XML on Mac is a rare bird, or if not rare, seriously undercooked. There isn’t the same amount of options as on a PC, and certainly not an ONIX-based editor such as with ONIXEdit. There are a couple of free XML editors available, however Smultron is no longer updating and Serna Free XML Editor is not available for commercial use, instead deferring to Serna Enterprise for businesses. However, Serna Free is a good tool for getting used to XML.
The Challenges of E-Book Sales Data
As the keepers of the aggregated book data for the Canadian industry, we are often asked to provide statistics on e-books. These requests come from far and wide but are often made from those wishing to compare Canadian adoption rates of digital technology with rates of other markets.
Unfortunately, our desire at BNC to quantify this data is met with considerable challenges when trying to put the metaphorical rubber to the road. A few for your consideration…
Consumer Book Trends 2009: Get It While It's Hot
BNC SalesData Tip #4: How to Find Out More
Data Exchange Tip #6: A DIY Guide to Schema Validation on a PC—XML Notepad 2007
For the purist, those who want their XML validation without the added benefits of what some programmer thinks would improve their ONIX file, there is a lovely generic XML software product called XML Notepad 2007. It’s free and written by a Microsoft programmer, Chris Lovett, so the freeware is from a safe source, it’s easy to set-up for a schema validation and robust with files as large as 20,000 records.
BNC SalesData Tip #3: Creating a Report and the Perils of Design
Changing the design of the bestseller report creator in SalesData was no easy task. The problem: how do you provide users with the ability to do advance searches in an interface that allows lots of criteria? You have to consider the best practices of designing when trying to solve this problem but as so many things in software development there are always exceptions.
BNC SalesData Tip #2: Putting Early Preview Data within Your Purview
FastPencil & Book Oven: Learning from Self-Publishing Models
Whether you consider all self-publishing a dismissable legacy of offline vanity publishing, the future of the book business or something in between, it’s worth paying attention to tools like FastPencil.
No More Nooks for Holiday Books
Barnes and Noble has announced that holiday pre-orders for their new eReader, the Nook, has outstripped devices available. So for those of you looking for a shiny eReader under the tree, seems like it will have to be a Nook Kindle.
BNC SalesData Tip #1: Not Drowning, Waving with Simpler Saved Reports
It’s a brand new day in BNC SalesData land! We hope you are finding the new features and tools useful. If your experience so far has been great, that is fantastic.
If you are scratching your head wondering what we were thinking, well, this blog series may be for you. Over the next several weeks, we will be blogging tips and tricks for using the new and improved BNC SalesData.
