Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Scriptures update given at the conference in Sandy, UT

  • All of the work on the texts has been completed.
  • PDFs for all 3 volumes are available for download from scriptures.info.
  • The online scriptures have been updated with the final texts.
  • Paperback versions of our scriptures are in the process of being produced and should begin to be available within the next 1-2 weeks. They will be formatted exactly the same as the leather-bound scriptures. They will be broken down into 6 parts as follows:
    • The Old Covenants: Genesis - 1 Chronicles
    • The Old Covenants: 2 Chronicles - Malachi
    • The New Testament
    • The Book of Mormon
    • Teachings and Commandments
    • A Glossary of Gospel Terms
    • No paperback will be more than 700 pages, in the hopes that the bindings will last longer than the previous paperbacks have.
  • The paperback versions will be available in 3 sizes:
    • A5, which is only slightly smaller than 6 x 9 - this is the same size as the leather scriptures.
    • A4, which is only slightly larger than 8.5 x 11 - this will be the large print version.
    • 5 x 7 - this will be the compact version.
    • The A5s will come first, then the large print A4s, then the compact 5 x 7s.
    • The paperback versions will be sold individually rather than by the set.
  • Once the paperback versions are available, hardback versions will also be produced in:
    • A5
    • 8.5 x 11 (A4 not available in hardback)
    • 5 x 8 (5x7 not available in hardback)
  • All of the paperback and hardback books will be Print-On-Demand. There will be many shopping websites worldwide where you can purchase them, including:
    • scriptures.shop
    • Amazon
    • Barnes and Noble
    • Foyles
    • Waterstones
    • Booktopia
    • BookDepository
    • Espresso Book Machines
    • There are many more, and a complete list will be made available soon on scriptures.shop.
  • The Android app will be updated with the final text and some new features in about a month. New features will include:
    • The ability to add, remove, and navigate to bookmarks.
    • The app will open to the last chapter & paragraph the user was reading previously.
    • Improved formatting of the text (showing the same styles as on scriptures.info).
    • Full-color maps
    • Text-to-Speech for listening to the current chapter, with settings for adjusting the voice locale (US/UK), gender, and reading speed.
    • Double tap to hide or show the top/bottom bars while reading
    • Swipe left or right to go to the next or previous chapter
  • There is no updated information on the iPhone at this time.
  • Ebook formats are being created from the final texts, and once completed, they can be downloaded from scriptures.info for free. The first round of basic ebook files will hopefully be ready in the next few weeks. Down the road, an updated version of each have greater indexing and linking capabilities. The ebook formats will include:
    • ePub
    • Mobi
    • Kindle
  • Pre-ordering of the leather scriptures will hopefully start within the next month - but please do not hold us to the timing given here. We've been reminded continually by the unfolding of this project that there is always more to do than we anticipated. Pre-orders will need to be placed as quickly as possible so that by the time the printer has the paper ordered and in hand, we will be able to provide them with the types and amounts of the different cover choices. We won't have pricing for the leather scriptures until we have seen final samples from the printers competing for our order. We hope to make the final decision within the next few weeks. Once we decide on the printer, we will know what the pricing will be and pre-orders can begin. We will keep you informed.
  • Enough interest and research has gone into developing an audio version of the new scriptures that such a project merits consideration. Audio playback is already available on scriptures.info and in the coming update of the Android app, but those are computer generated voices. Those involved in the scriptures project aren't intending to take this on - it's a project unto itself. There is important information already gathered that needs to be shared with anyone interested in taking on the project. If you are interested in undertaking or assisting with a project to produce audio scriptures, send an email to REaudioscriptures@gmail.com. As soon as there is a small group ready to consider it, those people will be connected and can determine for themselves how to move forward. 
  • Additional information about the leather scriptures will come in the next couple of weeks, as soon as a few important decisions are made. Though the process for obtaining the leather scriptures has seemed to take far longer than one would suppose, there are a surprising number of steps and not all of them are tightly controllable. We're grateful for all those who have helped out with the research process and expect that when we finally have the scriptures in hand, they will not disappoint. These will be high quality, generational books that are expected to last, if well cared for, more than a lifetime.
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