Output Formats for eBooks and Online Services

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Output Formats foreBooks and Online Services

• Andrew Brenneman
• Manager, Digital Media Group
• University of Chicago Press, Books Division

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Strategic Application of Output Choices

• Defining Digital Product Strategies
• Applying Output Format Options to Delivery on
  Strategies
• Trade-Offs in Output Formats
• Long-Term Vision

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Obligatory Background Slide

• The Press
• Longest continuously running American university
  press
• Largest American university press
• The Books Division
• 200 titles per year, increasing
• Bringing back approx. 300 O.O.P. via P.O.D. per
  year.
• 150 reprints per year
• 5,000 titles in print
• The Digital Media Group
• Formed 2006
• Develop and execute strategy for electronic
  distribution and product development
• Support initiatives with revenue

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Content Breadth
Scholarly
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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs

Scholarly
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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs

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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs

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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs
• Classics

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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs
• Classics
• Reference

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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs
• Classics
• Reference

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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs
• Classics
• Reference
• General Interest
• Trade

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Content Breadth

• Scholarly
• Monographs
• Classics
• Reference
• General Interest
• Trade
• Regional

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Content Breadth Requires Multiple Solutions
Musings and Challenges Great variability in
both form and content Books are products
Monolithic digital distribution strategies dont
work for mixed arrays of products.
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Strategy General Interest Attributes Wide
audience Tends to graphic richness Rights
complications Value linked to its form the
book Electronic Product Model None
(generally)
Not all titles can or should make the leap to
digital distribution.
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Strategy Scholarly Works Attributes Monographs
Authored Not highly structured Unity of
Expression Electronic Product
Model eBook Electronic Market
Focus Libraries / Institutional Delivery
Model Digital Channel Partners Output
Format PDF
metadata
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eBook Value Chain
Print PDF
Production
Development
Acquisition
Printing
Distribution
Print

• Down-res
• OCR
• Bookmarked

Web-ready PDF
Bibliographic DB

• Common hub for managing distribution programs
• Distribute PDFs
• Compile partner metadata

UCP Submission Manager
Web Ready
Metadata
Metadata
Metadata
Institutional marketplace
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PDF Trade-Offs

• Pros
• Ease and Low Cost
• Mature, Stable
• Standard
• Partner solutions built on PDF
• Cons
• Presentation commingled with content
• Not described other than metadata
• Not-optimized screen experience
• Cannot integrate with applications

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Non-Optimal Screen Experience
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Separation of Content and Presentation
Web
Other Devices
Mobile Device Style
Web Style
Content
Content
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Strategy Reference Works Attributes Structured
Enabled Work Process Electronic Product
Model Online Application Online Platform for
Style Management Electronic Market
Focus Mixed Individual, Institutional Delivery
Model Direct Online Service Output
Format XML with highly granular DTD Supported
by AJAX applications
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XML-Based Application
Production
Development
Acquisition
Printing
Distribution
Print
Print
XML (1)

• Cleanup
• DTD Development

XML (2)
XML Repository
Web Ready
AJAX App.

• XML provides
• Dynamic presentation styling
• Data driven navigation
• Hooks for AJAX integration

Run-time XML
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An XML-Driven Application
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An XML-Driven Application
. has become a one-step procedure in which they
compose mathematical copy in its final form even
if it has to be typeset again. When this is not
the case, authors and editors must communicate to
the typesetter exactly how the mathematical
content should be typeset (see rid"ch14_sec059 ch14_sec060 ch14_sec061
ch14_sec062 ch14_sec063 ch14_sec064 ch14_sec065
ch14_sec066"14.59x201366).
Regardless of which method is used to prepare and
typeset mathematical copy, the following general
guidelines apply.1oteref 1.
The requirements of mathematical copy have
prompted a different typographical treatment of
the examples and tables in this chapter from that
used in other chapters.

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XML Foundation for AJAX-based Online Applications
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XML Experience to Date

• Use of XML on a limited basis need not require
  process reengineering
• XMLs importance
• Providing structure
• Describing content
• Foundation for AJAX-based services
• DTD conformance not current priority since no
  partner can interoperate with XML
• No ROI on full-scale XML-reengineering for UCP

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Unified (Utopian) Vision

• Common delivery platform for all content types
• All XML based content
• Eliminate duplicate repositories
• Serving of Content Metadata
• Real-Time
• Common Content Server
• Content Delivery as Web-Service
• Requires significant investment of organization
  time and capital
• Requires entire value chain to converge on
  standards to realize return of investment

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Unified (Utopian) Distribution Architecture
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Summary
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For More Info

• abrenneman_at_press.uchicago.edu
• www.chicagomanualofstyle.org
• (free trial!)