TK3 Author and TK3 Reader

The Dream Team for Interactive eBooks

By Linda Gruber

I've written several articles about my hopes and dreams for the future of eBooks, but to realize the dream, there needed to be a software capable of producing truly interactive eBooks so authors could provide readers with a unique, new, reading experience. Why? Because eBooks can offer readers more than just a different way to read text. To take full advantage of the digital medium, the software of my dreams had to do the following:

  1. Produce an eBook that works on both Mac™ and Windows™ platforms.

  2. Provide authors with the tools to write, define fonts, and format text inside the program, as well as the ability to import formatted .txt or .html files.

  3. Provide for hyperlink jumps and triggers, pop-up windows, rollovers, sounds, movies, and image maps all of which allow authors to incorporate interactivity into their stories.

  4. Provide an option for two page spreads and page flips. (Scrolling is fine for linear text, but it's not very good for interactive reading nor does it accommodate instruction manuals with large diagrams that need to be viewed alongside the descriptive text. And what about children's books? Scrolling destroys the element of surprise that young readers enjoy when a page turn reveals an illustration on a two page spread.)

  5. Produce eBooks that are searchable, easily navigated, and capable of bookmarking so the reader can pick up where s/he left off.

  6. Allow for customization of the appearance so backgrounds, buttons, and graphics can be used to enhance the setting or mood of the story.

  7. Provide some kind of protection against copyright infringement. (It needs to at least provide the effectiveness of a locked door on a house which may not stop a determined burglar, but will set a boundary that honest folks will observe.)

  8. Provide transition effects between page turns and jumps so the reader can observe the page change after clicking on a button or link.

I knew that many of these features could already be accomplished on web pages using html and JavaScripts. In fact, I created the original version of "The Haunted Castle Mystery" as a game on my web site using both html and JavaScripts to supply the interactivity for the game. That experience taught me an important lesson. Browsers can't be depended upon to keep doing things the same way with each new version. I expected JavaScript incompatibility between browsers and platforms, but I didn't count on newer browsers changing my formerly hidden, black links on black pages to vivid blue.

I had searched the WWW for my dream software, but I'd given up hope by the time Bob Stein sent me a sample TK3 eBook in February 2000. The software was in beta then, but Bob knew from my articles that I would be interested in seeing what he and others were cooking up at Night Kitchen™. TK3 was obviously designed for authors to create the kind of interactive eBooks I'd been dreaming about, but my first question was, "Is this only for a Mac?" Bob said that publishing with either Mac or Windows TK3 authoring software would produce an eBook that was readable on either platform by using the appropriate TK3 Reader™ for that computer.

I immediately went to Night Kitchen's web site to sign on as a beta tester. To my delight, TK3's authoring tool was everything I'd been looking for and more. Not only did it meet all my dream criteria, but TK3 Reader added additional features allowing readers to take notes, hilite text, paste a sticky note, and dogear a page.

I found TK3 Author™ intuitive and reasonably easy to learn once I'd studied the tutorial and manual. Even better, the tutorial was written with TK3, so it was simple to search for specifics and take an interactive refresher course whenever I wanted to incorporate a particular function in my eBook. Writing within TK3, rather than just pouring in text from html files, is an inspiration that every author should experience. The synergy that occurs when writing with this software is thrilling. It was an absolute revelation to discover an array of opportunities for adding reader interactivity to the story while writing chapters within TK3 Author.

Once I had the basics down, I decided to put TK3 Author through its paces which meant learning to use other software so I could employ the multimedia features. First of all, Quick Time™ movies are used in TK3 Author. Macromedia Flash™ and .gif animations can be converted to Quick Time .mov format, but since I'd never done a Quick Time movie, I had to license and learn to use Quick Time Pro™ authoring software. My next step was to test several different sound programs for making voice and sound effect files which I converted to Quick Time format. Eventually, I had added sound effects, voice files, animated movies, image maps, rollovers, and dozens upon dozens of graphics, illustrations, and pop-ups to my TK3 eBook.

Together, the TK3 Author and TK3 Reader duo are the dream team for interactive electronic books. The only drawback is that a potential purchaser can't view a true example of a TK3 eBook online. TK3 eBooks can only be read from a CD or hard drive after installing the free TK3 Reader for your Mac or Windows computer. The upside to this is that rather than relying on an inconsistent browser, readers can see an eBook that looks exactly the same whether using the Mac or Windows TK3 Reader.

I finally published my interactive, multimedia, mystery in December 2000. (Just in time to enter it in the first, annual Independent e-Book Awards.) I'm proud to say that "The Haunted Castle Mystery" finished second in the digital storytelling category. Another TK3 eBook, "Cavemen in the Hedges" by Stacey Richter finished first in the short story category. A downloadable sample of each is available on Night Kitchen's sample page. ("The Haunted Castle Mystery" sample version was written specifically to demonstrate TK3's array of interactive features.)

The opinions and comments contained herein are those of Linda Gruber of Novel Art. Linda is not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this article.

Third party trademarks, trade names, and product contained in this article may be the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Apple Macintosh, Power Mac, and Quick Time are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. TK3 Author and TK3 Reader are trademarks of Night Kitchen, LLP. Macromedia and Flash are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.