Creative Book Builder Reviews – Page 3
4/5 rating based on 49 reviews. Read all reviews for Creative Book Builder for iPhone.
Creative Book Builder is paid iOS app published by Tiger Ng
So far so good
Lordbiffles
I'm new to creating ebooks, but this certainly beats working with HTML and trying to eliminate errors from Word Docs. BEST WAY to throw a previously written document into this app and turn it into a viable ePub book is to import via google Drive. You get pre-made paragraphs that way. Cover creator works pretty flawlessly. I'm impressed that it showed right up in iBooks. I am the type of person to write books that are several hundred pages, not 24 page kids' books full of pictures. If you are that type, there are other apps that may fill your needs.
crashes!
Always hopeful
Program crashes every time I try and record audio. Won't let me select my own audio files.
Very fast and easy...
RonAtCM
...to use. I found myself doing productive work with illustrations and various text formats within minutes. A little unwieldy to type in a lot of text, but the app easily accepts text, markdown, and HTML pasted inputs as well.
disappointed
macthetaro
Note; Title disappear, font format and CR are gone, some Book settings reset when I Copy Book. And I can not copy or move elements from book to book. -------------------- No document size could change. PDF import is poor. Pages document import is not useful.
Impressive...
RoryBlyth
The workflow is very different from any other application I've ever used for writing, but it didn't take long to adapt to the CBB way of doing things. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's hard to complain. The number of features makes up for the drawbacks (mostly - there are a couple things that *need* to be fixed). I assume everything will improve with time (please continue development - don't abandon the project the way so many app developers do - what you have here is a great product with a ton of potential to be even better). There are three things, though, that I think ought to be addressed before anything else: 1. When editing an element (such as a paragraph), it would be nice if the text view automatically receives focus. Right now, there's just the "Tap on the area below to begin typing" title (I forget the exact words, but that's close enough). When I select an element (paragraph, title, whatever), it's because I want to edit it. It might sound like a petty complaint, but it seems like most "elements" are subclasses of some base, abstract "element" that *always* represents an editable item. I don't know if I'm making sense right now - it's late and I forgot to eat because I've been having such a good time getting to know CBB. Point being, if I tap on, for example, a "paragraph" element, when the paragraph appears, I want to be able to start editing it immediately. I don't want to tap on the text field. It's an unnecessary step in the process that gets very old very quickly. 2. After I've selected an element to edit and tapped the text field to do my editing, the view is automatically resized to accommodate the iPad's soft keyboard. That's fine, but I use a bluetooth keyboard for anything that requires a significant amount of typing (like the review I'm writing). I use several apps on a regular basis that require a lot of typing, and they all handle external keyboards properly (when I turn on the bluetooth keyboard, the soft keyboard disappears, and the text views resize to take advantage of the newly freed space). CBB needs to do the same thing. It's sort of frustrating to be typing in a text view that only takes up half the screen (the bottom half is just empty - black). Given that CBB is an app designed specifically for writing, it's surprising that it isn't "aware" of external keyboards. I can't imagine writing even a short story using the soft keyboard (no offense to Apple - the soft keyboard is fine for filling out fields here and there, but it's not a comfortable way to write a few thousand words in a row). 3. The cover editing is clunky. I tried using some drawing apps to get around the problem (designing the cover using a drawing app, exporting to a png, then importing the png in CBB). Despite using canvas sizes that correspond to the iPad's screen ratio, I haven't been able to get a cover to look right. You have the basic tools in place - resizing image views, moving them around, being able to push an image to the back or bring an image to the front - it's tricky to develop that stuff, so kudos there. What bothers me is that you're *so close* to having a system that works - the features are good, but the overall experience lacks finesse. If you can take what you have and just refine it, the cover design aspect of CBB would be adequate. Anyway... although I've spent a lot of time writing about the bits of the app I'm not happy with, I want to be clear: I took the time to write this because I think the app is mostly great. Being able to assemble epub's on an iOS device is something I've wanted to be able to do for ages. For the most part, CBB is snazzy. It's worth more than what I paid (at the time I'm writing this, I think I paid $4 or something). I'd have given the exact same review even if the app were three or four times more expensive. I'm very happy with it - I'm glad I bought it, and for anybody who's reading this and wondering if it's worth it: it is. It's a brilliant product for the price of a latte. Or a box of granola bars. Or a tub of ice-cream. But CBB doesn't get cold, stale, or melt. We're used to apps being a dollar or two, so anything over a couple bucks seems expensive. If you take a step back and remember that desktop applications used to cost at least forty bucks a pop (with many costing far more), something like this is a no-brainer. Generally speaking, if you decide to wait until the app is "perfect", you'll be waiting a long time. I figured - and I was right - that there would be some clunky bits here and there, but with a little more work, I think CBB will be fantastic. However, if you don't buy it, the devs don't make the money they need to continue working on it. In other words, if you're on the fence, just buy it. It's great as it is, and every dollar we spend is another dollar they can put toward perfecting this thing. For purely selfish reasons, I encourage all of you to invest in CBB so it can become a five-star app. Think about it: your money could fund the bluetooth keyboard problem I mentioned a few thousand words ago. What kind of person would pass up the opportunity to bring us all one step closer to the app being everything I want it to be? A bad person. That's what kind. Are you that kind of person? If you don't buy the app, then, yes: you are that kind of person. Don't be that kind of person. I consider every sale of CBB to be a down payment on my happiness, and that's more important than your latte.
Do not work properly.
pcjleal
The App download the book, but change the name and is impossible to fix.
Can't edit, no tutorials
Geoffrey Wright
I couldn't even get started because I can't even edit my chapter titles. It would be helpful if there were a tutorial
Real epub publishing
Toe Bone
This is a fine app for real publishing. Not that watered down, mail to friends or read in iBook. If you're serious about getting a book to iTunes, this the way to go. With the latest update, there are some preset templates. Use your creative ways and stay with the original. Edit photos,(uses Avairy- another great app- built in). Preview the book in iBooks just like those you download. The real thing. Do it now.
The only one I've found
bbecker2
that isn't for parents who want to make a 'book' of their family vacation to send to grandma. This is a serious tool. Mr. Ng- PLEASE continue to update and support your product! Thanks!