- EPUB 3 is the standard for digital publishing and is supported by many major platforms like iBooks and Google Play. The Readium project provides an open-source reference platform for fully implementing EPUB 3. - The W3C Digital Publishing Interest Group is working to improve web standards for digital publishing through specifications around typography, annotations, metadata, and more. This will benefit EPUB. - EPUB 3 will continue to be enhanced through additions like fixed layout support, indexes, dictionaries/glossaries, and a profile for educational content called EDUPUB. These extensions not require changes to the EPUB 3 core specification.

1. Bill Kasdorf
VP and Principal Consultant,Apex Content Solutions
Agile Processes,
Agile Publications
Making the Most of New and Upcoming
Technologies and Standards

2. First, a few givens . . .
. . . along with
some helpful things*
you should know about them.
*Too many to go into detail in the time we have here.
My presentation will be available;
e-mail me if you need links:
bkasdorf@apexcovantage.com

3. A Few Givens
It’s a multichannel world now.
E-Book Readers
EPUB is the consensus standard
Tablets and Phones
Responsive design via CSS Media Queries
Platforms and Retailer Apps
iBooks, Google Play, VitalSource, etc.
Online
Increasingly, the books, not just their metadata.

4. A Few Givens
It’s a multichannel world now.
Web technology is ubiquitous.
The Open Web Platform
W3C standards like XML, HTML, CSS, MathML
are the basis for virtually all digital publishing:
Online via browsers
Apps and Platforms
E-Books
All are increasingly HTML5-based

5. A Few Givens
It’s a multichannel world now.
Web technology is ubiquitous.
Print isn’t going away.
InDesign
Upcoming release: greatly improved EPUB export
CSS-Based Rendering of PDFs
from XML/XHTML via Formatters
O’Reilly’sAtlas usesAntenna House
Hachette uses PrinceXML via Infogrid Pacific

6. A Few Givens
It’s a multichannel world now.
Web technology is ubiquitous.
Print isn’t going away.
Metadata matters.
Thema
Global subject headings; international collaboration,
20+ national groups, 15+ languages
schema.org
Enables faceted search, entities in the browser
ONIX 3.0
Modular, frequently updated, optimized for digital
products and series; ONIX 2.1 support ends in 2014

7. A Few Givens
It’s a multichannel world now.
Web technology is ubiquitous.
Print isn’t going away.
Metadata matters.
So does accessibility.
Diagram Center
Great “how to” resource for accessibility
Accessible Image Sample Book
Examples for maps, charts, diagrams, math, etc.
Benetech / Bookshare
Partnerswithpublisherstocreateaccessibleversions
andprovidethemtoqualifiedrecipients

8. A Few Givens
It’s a multichannel world now.
Web technology is ubiquitous.
Print isn’t going away.
Metadata matters.
So does accessibility.
What’s not online is invisible.
Interoperability is essential.
Standards make it all work.
Lots is happening!
Key organizations are actively working
to address issues in these areas

9. NEWS FLASH:
The Web was not
created for publishing.

10. NEWS FLASH:
The Web was not
created for publishing.

11. NEWS FLASH:
The Web was not
created for publishing.
It was mainly created for
communication,
finding stuff,
and selling stuff.

12. The W3C
has formed the
Digital Publishing
Interest Group
to explore how
Web technologies
can be improved
for publishing.

13. Why should I care?
I hardly ever think about
my website.

14. The basic options for delivering
digital publications:
An App.
Programmed for a specific OS.
The Browser.
Standard online delivery.
E-Reader.
Getting closer to
one-file-works-everywhere.

15. The basic options for delivering
digital publications:
An App.
Programmed for a specific OS.
The Browser.
Standard online delivery.
E-Reader.
Getting closer to
one-file-works-everywhere.
Behind almost
all of these:
The Open Web
Platform
(OWP),
colloquially
referred to as
HTML5.

16. The Open Web Platform
Over 100 W3C specs:
XML, HTML, CSS, SVG,
MathML, many more.
HTML5
The structure.
CSS3
The styling.
JavaScript
The functionality.

17. W3C Digital Publishing Interest Group
Main mission:
Document use cases
for things publishers need to do
using web technologies.
Work with appropriate
W3C Working Groups
to update the specifications
and standards.

18. Current Areas of Work in the DPIG:
Typography and Layout
Achieving print-quality rendering via CSS
Annotations and Social Reading
With W3C and EPUB Annotations WGs
Accessibility and Personalization
Very broad, overlaps all other areas
Behavioral UI
Standardizing things like pop-ups
Metadata
Optimizing schema.org for publishing
Drop Caps!
Intensive activity in W3C CSS WG;
implementation interest from Google, Mozilla,Adobe
Footnotes! Headers and footers!
High interest, high priority;
these intersect with “regions,” annotations work
DPIG is helping to get these things to happen.

19. Current Areas of Work in the DPIG:
Typography and Layout
Achieving print-quality rendering via CSS
Annotations and Social Reading
With W3C and EPUB Annotations WGs
Accessibility and Personalization
Very broad, overlaps all other areas
Behavioral UI
Standardizing things like pop-ups
Metadata
Optimizing schema.org for publishing

20. schema.org
A standard set of properties and terms
for describing “things” on the Web.
Faceted search natively in the browser.
Governed and agreed to by the major
search engines and browsers.
Enables “rich snippets” via microdata:
names, dates, events, addresses, etc.
Properties recently added for
education and accessibility.

21. Remember:
it’s not just about your website.
The Open Web Platform
is fundamental
to the how content is
Developed
Discovered
Delivered

22. The basic options for delivering
digital publications:
An App.
Programmed for a specific OS.
The Browser.
Standard online delivery.
E-Reader.
Getting closer to
one-file-works-everywhere.
Behind almost
all of these:
The Open Web
Platform
(OWP),
colloquially
referred to as
HTML5.
The free, open,
non-proprietary
standard for
delivery of
publications
based on the
OWP is
EPUB 3.

23. The Mandate for EPUB 3
Based on open standards, royalty free
Support all types of publications
Enable multimedia and interactivity
Global language support
Accessibility
Sophisticated design, layout, typography
Backwards compatible with EPUB 2.0.1
Extensible, modular architecture

24. But wait . . .
does this actually work
anywhere yet?

25. Yes.
(Are you surprised to know that?)
iBooks is EPUB 3-compliant.
So is Kobo. So is Google Play.
And VitalSource and CourseSmart.
Many others now support EPUB 3.
Best right now: READIUM.
(Note the use of the word “best” . . .)

26. READIUM
Open source project
to implement all
features of EPUB 3.
Readium plug-in for
Chrome is the best
reference platform.
Readium SDK
makes it easy (& free)
for developers to
implement EPUB 3
in their systems.

27. The New BISG EPUB 3 Support Grid:
(epubtest.org)
What features work on which systems.
Interactive, dynamic, continually updated.

28. epubtest.org
Second generation of BISG EPUB 3 Grid
Uses IDPF’s EPUB 3 Compliance Test Suite
A master set of authoritative files
designed to test reading system compliance
for each specific EPUB 3 feature.
View current results for a reading system,
or compare implementation of a feature by RSs.
Adding accessibility support
reporting this summer.

29. Okay, so we’re done, right?
They aren’t going to be
making any changes, are they?

30. Of course we’re not done!
EPUB 3 was designed to be
modular and extensible.
The key is that what is in EPUB 3.0
won’t change, it will just be augmented.

31. Upcoming Improvements to EPUB 3
EPUB 3.0.1 in final stages of approval
Most changes are spec clarifications/corrections
Most important changes:
Integration of Fixed Layout specifications
New <collection> element groups components
Additions to Structural Semantics Vocabulary
and enabling changes without spec revision
EPUBCheck will support
EPUB 3.0.1 in August.

32. Upcoming Improvements to EPUB 3
New specification for Indexes in EPUBs
Spec final, working on implementation roadmap;
accommodates back-of-book or embedded indexes,
link to page breaks or specific points
Draft specification released for
Dictionaries and Glossaries in EPUBs
Will enable standalone dictionaries and
glossary or dictionary content as
part of an EPUB publication

33. Upcoming Improvements to EPUB 3
Specification in development for
Advanced Hybrid Layout
Enables combination of
fixed layout and reflowable EPUBs
Multiple renditions in a single .epub container
“Region of Interest” definition and navigation
Designed for manga, comics, graphic novels
Also includes Magazine Vocabulary

34. Upcoming Improvements to EPUB 3
Developing EDUPUB
EPUB Profile for Educational Content
Based on contributions from Pearson & O’Reilly
Includes detailed “Structural Semantics
Vocabulary” for textbooks/educational content
Designed as delivery format, including
metadata, widgets, customizable CSS,
and “distributable objects”
An EDUPUB is by definition an EPUB 3

35. THE EDUPUB ALLIANCE
IDPF
Developing EDUPUB EPUB Profile
and Open Source Widget Library
IMS Global
Key educational/pedagogical standards:
QTI (Question and Test Interoperability)
LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability)
Caliper (Analytics framework)
W3C
Responsible for Open Web Platform

36. Upcoming Improvements to EPUB 3
Announced at IDPF Digital Book on May 29,
Public Drafts of four specifications:
EDUPUB Profile
Open Annotation in EPUB
EPUB Distributable Objects
EPUB Widget Packaging and Integration

37. In conclusion, remember three TLAs
and one FLA:
XML
W3C
OWP
EPUB
Watch this space!

38. Thanks!
Bill Kasdorf
bkasdorf@apexcovantage.com
+1 734 904 6252
@BillKasdorf