ELIS - Multimedia Lab

A Digital-First Authoring Environment for Enriched e-Books using EPUB 3

Ben De Meester, Tom De Nies, Hajar Ghaem Sigarchian, Miel Vander Sande

Jelle Van Campen, Bram Van Impe,Wesley De Neve, Erik Mannens, Rik Van De Walle

University Ghent – iMinds – Multimedia Lab

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

On the menu:

❖ Core problems in today’s publishing workflow

❖ Tomorrow’s publishing workflow…

❖ … and the authoring environment to make that happen

❖ What is next?

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Core problems in today’s publishing workflow

(in Flanders)

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Yesterday’s publishing workflow

Layout

Adobe Indesign ©

Content* Printed bookContent

Microsoft Word ©

Author

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Today’s publishing workflow

Layout

Adobe Indesign ©

Layout

Content*

Content*

Azardi © / iBooks Author © / …

Printed book

E-book

Content

Microsoft Word ©

Author

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Problems we’ve observed

Print is still first

Vendor Lock-in

Corrections and updates

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Print is still first

Printed books…

have static contenthave a page-based layoutare single-platform (book)

Whilst digital books…

are dynamichave a responsive layout

need multi-platform publishing (EPUB, PDF, HTML)

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Corrections and Updates

Corrections are hard, especially after certain stages in the workflow (e.g., layout)

Updates (after publication) are even harder!

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Results of an enquiry at Flemish publishers:

100% of authors delivers content in Word format

>90% of publishers has a workflow centered around Adobe Indesign

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Vendor Lock-in

All steps of book lifecycle are controlled by same vendor (e.g., iBooks, Kindle, …)

➔ Use of vendor-specific formats limits innovation

e.g.: limited possibilities for dynamic content in Apple products

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

It is hard to make cost-effective e-books

Hard to makeVendor lock-in, print-first

Hard to maintainCorrections and updates

More expensive to make a digital book…but the consumer expects it to be cheaper!

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

How do we get out of here?(according to us)

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Today’s publishing workflow

Layout

Adobe Indesign©

Layout

Content*

Content*

Azardi© / iBooks Author© / …

Printed book

E-book

Content

Microsoft Word©

Author

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Tomorrow’s publishing workflowHTML5, CSS3, Javascript

Printed book

SmartphoneContent

Structure

Layout

Author

Phablet

Desktop

Tablet

CSS print profile

CSS e-book smartphone profile

CSS e-book tablet profile

CSS e-book desktop profile

CSS e-book phablet profile

Editor

Designer

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Our Proposed Changes

Focus on digital

Division between content, structure and layout

Open Web Standards

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Separate the Powers

CONTENT STRUCTURE LAYOUT

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Separate the Powers (1/3)

CONTENT

modular book content

CONTENT

Generic “content blocks”

text, images, videos, interactive scripts, ...

With fall-backs for printed media

CONTENT

User Roles:- author- editor

- illustrator- ...

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Separate the Powers (2/3)

STRUCTURE

Complex navigational structures

sequential,hierarchical,networks, ...

STRUCTURE

content selection and

navigation

STRUCTURE

User Roles:- author- editor

- ...

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Separate the Powers (3/3)

LAYOUT

User Roles:- illustrator- designer

- editor- ...

LAYOUT

content presentation

and adaptation

LAYOUT

Generic “layout

containers”

CSS-based, adaptive, ...

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Tomorrow’s publishing workflowHTML5, CSS3, Javascript

Printed book

SmartphoneContent

Structure

Layout

Author

Phablet

Desktop

Tablet

CSS print profile

CSS e-book smartphone profile

CSS e-book tablet profile

CSS e-book desktop profile

CSS e-book phablet profile

Editor

Designer

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

A Digital-First Authoring Environment for Enriched e-Books using EPUB 3

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

What is it?

A web application that

Imports legacy content (EPUB2, Word)

Can easily add content, structure, and layout

Exports valid EPUB3

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Content view

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Content

Content Block

Book

Content view

Homogeneous handling of heterogeneous contenttext, audio, video, interactive widgets, …

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Structure view

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Arbitrary linking patterns between Chaptershierarchical, by subject, …

Referencing content blocks in multiple chapters.

Chapter

Link

Book

Structure view

Content Block

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Layout view

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Layout Container

DecoratorContent Block

Content Container

Layout view

Decouple layout from content

Responsive design

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Why is this better?

Changes can be made at any stage in the workflow,and propagate to other stages

Digital-first workflow ensures smooth multi-channel publication

Use of open formats avoids vendor lock-inand raises potential for innovation

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Content

Layout Container

Decorator

Chapter

Content Block

Link

Book Content Container

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

Tomorrow’s authoring environment

Generic and flexible datamodel

(semi-)automatic annotations

ELIS - Multimedia Lab

ThanksOur project

Our pilot project partners:

Link to the paper: http://www.ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/36551