Handling the rising ePub Tower of Device Babble

For the last year of so we have been making ePubs that have been dumbed down for products using Adobe ADE.  This is generally not a problem for formless content (explained well here) such as standard novels and general non-fiction, but becomes an issue with a lot of trade books that have definite content - content with well-defined form and layout, where layout and style really matters as part of the reading experience.

ADE has a number of CSS behaviour problems which significantly affects the ability to effectively handle books with definite content. To handle this we process a magnificently styled ePub into a slightly squalid compromise thing that ADE can handle. So far iPad exhibits none of these problems. We continue to test, but with drama and poetry iPad has done well.

The business problem for Publishers (and us), is:

1. How to get a definite content ADE ePub dumbed-down to retailers and aggregators that are locked into the ADE presentation engine, and
2. a wonderful fully styled iPad ePub to the iBookstore.
3. be fearlessly ready for whatever comes in the future.

In addition to creating hundreds of ePubs every month, our digital content publishing framework also includes a product IGP:Distribution Manager. This is used by discerning publishers to distribute e-Books and Print on Demand PDFs to a large number of aggregators, resellers and printers. The Apple iBookstore is currently being added to the list.

We have been faced with the problem of how to delivery the best ePub for various devices with different capabilities. We didn't want to send the "dumbed down for ADE" ePubs to iPad.

The answer was not simple but it is elegant and improves the future-proofing of content, and reduction of production costs.

Commercial ePubs with DRM are terminal

A commercial publisher's ePub lands into an environment where it comes under DRM rules. From that point on it is a terminal format, it can't go backwards.We take advantage of the fact it is more or less locked down to a device or reader solution from that point on.

So we have integrated the dumbing down of styling into the distribution application rather than in production. The new workflow is:

1. Make a fully standards compliant ePub using all the allowed CSS values (and even a few new CSS-3 styles to keep up with the state of play)
2. Store that wonderful, amazingly styled ePub into the distribution system archive repository.
3. When it is time to send the ePub to an aggregator channel, process the appropriate target device dumb-down presentation rules. The original stays pristine, perfect and pretty.
4. The delivered ePub gives the best possible end user experience for the device they have choosen.

Not quite perfect

The downside of this is, sometime in the future, the devices supported by a particular aggregator may improve. In this case the option will be to update the ePub presentation options from the distribution point rather than going back to production.   

The extended downside is the user of an old device who then purchases a newly upgraded ePub may get some funny, unexpected effects.

An imperfect solution, but certainly better than keeping ePubs dumbed down to the lowest common denominator and hearing complaints about crappy e-books. Digital books with definite content need at least the same production values as their print cousins, but this cost should only have to be absorbed once.

At least Publishers of content that needs superior layout and presentation now know they have the simple option and mechanism of having the distribution dumb-down rule changed with a resupply option.

One thing is for sure, until content goes XHTML5 and bypasses devices and is delivered into browsers (or inside apps), it is not going to be possible to keep all of the people happy all of the time. 

Comments

[Naushad Ashraf]

Hi, I am working on creating ePub for Apple IPAD device. I have few queries which need to be clarify for creating a good epub files -

1. Dead link - I have linked one footnote number to text and text again to reverse footnote number. When i clicked on number, it went to footnote text and i scroll back again to that number. After that, i found that the footnote number links is not active. Please explain why this has happend? Is it Ipad limitation or any further solution?

2. Blank spaces - Blank spaces originate at the end of sections. Please provide solution to control this.

Thanks for looking into this.

Regards
Naushad