Softcover
Creative
book publishing platform
SHOW HN2014
How HN took it
20 positive, 16 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 3 critical, out of 40 comments about the project. Thread score +0.46.
Idea: 6 for, 1 againstExecution: 3 for, 1 againstDesign: 3 for, 1 againstDocs: 3 for, 0 againstPerformance: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Easy and nice toolchain for writing books
From 1 comment
Congratulations on the launch. As the first author on the platform, http://conqueringthecommandline.com, and as the author of two other books (http://books.markbates.com), I can…
markbates on HN
Well-designed site and clean look
From 2 comments
Seems like an alternative to https://leanpub.com/ with much better design. I'm very impressed.
avolcano on HNThis is awesome! Well defined, and I like the design and intro video. I wish there were something like this for writing journal articles. Right now, it's a total pain.
rafeed on HN
Could become the definitive way to publish and buy books online
From 1 comment
This has the potential to become the definitive way to publish and buy books online. Amazingly well done.
taylorlapeyre on HN
Objections
Not responsive on mobile devices
From 1 comment
As the frontend dev, any insight as to why you didn't go responsive with this? It's a nice looking site and you did a great job, but I'm surprised - since this is a publishing…
jimhart3000 on HN
Print output not yet supported; print-ready version requires manual work
From 1 comment
Thanks! Glad it looks tempting. We've definitely looked into print. It's a tough nut to crack, and the ecosystem might not be mature enough yet for automatic integration. Lulu,…
mhartl on HN
Sales tax handling unclear for some countries
From 1 comment
This is very interesting and well done. I have a few questions. 1. Am I allowed to sell the files elsewhere? For example, sell the .mobi file on Amazon Kindle and publish a…
acangiano on HN
Requests
Print integration with printers
From 1 comment
Congrats on the launch. Looks great and is tempting me to take a real stab at writing I've always flirted with. Q: is there planned integration with print? Could you send out…
siculars on HN
Free preview chapters in HTML version
From 1 comment
Do authors have the option of providing a book preview for free online rather than the entire thing? Or does that feature only allow for the entire book to be made free online?
thaweatherman on HN
Publish source code of Softcover itself
From 1 comment
Thanks for that info, but my question was about the source code of Softcover itself.
hrjet on HN
Questions
How does it differ from Leanpub
From 1 comment
How does this differ from leanpub?
globalpanic on HN
Whether sales tax can be collected, e.g. Canadian GST/PST
From 1 comment
This is very interesting and well done. I have a few questions. 1. Am I allowed to sell the files elsewhere? For example, sell the .mobi file on Amazon Kindle and publish a…
acangiano on HN
Where the source code is hosted
From 1 comment
This looks great. I was not able to find out myself: Where is the source-code hosted?
hrjet on HN
Alternatives named
Leanpub
From 2 comments
Seems like an alternative to https://leanpub.com/ with much better design. I'm very impressed.
avolcano on HNHow does this differ from leanpub?
globalpanic on HN
Pandoc
From 1 comment
I'm so excited about this! I'm currently drafting the last few chapters for Explore Flask (web development book funded via Kickstarter) and the whole self-publishing process is a…
rpicard on HN