This LavaCon 2012 presentation is an overview of the steps XML Press uses to go from DocBook XML to eBook formats (ePub and mobi). There is a companion presentation (From XML to eBooks Part 2: The Details) that describes the process in depth.
3. Agenda
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Why eBooks
Formats A
Manager's
Distribution Perspective
XML process
4. Follow the Money
William Goldman, screenwriter
All the President's Men
5. Questions you need to ask
● Internal or external audience?
● Objective:
● Support/Marketing?
● Revenue?
● How/Where will you distribute?
6. Questions you shouldn't
need to ask
● Which output formats?
● Which hw/sw e-readers?
● Which XML schema?
Why not?
7. eBook Market
Types of Devices Market Share (sales)
Kindle Devices ePub Devices Kindle All Others
<10 Dozens 60% (2010)
8. Formats
Bad News Good News
Dozens of eReaders, both Only 2 really matter:
hardware and software ePub and Kindle
Better News But...
If you can get to either If you need really close
one, you can easily control of presentation,
convert to the other you still need to know
your devices.
9. Abandon hope of ever completely
controlling presentation
Kindle Touch Same content Original Kindle
10. Abandon hope of ever completely
controlling presentation
● Device and PC screen sizes vary widely
● Rendering software varies widely
● Font support varies widely
● Users can change text point size at will
● Standard allows for variation in rendering
● Detailed control hard to attain and hard to
maintain across devices
12. Distribution
● Amazon, Pubit (Barnes & Noble), and Apple are
all easy to use.
● Each has variations, but they're small; mostly
image specifications.
13. Retail Distribution Setup
Amazon: kdp.amazon.com
Barnes and Noble: pubit.bn.com
Apple: iTunes Producer (Mac specific)
Direct: we use gumroad.com
All are easy and fast to use, but...
each has its idiosyncrasies
14. XML Press Toolchain
Authoring:
XML or anything that gets us there
Schema:
DocBook or DITA
Toolchain:
DocBook: std stylesheets for ePub3
DITA: OT + DITA for Publishers
15. Toolchain
Authoring Repository Production
DB (ePub3) DITA (ePub2)
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●Direct XML
●DB style. ●OT
●Word XML SVN ●Filters ●D4Pub
●HTML
●Kindlegen ●Kindlegen
●Wiki-based ●Amazon ●Amazon
Wiki XML