Introduction to EPUB for editors
09.00am - 1.00pm
University House (room to be advised)
Cost: $100 (members); $200 (non-members)
About the course
This course will start with a discussion of the different types of ebooks, comparing those with reflowable text, fixed formats (such as PDF) and hybrid formats.
It will then provide an overview of the EPUB ebook standard including:
- IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum) principles including a focus on open source, internationalisation and accessibility
- IDPF EPUB Working Groups currently active, including Indexes, Dictionaries and Comics
- internal organisation of EPUBs (folders in a zip file, with provision for tables of contents and so on)
- coding of EPUB content (a relatively non-technical discussion)
- international standards used in the EPUB standard (including XHTML and CSS)
- software options for making EPUB ebooks including InDesign, XML-first publishing and programs used by self-publishers (eg, Sigil).
The work of the EPUB Indexes Working Group will be discussed, and will provide examples of many of the principles mentioned above.
The course will also cover important accessibility features of EPUB, and mention will be made of trends in ebook sales, alternative formats (such as those used for Kindle books), metadata and digital rights management (DRM).
Students will be directed to online resources for further information.
The course will involve presentation, group discussion and demonstration, but no hands-on software work.
The workshop is now fully booked. Another course might be held early next year if there is enough interest. Contact us for information on how to register (choose ‘Workshops and courses’ from the dropdown list).
Glenda Browne has been a freelance indexer of books, journals and websites since 1988. She is co-author of Website indexing and The indexing companion, and author of The indexing companion workbook: book indexing. Glenda teaches indexing at Macleay College and for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI), and is the incoming President of ANZSI. Glenda was awarded Highly Recommended in the ANZSI Medal for her index to The indexing companion, was the winner of the Ig Nobel Award for Literature for an article about indexing, and has received the Kohlrabi Award for services to indexing from the American Society for Indexing. She is the ANZSI representative on the IDPF EPUB Indexes Working Group. Details at www.webindexing.biz.