Re: EPUB 3 Justification

EPUB 3 is widely used in Japan, but a very small subset
(the EBPAJ profile) is used.  It is apparently tough to sell
features beyond this subset to the publishing industry.

Regards,
Makoto

2018-05-23 21:49 GMT+09:00 Eduardo (Simplíssimo) <eduardo@simplissimo.com.br
>:

> 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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  [image: id:image001.png@01CF7FE3.3A9E4B70]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>


-- 

Praying for the victims of the Japan Tohoku earthquake

Makoto