Re: EPUB 3 Justification

 Hi Liisa, and all.

I'm a self-publishing distributor, operating in Brazil. I do have some
publisher clients for conversion, too, but not too many nowadays. Still,
I'm able to face your question both ways, personally and from my clients
point of view: "why move from EPUB2 to EPUB3?"

For the most simple books, I believe the main argument to such resistant
publisher should be: even EPUB3 most simple book is, right now, better and
more functional than their EPUB2 versions. It's not about a distant
future... it's today, actually. Even the most simple EPUB3 book, from
competitors, today:

1) Maps print pages inside the ebook in a different index, so students and
researchers are be able to quote a page from the ebook, that properly
matches the print version; also efficiently allow mapping other kinds of
contents -- pictures, tables, even information specific to the book.
2) Allow a visually impaired reader to more easily access content. No one
might directly be requiring this from this publisher you've mentioned, but
it doesn't mean such readers are not out there (and I'm sure they are)
trying to read your client books. What such publisher would do, if he/she
suddenly become blind? Would stop reading? (I'm sorry for being blunt, but
I literally said that in a meeting about a11y, some weeks ago, for
publishers in Rio de Janeiro, to stress the importance of A11y in a
personal, intimate level);
3) Media Queries allow better control of content display, even for the
simplest books;
4) EPUB2 will look crippled, by comparison, very soon. Publishers that
stick to EPUB2 will have to spend more money right-ahead, upgrading EPUB2
to EPUB3. The future will be unforgiven with EPUB2 files, not because of
compatibility with reading systems and/or distributors, but because
competitors (already) are taking advantage of the simplest EPUB3 features,
and, given the option, readers prefer EPUB3 simple versions, over EPUB2 --
because of added functionalities, like page mapping above, which are really
meaningful improvements. Best to do EPUB3 now, it'll be less spending
re-converting of EPUB2 to EPUB3, added bonus of users not perceiving the
imprint as onf of low quality, useless ebooks.

I'm currently moving all Simplissimo ebook production to EPUB3, specially
after Sigil support for EPUB3 files improved, recently. For me, this was
the most critical: that the free tools were properly adapted to handle
EPUB3. Many small companies, like mine, rely on these free tools.

PS - Forgive grammar mistakes, I was writing in a hurry!

Regards,

*Eduardo Melo*
Fundador, diretor executivo
eduardo@simplissimo.com.br
Celular/Whatsapp 51 991-77-44-84

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2018-05-23 8:32 GMT-03:00 McCloy-Kelley, Liisa <
lmccloy-kelley@penguinrandomhouse.com>:

> Hello colleagues-
>
>
>
> I need your help with something. I have an imprint with client publisher
> who is still producing EPUB 2. We have been working with all of our clients
> to get to 100% EPUB 3x for newly produced ebooks. But this particular
> imprint doesn’t see any value in changing their workflow to do something
> different than what they are currently doing.
>
>
>
> -          We note that their ability to control navigation would be
> better.
>
> o    They say that their books are relatively simple and retailers are
> interpreting the ncx fine
>
> -           We note that they would have more robust formatting options.
>
> o    Again, the content is simple and what they have is fine
>
> -          We note that this is where the marketplace is going.
>
> o    They want to know if any retailers have given a date when they will
> stop accepting EPUB2
>
> -          We point out that it would make their books accessible.
>
> o    They say that no one is requiring this and it isn’t a legal
> obligation in the US
>
>
>
> These rebuttals are pretty legitimate. This all goes to the PR campaign
> for supporting and getting wide adoption for EPUB 3x that we were
> discussing a month or so back.
>
>
>
> What other arguments are there? How do we convince people to adopt the
> latest generation of ebook formatting so that we can all move beyond the
> limitations of EPUB 2?
>
>
>
> Thanks for any advice you can offer.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
>
>
> *Liisa McCloy-Kelley*
>
> VP, Director Ebook Product Development & Innovation, PRH
>
> lmccloy-kelley@penguinrandomhouse.com
>
>
>
>
>
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