. This can be customised to the child’s preference, such as using their favourite cartoon characters on each page as a visual stimulant. Of course this is where the older brother or sister or parent come in use, to actually create the book on Bookleteer. Or a blank eBook can be printed and with the guidance of parents, children can help draw and stick each letter onto each page, a fun learning activity all rolled into one!

As for the older kids, Bookleteer can be used as an alternative way of presenting coursework, projects, art projects or even as a revision tool or a diary format to keep track of their revision timetable/schedule.

Using Mandy’s artistic ability, I made a mock up of what the alphabet eBook could look like if it was made.

Log onto Bookleteer to see where it can take you…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
ideas & suggestions

Make up scrap book

The magazines are full of make up tips and latest trends of colours for the new season. Sure I will rip the page out and vow to refer to it the next time I need that handy tip for the smoky eyes look! However amongst all the things on my desk, from books to documents to photos, that little piece of paper will surely get lost in the heap!

It’s great to use Bookleteer as a tool for making scrapbooks for example making a make up catalogue if you like, or even to create your own make up tips. Have a look at the eBook I created on ‘eye make up tips’ below.

It’s quick and easy to print out, and small enough to keep with your make up or can even be folded to fit into your make up bag. 🙂

Either design, upload and print your scrapbook out on Bookleteer or print out a plain eBook and start cutting, sticking and creating your own make up tips scrapbook.

 

 

 

Categories
examples ideas & suggestions publishing on demand

City As Material Set


We’ve just received the complete set of 10 City As Material books back from the printers and next week we’ll be designing and making the special slipcases to hold them together and collect them into their limited edition (50 copies). The set will go on sale from the 31st March 2011 via the proboscis online store.

We think this is a great way of showing how easy it is for individuals or groups to create and print multiple books in short runs (such as 50 copies) that can be collected together to make a beautiful publication. We will be aiming to add the ability to design and print out your own slipcases to bookleteer later this year, but in the meantime we’re happy to discuss designing and printing custom slipcases for your projects.

Categories
ideas & suggestions

Poker Guidebook

It’s great when the whole family gets together to play games, its so much fun, especially at Christmas time. But then I see the silver briefcase come out and it can only mean one thing! It’s time to get your poker face on! The only trouble is I can’t play poker 🙁

I constantly ask what hands are what; ‘what’s a flush?’ ‘what’s a full house?’ and the list goes on. I think I could be an annoying poker player with all my questions and confusion. Leave it to the pros…I think not!

I always think if I had a book with all the poker plays listed and the rules, it would be great! Easy to refer to in a time of need. No cheating, simply a reference! 😉

Creating this type of book is so simple using Bookleteer. Being able to download images straight from a website, it’s quick and easy to create this book for your own personal use. Each page can be assigned to each type of poker, or a book for each type – Texas Holdem, 5 card draw, 7 card stud etc.

Take a look at a quick glimpse of my book I have created…

Easy and fun to make, with your own personal touch, so you can make it as complicated or as easy to understand as you want.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
events

Pitch Up & Publish 2011 – Book a place now

Giles posted about our upcoming Pitch Up & Publish workshops for 2011 last week – we’ve just confirmed the dates, and the Eventbrite page is now live. The sessions are taking place on:

Tuesday 22nd March 2011, 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm

Tuesday 12th April 2011, 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm

Tuesday 26th April 2011, 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm

at:

Proboscis Studio
4th Floor 101 Turnmill Street
EC1M 5QP London
United Kingdom

Event Details

A series of workshops to help you make the most of bookleteer : guiding you from concept to publication and beyond. The 2 hour workshops will be held at our studio every 2-3 weeks and will have a maximum of 6 places. We will help beginners get started and offer more advanced users a collaborative space in which to explore new uses and ideas, sharing our knowledge and experiences.

The sessions will cover everything from basic level introduction to specific topics – such as designing project notebooks, embedding multimedia links via QR codes and preparing books for printing via our Short Run Printing Service. We also plan to run specific themed workshops to share our experiences and methods of using bookleteer to work with kids in schools, with community groups and in other more specialist settings.

Participants will become Alpha Club members, getting early access to new and exclusive features (such as the bookleteer API) as well as benefitting from discounts on Short Run Printing service and a free pack of medium size StoryCubes.

Book A Ticket

Tickets will cost £20 plus booking fee and are available from http://pitchupandpublish.eventbrite.com/.

View photos from previous Pitch Up & Publish sessions below, read about them here.

 

 

 

 

Categories
ideas & suggestions

You have been invited to…

I was watching my 12 year old cousin plan out her party invites to her 13th birthday party, as I remembered using the same method when I was younger, using Publisher or making them by hand.

As I watched her I realised how much more she could do with her invitations by creating them on Bookleteer! A more creative way to make an invitation. You can insert pictures, maybe one of the birthday girl/boy on the front or have different coloured invites by using different coloured printing paper!

I find this method fast and easy and I think it looks more professional than the conventional booklet making. Being able to upload your own pictures or even straight from html saves the hassle of downloading or saving a picture first!

This can be used for endless occasions, not just birthday parties, which then means anyone from kids to adults can be using this method to make invitations. Weddings, baby showers, hen parties..the list is endless.

Have a look at the mock up birthday invitation I have created.

Get creative, get Bookleteering! 🙂

 

Categories
inspiration

Diffusion Archive Highlight: Passivhaus eNotebook

Rob Annable, an architect at Axis Design Architects, used bookleteer to create this eNotebook whilst visiting Germany to study Passivhaus design principles. Using a blank eBook complete with trip itineraries and QR code web links, he wrote down observations, and placed in photographs taken and printed on site with a Polaroid PoGo printer. It was then scanned and uploaded it for anyone to view and use. This custom notebook, combining essential trip information and a means to record data in a single artifact, avoids carrying excess documents, and allows for easier cross reference.

Download his notes here.

Categories
inspiration

“Look after your spines, book designers”

Courtesy of the Creative Review blog, I’ve just been reading about how book spines are often neglected when designing covers, and the importance of their appearance when on bookshelves (after all, that’s the portion potential buyers or aesthetically conscious owners often see first). We’re currently in the process of designing a slipcase template for series of eBooks, which will lend a much needed physicality – transforming them int0 stable, store-able artifacts, rather than handfuls of booklets. The studio is overrun with vast quantities of eBooks produced over the years, and these will provide a handy organisation system, as well as looking swish. As for the spines, we’re bound by certain template constraints, but they’ll surely surpass some of the clangers featured here.

Categories
case study education inspiration publishing on demand sharing

Report from the field: eBooks in Sudan

A report by Julie Anderson, British Museum
In January, I returned from Sudan where my co-author Salah Mohamed and I distributed the eBook we produced last autumn. Frederik Lesage has previously written about the development of our eBook, which deals with the archaeological excavations conducted in Dangeil, Sudan, as a case study for eBook usage, in this blog.

students on their way to school

Salah and I have been excavating in Dangeil for more than 10 years. Over this period, we have lived in the community and have come to know our neighbours well. Every year many work with us in the excavations. The archaeological site is situated in the centre of the village and an increasing number of tourists, both Sudanese and foreigners, are visiting the ruins. There is also a large primary school situated along the northern edge of the site. Students cross the site daily on their way to and from classes. As a means of engaging further with the local community, school children and site visitors, we decided to create a resource which would help them to better understand the excavations, the ancient temple and its importance, and to place Dangeil in its historical context. We were also driven by a need to explain what we were doing and why, in an accessible fashion. The key was communication and the end result was the eBook.

So, what sort of reaction did the eBook receive? Simply put, its reception, both in Khartoum and in the rural farming village of Dangeil, exceeded expectations. We produced 500 English copies and 500 in Arabic, the local language. We ran out of the latter. In retrospect, we should have produced a greater number of copies in Arabic. Copies were given to the local school and arrangements were made so that every household in the village received a copy.

Unloading eBooks and textbooks at the school

Following the distribution of the eBook, teenagers began coming to our door in the village to ask questions about the site / archaeology / their own Sudanese history. In the past, usually they had wanted to have photographs taken, but now instead were connecting with their history as made possible through the booklet. It was astonishing. More surprising was the reaction people had upon receiving a copy. In virtually every single case, they engaged with the eBook immediately and began to read it or look through it. This occurred regardless of location or other business being conducted. Many of our workmen looked for images of things they themselves had helped to excavate and of people they knew, though the latter was true for almost everyone seeing the eBook.

Although our eBook takes the form of a more traditional and perhaps somewhat static publication, its impact cannot be underestimated. The Dangeil villagers, and indeed university students and antiquities staff in Khartoum, viewed the publication as written for them, about them, and in their own language. The eBook has served not only as an educational tool, but has empowered the local community and created a sense of pride and proprietary ownership of the ruins and their history.

Julie Anderson
Assistant Keeper
Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, British Museum