New BISG Policy Statement Endorses EPUB 3

New York, New York (August 6, 2012) – The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), a leading U.S.-based trade association representing the entire book supply chain, announced today the publication of a new Policy Statement endorsing EPUB 3 as the accepted and preferred standard for representing, packaging, and encoding structured and semantically enhanced Web content — including XHTML, CSS, SVG, images, and other resources — for distribution in a single-file format. BISG member companies, and other industry stakeholders, can visit http://www.bisg.org/what-we-do-4-155-pol-1201-endorsement-of-epub-3.php to download a copy.

Reviewed and approved by BISG’s 36-member Board of Directors (see http://www.bisg.org/about/board.php for a complete list of Directors), BISG Policy Statement POL-1201: Endorsement of EPUB 3 addresses the critical need for the global book publishing industry to rally around a single standard for the creation of digital content in order to impede recent instances of fragmentation beginning to seep into the supply chain.

Andrew Savikas, BISG Board member and CEO of Safari Books Online, said, “Safari Books Online strongly endorses EPUB as our preferred distribution and delivery format. We’re committed to extending that support to EPUB 3, particularly in new products and services that can showcase the enhanced design, multimedia, and interactivity capabilities of the EPUB 3 standard.”

BISG Policy Statement POL-1201: Endorsement of EPUB 3 encourages all member companies and other industry stakeholders to work toward adopting the full range of functionality within EPUB 3 as soon as practical. It is understood that a period of transition is necessary for full implementation of the EPUB 3 standard. To guide industry stake holders through the transition, BISG published an EPUB 3 Support Grid in June 2012. The Grid is a comprehensive reference tool for understanding what enhancements and features of EPUB 3 are currently usable on which devices, apps, and reading systems. Due to the rapidly changing nature of EPUB 3 support, the Grid will be frequently updated in the first year of publication. The current version is available at http://www.bisg.org/what-we-do-12-152-epub-30-support-grid.php.

In response to a request for comment, IDPF Executive Director, Bill McCoy, said, “The IDPF warmly welcomes the endorsement of EPUB 3 by BISG. BISG-sponsored initiatives such as the EPUB 3 Support Grid have been very helpful during the initial EPUB 3 roll-out, and BISG’s endorsement and promotion should further accelerate adoption. IDPF looks forward to continued close collaboration between other organizations to advance interoperable, accessible open standards, and reduce friction in the supply chain for digital publishing.”

Additionally, Random House Vice President, Director of E-Book Production Strategy and Operations, Liisa McCloy-Kelley, said, “Random House, Inc. has long been a strong supporter of EPUB as our preferred e-book distribution format. We are excited to see action underway toward wide adoption in the marketplace of the EPUB 3 standard, and all of the functionality it enables, as we work to create great digital-publishing experiences for our authors and their books.”