Digital Book World Announces First-Ever QED Recipients


"We consider the QED the 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval™' for ebooks - a mark of quality that publishers, authors, and content creators can proudly bear to assure readers can buy with confidence. Ebook sales are growing dramatically and readers need to know what they’re buying will render well regardless of device – tablet, e-reader, smartphone or PC – before they buy. It’s really gratifying to see that so many publishers across a range of genres are producing ebooks of the highest quality now.”
 
—David Blansfield, President, F+W Media, parent company to Digital Book World

 

Digital Book World today announced that 85 ebooks have been approved as QED-worthy.

The QED, which stands for Quality, Excellence, Design, is a quality assurance program that was conducted on all ebooks entered into the Publishing Innovation Awards (PIAs), an awards program sponsored by Constellation honoring the most innovative ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and book apps in several categories.

Ebooks submitted for consideration of the QED seal underwent a thorough, professional 13-point design review with an eye towards readability across multiple devices and in multiple formats. The QED was judged on criteria established on the recommendation of the Publishing Innovation Awards advisory council, who are respected leaders in the digital production and design space.

QED Seal Recipients | QED Approval Guidelines | Contact

QED recipients will be celebrated in New York on Monday evening, January 23rd, during the opening ceremonies for Digital Book World Conference, during which the winners of the second annual Publishing Innovation Awards winners will be publicly announced. It is the mission of the PIAs to highlight excellent publishers/authors, encourage new thinking, and improve the reading experience in the digital age. To attend the Publishing Innovation Awards, purchase your ticket here.

Digital Book World Conference, on January 23-25, 2012, is the only event providing trade publishers with actionable, proven strategies for taking immediate advantage of opportunities as they develop in today’s publishing industry. It provides learning and networking opportunities to facilitate process change in all areas – production, marketing, editorial, design, sales, pricing, rights management, international partnerships, etc. – so publishers can capitalize on the new opportunities technology facilitates.

To participate in Digital Book World Conference, register here.

QED SEAL RECIPIENTS

A Satan Carol, by Alan Kessler (Wild Child Publishing)

AAA Grand Canyon National Park eTourBook Guide, by AAA (AAA)

AAA Las Vegas eTourBook Guide, by AAA (AAA)

AAA Las Vegas eTourBook Guide, by AAA (AAA)

AAA Orlando eTourBook Guide, by AAA (AAA)

Appley Dapply Read Aloud by Emma Fielding, by Sideways, Inc. (Sideways, Inc.)

Asian Dumplings, by Andrea Nguyen (Random House, Inc--Crown Publishing Group)

Beginner Guitar Lessons - Progressive, by LearnToPlayMusic.com (LearnToPlayMusic.com)

Betty and Veronica in the Land of Oz, by Dan Parent (Random House, Inc.--Archie Comics)

British Library 19th Century Historical Collection, by BiblioLabs (BiblioLabs)

Caller Number Nine, by Debbie Duncan (Debbie Duncan)

Central Reservation, by Will le Fleming (Xelsion Publishing)

Chaos: Enhanced Edition, by James Gleick (Open Road Integrated Media)

Clean, by Alejandro Junger (HarperCollins e-books)

Complete Gay and Lesbian Manners, by Steven Petrow with Sally Chew (Workman Publishing)

Cook For Your Life, by Ian Thorpe (Hardie Grant Publishing)

Count, Dagmar!, by J.otto Seibold (Chronicle Books LLC)

Dark Eden App, by Patrick Carman (Katherine Tegen Books)

Darker Still, by Leanna Renee Hieber (Sourecebooks Fire)

David Roberts Egypt, by Sideways, Inc. (Sideways, Inc.)

Decision Points, by George W. Bush (Random House, Inc.--Crown Publishing Group)

Decoded, by Jay-Z (Random House, Inc.--Random House Publishing Group)

Deportees - Islands & Shores, by Deportees (Telegram Bokförlag)

Desserts - Discover the dessert recipes 20 million home cooks picked as America's best, by Allrecipes.com (Allrecipes.com, Inc.)

Discover France, by Oliver Berry, Alexis Averbuck, Stuart Butler, Kerry Christiani, Steve Fallon, Emilie Filou, Catherine Le Nevez, Tom Masters, Daniel Robinson, Miles Roddis, John A Vlahides, Nicola Williams (Lonely Planet)

Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?, by Steven Tyler (HarperCollins e-books)

Drinking with Strangers, by Butch Walker (William Morrow)

Eva Scrivo on Beauty, by Eva Scrivro, with Gina Way and Arik Efros (Atria Books)

Excellence Now, by Tom Peters (New Word City)

Five Little Pumpkins, by Dan Yaccarino (HarperFestival)

Full Voice, Enhanced Edition, by Barbara McAfee (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)

Guide to the birds of São Paulo's Atlantic Forest, by Martha Argel (WWF-Brazil and SÃo Paulo State Forestry Foundation)

Guitar Method Lessons Book 1: Progressive Deluxe Colour Edition, by LearnToPlayMusic.com (LearnToPlayMusic.com)

I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six's Legacy , by Pittacus Lore (HarperCollins)

Ivy and Bean, by Barrows Blackall (Chronicle Books LLC)

Jacqueline Kennedy The Enhanced Edition: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, by Jacqueline Kennedy, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr, Caroline Kennedy (Foreword by), Michael Beschloss (Introduction), Michael Beschloss (Annotations) (Hyperion Books)

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan Books)

JFK: 50 Days (Enhanced eBook), by Terry Golway & Les Krantz (Running Press)

Knitting Video Stitch-Alongs: Knit Stitch Collection with Projects Vol.1 (Enhanced Edition) , by Marcy Levitas Hamilton (TriCoast Publishing)

L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories, by Mulholland Books (Little, Brown & Company)

Lessons in Classical Drawing, by Juliette Aristides (Random House, Inc.--Crown Publishing Group)

Let's Eat Out with Celiac / Coeliac & Food Allergies!, by Robert La France, AllergyFree Passport, GlutenFree Passport (R & R Publishing)

Marathon: You Can Do It!, by Jeff Galloway (Shelter Publications)

Martha Stewart's Cooking School, by Martha Stewart (Random House, Inc.--Crown Publishing Group)

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck (Random House, Inc.--Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)

Meggs' History of Graphic Design, 5th Edition , by Philip B. Meggs, Alston W. Purvis (John Wiley & Sons)

Moon USA Travel Planner, by Liz Hamill Scott (Avalon Travel)

Naughty or Nice - Whose List Are You On? How to Successfully Deal With 10 Red Flag Behaviors, by Joseph Zarek (Book Baby.com)

Next, by Michael Crichton (Harper)

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. (Harvard Business Review Press)

O pensamento poilitico de Thomas Hobbes, by Thomas Hobbes (Simplissimo Livros)

Of Mice and Men: Amplified, by John Steinbeck (Penguin USA)

One Child, by Jeff Buick (Enthrill Entertainment Inc.)

One Inch At A Time, by Michael Gordon & Jean Alexander (Breadcrumb Books)

Over Easy, by Beth Ellyn & Scott Finkelstein (Wouldya Publishing)

Parisian Chic, by Ines de la Fressange, Sophie Gachet (Random House, Inc.--Flammarion)

The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Read Aloud Edition, by Beatrix Potter, Read by Emma Fielding (Sideways, Inc.)

Photojojo: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas, by Amit Gupta, Kelly Jensen (Random House, Inc.--Crown Publishing Group)

Preston Bailey Flowers: Centerpieces, Place Setting, Ceremonies and Parties, by Preston Bailey, Annetta Hanna, John Labbe (Random House, Inc.--Rizzoli)

Principles of Biology: Interactive Textbook, (Nature Education)

Rin Tin Tin Enhanced Ebook, by Susan Orlean (Simon & Schuster)

Rise of Freedom: An Enhanced Ebook, by Fox News, Harper Collins Publishers (Harper)

Roots: The Enhanced Edition, by Alex Haley (Vanguard )

Sharon: The Life of a Leader, by Gilad Sharon (Harper)

Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large, by William Shatner, Chris Regan (Penguin USA)"

Somber Island, by T. Lynne Tolles (Troll Publishing)

Splat the Cat and the Duck with No Quack, by Rob Scotton (HarperCollins)

The Elephant Man, by Frederick Dimmer (Garrett County Press)

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer and Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston & Child (Grand Central Publishing)

The Innovative Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success, by Carmine Gallo (McGraw-Hill Professional)

The Leader's Checklist: 15 Mission-Critical Principles Expanded Edition, by Michael Useem (Wharton Digital Press)

The Meatball Shop Cookbook, by Daniel Holtzman, Michael Chernow, Lauren Deen (Random House, Inc.--The Random House Publishing Group)

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience , by Carmine Gallo (McGraw-Hill Professional)

The Refractive Thinker: Volume II: Research Methodology, Second Edition, by Dr. Cheryl Lentz (The Refractive Thnker Press)

The Rose Garden, by Susanna Kearsley (Sourcebooks, Inc.)

The Virtuoso, by Grace Burrowes (Sourcebooks, Inc.)

The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy and the Way Out of Afghanistan, by Bing West (The Wrong War)

Theory Test For Car Drivers (UK) (Automobile Association)

This American Burger, by Molly O’Neill (New Word City)

Top Pot Hand-Forged Donuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker, by Mark Klebeck, Michael Klebeck, Scott Pitts, Jess Thomson (Chronicle Books LLC)

Top Secret America: The Rise of the American Security State, by Dana Priest, William Arkin (Little, Brown & Company)

Triptychs: A 'Nam Marine's Now and Then, by Andy Syor, Henry Avignon (MilSpeak Books)

Using WordPress, Enhanced Edition (Que Publishing)

Where the Heart Listens, by Eve Sullivan (EBookIt)

Why do Puppies Do That: Real Things Kids Love to Know, by Seymour Simon (Seymour Simon in partnership with Franklin Jr)

Windows On The World Complete WIne Course: 25th Anniversay Edition, by Kevin Zraly (Sterling Publishing)

QED Guidelines

“A well-crafted ebook is essential both from the reader’s perspective, as well as the publishers’—a reader will respond to a well-crafted, beautifully designed ebook. They will feel like they got their money’s worth when they interact with a professional-quality product. A quality ebook is going to be increasingly crucial as a component of a publisher’s brand going forward.”

—Pablo Defendini, Interactive Producer, Open Road Integrated Media

Ebook titles entered into the Publishing Innovation Awards go through a thorough, professional 13-point design review with an eye towards readability across multiple devices and in multiple formats. The QED is judged on criteria established on the recommendation of the Publishing Innovation Awards advisory council, who are respected leaders in the digital production and design space. Ebooks and Enhanced Ebooks are eligible.

QED Inspection Check-List

1. Front matter: the title does not open on a blank page.

2. Information hierarchy: content is arranged in such a way that the relative importance of the content (heads, text, sidebars, etc) are visually presented clearly.

3. Order of content: check of the content to be sure that none of it is missing or rearranged.

4. Consistency of font treatment: consistent application of styles and white space.

5. Links: hyperlinks to the web, cross references to other sections in the book, and the table of contents all work and point to the right areas. If the title has an index, it should be linked.

6. Cover: The cover does not refer to any print edition only related content.

7. Consumable Content: The title does not contain any fill-in content, such as workbooks and puzzle books, unless the content has been re-crafted to direct the reader on how to approach using the fill-in content.

8. Print References: Content does not contain cross references to un-hyperlinked, static print content or page numbers (unless the ebook is intentionally mimicking its print counterpart for reference).

9. Breaks: New sections break and/or start at logical places.

10. Images: Art is appropriately sized, is in color where appropriate, loads relatively quickly, and if it contains text is legible. If images are removed for rights reasons, that portion is disclaimed or all references to that image are removed.

11. Tables: Table text fits the screen comfortably, and if rendered as art is legible.

12. Symbols: Text does not contain odd characters.

13. Metadata: Basic metadata for the title (author, title, etc.) is in place and accurate.

QED Judging Process

The QED supports a reader’s ability to access their ebooks how they want, when they want, and on the screen they want. To ensure that a title meets the demands of the ebook reader, each title goes through the above check-list on multiple devices and in multiple formats.

To ensure that an ebook title submitted for a QED renders well on the device a reader chooses, it is reviewed on three devices: a small, mobile-sized screen, an eInk reader-sized screen, and a tablet-sized screen.

To confirm that the title looks good in the most widely adopted formats, each ebook is reviewed in ePub in a Webkit-based ereader application (like Apple’s iBooks), in ePub in an Adobe SDK-based ereader (like Bluefire or Adobe Digital Editions), and in Mobi in Kindle Previewer.

If a title is not sold in Mobi format, it is not judged in Mobi format.

Contact

Have a question about how you can have your titles reviewed for the QED Seal? Contact Matt Mullin for more information: matthew.mullin@fwmedia.com or (212) 447-1400 ext. 12282.