Publishing with XML

XML Trenches. Bad DocBook

The XML Trenches posts are case studies of real-world publisher XML events. The idea is to illustrate the fact that digital content strategies need the right tools and approach, and are a guide to help publishers make the right decisions.

We just received a DocBook XML file from a publisher who asked, "Can this be used to make a Mobipocket for Amazon?". The DocBook XML had already been used by the producer to make an ePub. We cracked it open to have a look.

It was a valid and well-formed DocBook file with a custom namespace, but there were significant tagging and structural errors which stop it being usable except by spending time = money. I have posted on this before in Sustainable XML Strategies.

This is the issue with every DocBook produced book XML I have ever seen. They cannot be used to produce more outputs without significant analysis, time and more work. 

Image Control XHTML and CSS

I was asked for a code snippet the Using ePub blog, on controlling image size and positioning with CSS. This is more correctly an XML question, than ePub, so I have given the answer here.

We have a defined and controlled grammar XHTML we call IGP:FoundationXHTML, or FX for short. This delivers content strategies that are consistent, simple, reusable and processable. FX is the heart that allows the same XHTML to produce sophisticated print PDF, eBook formats, packages and other files easily and instantly.

The real need for publishers of content of all types is not ePubs - ePub is as terminal a format as paper,  especially once DRM is applied. Publishers need a current and future-value digital content strategy. FX delivers that.

On to the snippet!

The XML trenches: Part One

We generally work with publishers who need real, long-term, digital content strategies for real business objectives; rather than just producing e-pubs and mobi files for Kindle. Infogrid Pacific is more of a publisher "Digital Content Strategy Boutique" than a BPO data-processing warehouse. We don't touch bulk BPO data-processing type work as there are plenty of providers around for that stuff. 

We are digital-content journey-men who do not claim to have seen it all, but sure have seen a lot! The XML Trenches series is designed to use real world stories to assist those putting their toes in the XML waters to learn from experience. For obvious reasons I cannot use company and people's names.

We had a 2004 ArbourText machine generated XML textbook sent to us by a North American textbook major for processing back to a facsimile of the original book. From what we understand it was sent to a number of Indian digitization facilities-a competitive thingy. Normally we don't participate in those, but the job was somewhat interesting.