E-book Standards Introduced to Publishers
The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the standards and trade association for digital publishing, joined forces with the Association of American Publishers (AAP) this week to help educate book publishers on the background of the new industry-wide technical standards for digital content delivery.
The IDPF’s new digital standard for packaging a digital publication, including the contents of the publication, metadata, signatures, encryption, rights and other information, into one standard file were formally introduced Wednesday to publishing leaders by the association during a meeting at the AAP’s New York offices. The registration was limited to 50 attendees for the event.
According to the IDPF, its Open eBook Publication Structure Container Format (OCF) will allow publishers to release a single standard file that will enable readers to exchange eBooks between different reading systems that support the new standard.
IDPF Executive Director Nick Bogaty said the standard had “widespread support from all sectors of our industry, including publishers and software companies.”
“The new container format provides a simplified method of packaging a digital publication into a single file, thereby making it easier for publishers, resellers and others to deliver and utilize digital reading materials,” said Bogaty.
According to the AAP, total sales of eBook titles rung up nearly $179 million in sales in the United States in 2005. The figure is closing in on the $206 million chunk of the market the association says audiobooks claimed last year.