How HarperCollins Is Automating EPUB3 Production
There is still time to register for Thursday's free webinar "Facts, fantasy, and realities of automating EPUB3 production at HarperCollins Publishers." Senior director of global digital operations at HarperCollins Leslie Padgett and senior solutions architect at RSI Content Solutions Eliot Kimber will take a deep dive into HarperCollins EPUB3 automation efforts and explain how the publisher is bringing digital production in-house.
EPUB3 is the latest standard for creating digital content for multiple platforms and can be a significant hurdle for publishers whose production cycles are still print-first. For HarperCollins, converting books from print to EPUB was hugely inefficient because each print file is unique and needs to be manipulated in different ways. As a result, the publisher outsourced the majority of its EPUB production which cost significant time and money.
In order to leave the print-first workflow behind, HarperCollins had to embrace new standards, technology, and significantly alter its production process so that EPUB3 files could be created automatically rather than manually. Padgett has been deeply involved in this shift and has insights into the training and talent necessary to pull off the transition. She will share her experience as well as the challenges and benefits of creating an automated EPUB3 workflow.
Kimber adds a great deal of technology expertise to this discussion as the principal developer of DITA for Publishers, an open-source architecture used to automate EPUB3 creation. He helped HarperCollins adapt the DITA architecture for its unique production cycle and has worked extensively on publishing standards for much of his career. Kimber will explain why the DITA standard is important and how it can lead to greater efficiency and profits for publishers.
If you have yet to sign up for this free webinar, do so here, and join us on Thursday April 9th at 2pm EST. The next hurdle for the publishing industry is streamlining digital content creation. For many publishers, an automated workflow will be the answer.
- People:
- Eliot Kimber
Ellen Harvey is a freelance writer and editor who covers the latest technologies and strategies reshaping the publishing landscape. She previously served as the Senior Editor at Publishing Executive and Book Business.