Write Once Read Many (Ipg Conference 2010)

“ Write once, read many” Planning for, producing and delivering agile content IPG Conference March 19, 2010

An overview of today’s discussion
“ Why” tackle agile content?
What is XML?
Why do I need to know about it?
Is it going to go away?
If not, is it relevant to my business?
“ How” to make content agile?
What are the benefits and costs?
When will I see an ROI?
How do I get started?
What are the best ways to save on implementation?
“ It’s all well and good telling me about XML, but I don’t have ONIX yet! Is XML a priority for me?”

So what is XML?
Short for “extensible markup language”
Identifies elements (the building blocks of content) and defines document structure
Can create or adapt elements to capture specific niche structures or taxonomies
Allows publishers to customize the presentation of elements across multiple uses
With XML, you get a host of acronyms and related terms. We’ve posted two glossaries online at http://bit.ly/ahxDGi.

Tagging (mark-up) defines structure and separates content from design Traditional Print-Centric Approach Content Structure Design Three linked elements; one output opportunity Content-Centric Approach Content and structure are linked; design is separate Multiple output opportunities Migrating to agile content Adapted from work by David Young and Phil Madans, Hachette Books Content Structure Design

Using XML applications, multiple formats can be generated from a single source (file) Structural components of the work are identified and connected to the content Print book (multiple formats) Aggregation (e.g., annual “best of” publication…) Mobile Web page Syndication, more Disengaging design increases agility ebook PDF (e.g., SITB) Adapted from work by David Young and Phil Madans, Hachette Books Content Structure Design

If you’ve tagged for structure, you can also tag for context (meaning)
Formats are supported by consistent tagging for structure
All content that crosses platforms benefits from structural tagging
Recombinant, aggregated, syndicated and searchable uses rely on contextual tagging
“ Chunkable” or repurposed content benefits most from contextual tagging

Publishers must balance process complexity with content agility Starting point – XML transition “ Write once, read once” (single-format delivery) “ Write once, read many” (supporting multiple formats and uses)

Why do I need to know about XML?
A “Copernican shift”, with IP (not a printed book) at the center
Old channels atrophying
New channels rising
Multiple formats with significant transform costs
Demand for web-ready marketing content
Recombinant and “chunked content”
Need to link IP and rights
Cost management AND revenue growth
Different models for different kinds of books
One size cannot fit all (a strength for XML)

Is the need for XML a passing fad?
Mark-up (tagging) is a core component of book production
XML and its predecessor, SGML, are three decades old
STM and journal publishers were early adopters of SGML
Recent growth in use of XML among professional, business and some trade publishers
Still, the question isn’t as much “ Will XML last? ” as “ Will the need for more agile content persist or grow? ”
To understand the need for agile content, we surveyed the toughest audience we could find …

Editors’ views on the need for agile content
100% noted some or a lot of problems with content storage and retrieval
89% noted that additional formats take more work
71% plan for more than one use of content
62% get files back from printers to edit or update
53% think about chunking or recombining content
No editor felt “everything was fine; no need to change”

The upside for more agile content

Core take-aways from our survey
Almost everyone sees a value in cost-effectively supporting more formats
For most publishers, the ability to manage multiple formats is far from “under control”
Content storage and retrieval is not a “science”
Increasingly, publishers and editors are looking for the flexibility and control that XML can provide

In a nutshell, if you need to…
Reduce direct or indirect content costs …
Improve content storage and retrieval …
Make greater use of ebook, large-print or POD formats, or …
Get ready for a more robust content marketplace, then …
Agile content (née XML) is relevant to your business

Implementing XML: benefits vs. costs
An investment in content agility requires advance planning
It often leads to changes in processes, technologies and organizational structures and roles
Publishers must learn and apply new tools in new ways
Different types of books benefit to greater or lesser degrees from an investment in XML

Estimating XML’s potential benefits Many Few or none Frequency of or potential for reuse Travel and tourism Cookbooks STM Author or annotated editions Travelogues Tests Fictional series Historical fiction (opportunity to capture people, places, events) Novels “ Chunks” Low High Religion (esp Bibles) Business Education Reference Scholarly monographs

How do I obtain a return on my investment? Business case components taken from “StartWithXML: Why and How” research paper, section 2.1

Digital marketing Custom publishing Content aggregation

Agile solutions fall into three “buckets” Increasing cost or complexity Increasing cost or complexity
XML editors
Word 2007
InDesign/InCopy
Sharepoint
Workflow solutions (e.g., K4)
“ DIY”
Outsourced DADs (codeMantra, Ingram, etc.)
In-house (e.g. MarkLogic)
Standard transforms (“collect for print”)
EPUB output
Custom transforms
Proprietary databases with real-time calls or periodic feeds

Managing and applying transforms XSLT CSS XSLT XSLT XSLT XSLT Large print PDF, print POD Mobi etc. Other* XSL-FO XSL-FO XSL-FO XSLT XSL-FO Why style sheets? They are the tool that makes “write once, read many” possible … *Chunked, recombinant or annotated content

Style sheets lower per-page prep costs Stylesheets Simple = $550 Moderate = $1500 Complex = $2500 Highly complex = $5K - $10K Composition $.50 - $4.25 Adapted from work by Rebecca Goldthwaite, Cengage Learning

The payoff is volume-related Adapted from work by Rebecca Goldthwaite, Cengage Learning

How do I get started? Acquisition Contracts & agreements Editorial Production editorial Production or operations Marketing & sales Develop author guidelines Implement Word templates using XML functionality Keywords (book, chapter) Integrate rights information with content Confirm additional downstream uses With authors, tag for meaning Work with editors to tag and “chunk” Apply style sheets Implement and maintain version control Manage and apply transforms Work with solutions providers Use tags to help target audiences Title-specific SEO/SEM Monitor search and keyword us to inform upstream tagging

Best ways to save on implementation
Begin with the end in mind (plan first)
Commit to sustained change over a period of time
Remember that it’s not (just) about XML
Successful implementation starts with effective planning. Here are five planning and seven implementation “best practices” to keep in mind as you develop more agile content workflows.

Begin with the end in mind … Planning Implementation
Establish and evaluate end-user requirements
Assess your processes across functions and handoffs
Model both current (operational) and future (strategic) benefits
Solicit senior-level support for sustained change
Determine the point at which you want to “start” with XML
Obtain and maintain operating buy-in, support and dialogue
Rank your key business benefits and measure progress openly
Plan for early wins, ideally spread across multiple functions
Exploit the value of prototyping
Capture and share deep editorial knowledge
Foster and communicate objective measurements
Capitalize on the value of new, downstream uses

Commit to sustained change … Planning Implementation

Remember that it’s not (just) about XML … Planning Implementation

So if you are looking to … Goal Keep in mind Streamline ebook production
Standard formats, particularly EPUB, exist
If you support more than EPUB, buy, borrow or create transforms that can be reused across titles
Produce more formats
Figure out the formats first (large print, POD, library edition etc.)
Buy, borrow or develop XSLT and XSL-FO tools that can be shared or easily adapted
Simplify: make XML files that support seamless downstream use
Improve internal processes
Catalog pain points (file maintenance, retrieval, versioning, etc.)
Be clear where XML helps (versus workflow improvement alone)
Focused projects: short or prototyped; senior and operating support; look for early wins

Growing your content breadth Goal Keep in mind Repurpose content
Tie plans back to pain points, where applicable
Buy/develop XSLT and XSL-FO tools that can be shared, adapted
Simplify: make XML files that support seamless downstream use
Create related “chunks”
Prototype and test (make many small mistakes, not one big one)
Test pricing where you can (not an XML suggestion, but …)
Create expanded editions
Survey (be mindful that the expressed need may not be there)
Engage both editors and marketing/sales staff (break down silos)
Develop or use mobile apps
For smaller publishers, app development is likely not a priority
To take advantage of app readers, ask for standards (typically XML-based) and structure content so that it can be ported easily.

Agile content vs. ONIX: who wins?
Agile content is the priority
“ Metadata in Excel is acceptable; keeping print formats as the center of your universe is not” (Laura Dawson)
BIC, BISG offer “alternate routes” to ONIX-leery publishers
Every title published today that is “not agile” is one that will:
Cost money to repurpose later one; or
Be too costly and thus unavailable/ineligible for downstream use
Lesson: invest a lot less now or pay in conversion costs or lost revenues later

Useful links
http://bit.ly/ahxDGi (link to XML and related glossaries)
http://toc.oreilly.com/startwithxml (research paper)
http://www.bisg.org (standards and current issues)
http://www.idpf.org (standards, EPUB)
[email_address]
@brianoleary (Twitter)
www.linkedin.com/in/brianfoleary (LinkedIn)

Write Once Read Many (Ipg Conference 2010)

by Brian O'Leary on Mar 19, 2010

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Write Once Read Many (Ipg Conference 2010) — Presentation Transcript