Carolyn Brown, CPE P UBLISHING C ONSULTING New Editorial and Publishing Technologies

Why should editors care? Remember when you had to learn to use a fax machine? Edit on computer? The landscape for publishing is changing, and we need to learn and adapt You may be a publishing manager, and you want to go in the best direction for the publications you manage

A changing landscape From documents to content From linear processes to collaboration and repeated loops From one useto reuse From print product to multi-platform delivery

And a transition for content producers Content producers — traditional publishers and many non-publishers now producing content — have had to adapt Many have some elements of – traditional print-based systems – emerging content-based systems

Traditional print-based systems Word document Circulated by

Traditional print-based systems Revised and commented by others Versions saved manually in folder on network

Traditional print-based systems Finalized document laid out manually in desktop publishing software Images and tables from database data incorporated manually

Traditional print-based systems Proofread manually (on paper or PDF) Further revisions made manually to page layout Printed

Traditional print-based systems Cut-and-pasted manually into Web content management system (CMS) or coded manually in HTML Further manual revisions in CMS or HTML Published on Web site

Emerging content-based systems Collaborative Web- or server-based authoring and revision Routing to collaborative users and tracking of versions

Emerging content-based systems Structured content — text, data, images Structure invisible to users Changes are made to a single, definitive, updated version Data and images updated dynamically

Emerging content-based systems Automated, rapid publication to all formats print layout PDF ContentHTML e-book mobile

Challenges for content producers Content producers need to start or accelerate the transition for many reasons – Complex authoring and revision processes – Remote authors and editors – Speed up production – Avoid errors – Incorporate just-in-time data – More content to produce but no increase in budget

Common requirements Documents from many sources need to be put into a common structure

Common requirements Writers, reviewers and editors across the country and around the world working on the same content…

Common requirements Versions need to be tracked …

Common requirements And routed to users

Common requirements Documents need to incorporate images…

Common requirements Or dynamic data from a database

Common requirements Final documents need to be published immediately – In print/PDF Basic format

Common requirements – In print/PDF Graphic design (example supplied by The Conference Board of Canada, used with permission)

Common requirements – On a Web site (via CMS or direct to HTML)

Common requirements – In an e-book format

Common requirements – In a mobile format

Software These needs are being met through new types of software Collaborative platforms Content management systems (CMS) – Web site CMS Drupal – Enterprise CMS Hummingbird, Documentum, Alfresco, Open Text

Software – Component CMS Organizes documents and chunks of documents Content is often structured in XML or a database “Discovers” similar text in other documents and coordinates re-use from a single document

Software Production based on international standards for digital publishing Another session on XML — this standard format can be used by many types of software and files are therefore software-independent PDF epub XML XML XSL XSL XSL-FO XSL-FO

Software Many new products coming from the desktop publishing world, automating production in several formats Arbortext Typéfi Writers and editors may work in traditional Word files or in XML-based word-processing software

Outcomes Speed — production reduced to minutes Accuracy — no more manual corrections Transparency — paper trail On time — easier to meet deadlines Automate manual tasks Avoid staff costs or free up staff for higher-value work Publish simultaneously in all formats Reuse content Ease future software migrations

Editors’ brave new world Editors will work within these new systems May be editing in XML-based word-processing software Or may be managing publications through collaborative, single-source workflows May suggest modernization to management Be the change!