Desktop Author

A digital publishing tool for creating interactive eBooks and multimedia documents.

Overview

Desktop Author is a publishing application for Windows aimed at users seeking to produce interactive eBooks, presentations, newsletters, photo albums, and more without advanced technical expertise. It stands out for its ability to generate digital publications with realistic page-flipping effects, providing readers with an engaging visual experience reminiscent of a physical book.

Features and Functionality

At its core, Desktop Author focuses on user-friendly eBook creation. Users can easily insert formatted text, images, shapes, and even multimedia elements such as MPEGs and Flash movies into their projects. The resulting documents closely resemble printed publications, complete with clickable page corners for lifelike navigation.

The application includes preset buttons, built-in templates, and a basic image editor, reducing reliance on third-party graphic design tools. Templates help novices start quickly, while experienced users can benefit from features that allow text to flow between pages and text boxes, enhancing layout flexibility.

Desktop Author also offers personalization options, enabling users to customize the “about” dialog and right-click menus for a branded touch. For multimedia-rich projects, embedded or streamed Flash, Windows Media, and QuickTime content are supported, as well as virtual reality media.

Interface and Usability

The graphical user interface (GUI) borrows elements from traditional desktop publishing applications, featuring drag-and-drop placement and snap-to alignment guides. However, the abundance of features can make navigation confusing for beginners. Unlike some modern publishing tools, Desktop Author does not provide a dynamic properties inspector—requiring users to hunt through menus to modify settings and styles for selected items.

New users may need time to adapt, but the inclusion of step-by-step help and documentation assists with the learning curve. Core functions, such as inserting images or adjusting text formatting, are handled intuitively once users acclimate to the workflow.

Publishing and Distribution

Upon completion, publications can be exported as DNL files—Desktop Author’s proprietary format—requiring readers to use a companion DNL Reader. Alternatively, projects can be packaged as standalone executable files for easier distribution.

For commercial publishers, the app provides integrated DRM solutions and payment gateways, allowing direct selling of eBooks. This is further supplemented by connections to the eBrochures.com platform, extending document reach without extra steps.

Performance and Limitations

Document compilation is generally smooth but may take time on longer or media-heavy projects. While the DNL format provides security and advanced display options, reliance on a proprietary reader can be inconvenient for some audiences. Additionally, the trial version restricts projects to only two pages, limiting users’ ability to fully evaluate the program’s long-term capabilities before purchase.

While Desktop Author does not challenge heavyweight layout software in terms of advanced design tools or typography, its balance of interactivity, multimedia embedding, and straightforward workflow makes it viable for hobbyists, educators, marketers, and small businesses seeking to produce polished digital publications without hiring professional designers.