1. XML for the smaller publisher Cambridge University Press – Case study
Andy Williams
Manager Content Services
&
AcPro Production Director - Europe
Simple overview of what we do
Some lessons we’ve learnt and hence changes from our first model
Decision process we’d recommend if starting from scratch
Internal review – we need to be asking ourselves the same questions

2. Context – Academic & Professional books
Approx 1500 new titles per annum
XML first workflow for as many as possible
not author-supplied LaTeX
Probably about 65% of the frontlist
Since 2001
Single dedicated Academic books DTD (CBML)
All front list to Adobe eBooks, bulk of XML titles to Mobi/HTML eBooks
Early adopter
Many 1,000s of books now stored as XML

3. Books workflow XML pre copy editing
Use the typesetter/coder to pre-edit and mark up
Attempt to link bibliographic and other references so copy editor merely spot checks
Theoretically reduce the copy editors ‘tedious’ tasks
Delivers ‘linked’ PDFs as well as print PDFs
It has its problems – copy editorial ‘environment’, apparent delay to the author of getting to copy editing etc

4. Context - Journals 231 journal titles; approx 1,000 issues/annum
204 as XML workflow for full text
All require XML headers for online platform
Scanned archive – references as XML
Dedicated journals DTD (informed by NLM but more granular) – CJML
NLM used as the ‘transfer’ format to hand to our online platform plus 3rd parties
NLM main DTD and header DTDs both used as transfer formats

5. Journals workflow
Out house copy editing of author files

6. Context – what we’ve already changed
Single DTD for books and journals didn’t work
Single DTD for books doesn’t really work… (monographs, textbooks, MRWs)
‘Standards’ are open to interpretation (e.g. NLM)
‘XML editing’ environment – make more user friendly
Clear, informed, decisions need to be made
CamML – single DTD – too unwieldy and so flexible that no longer imposing a structure
Books come in many different forms
Driven by ELT developing wider range of DTDs to suit their content needs, which overlap with Academic textbooks
NLM as interpreted by Highwire not as we interpret

7. Decision points Why – what are the objectives?
What do you want to get?
When in the workflow is best for you?
Where will processing & control be handled?
Who will do the work?
How – what workflow, tools and processes?

8. Why Benefits to the production process End (and interim) deliverables
Direct -- XML
Indirect -- linking within PDFs
Buy in… and understanding
XML is not a magic bullet
There’s XML and there’s XML
Some benefits of creating a standard process for the ‘factory’ even if not using the final output
e.g. all operators and processing with in the typesetting workflow using a standard input (once XML created)

9. What Bespoke DTD Standard DTD (TEI, docbook, NLM) No DTD Schema
How many?
Who to maintain?
Just XML? Application files, style files?
Bespoke – CBML; CJML
Standard – TEI very broad; NLM for journals
No DTD – ELT and ‘dirty XML’ from InDesign – well formed – minimise pain and disruption now and put off till actually need, and know what doing with it
Schemas for publishers… probably too complicated for our poor brains
Who – outside consultants (costs and knowledge); in house (costs); flexibility to change, response to queries
Do you want the typesetting style files as well so that able to re-use the XML directly for a 2nd edition etc?

10. When At start, early, late or back end?
CUP books – before copy editing
CUP journals – after copy editing (cf RSC)
Constraints
Editorial tools
Tradition
Authors
Additional QA
costs
Constraints
Word the standard authoring tool; maybe nearer to real XML handling
Copy editors functions – are they happy to devolve the ‘tedious’ stuff
‘Structuring’ function – doesn’t currently exist
QA – need to be able to monitor and assess supplier performance

11. Where In house Out house Offshore
Map where you stand today, future reality and draw a route plan
Take it steady
Cambridge triple whammy – from in house typesetting to offshore and XML at once!
Likely to be offshore for cost
Perhaps learn lessons of offshoring first – get current process working before moving to XML workflow
ELT experience – using our major AcPro book supplier still big struggle to develop the functional relationship without XML

12. Who XML coding Typesetting/pagination QA Archiving DTD maintenance
Associated tools – automated QA and transformations
Considerable infrastructure may be associated
Especially QA of suppliers
Ensuring the XML is worth having
Storing the XML
Responding to coding queries, adapting DTD
Understanding and maintaining software tools needed to run QA etc
Cambridge have dedicated team in Content Services

13. How
Put it all together
Do you predicate the supplier workflow and tools, or just the outputs you want?
InDesign and InCopy
Word templates
LaTeX; 3B2
Return to beginning – why? Monitor and review and change
Choose your pathway
Keep checking why you are doing it, and hence whether what you are doing is relevant
Modify/change
Don’t let the delivery of XML become an end in itself

14. Other lessons learnt Drivers and buy in Disruptive
Traditional publishing models may not be ideal
Support and infrastructure
People and cultural issues bigger than technical issues
Still need a decent user-friendly editing tool
Don’t forget the non-XML titles
Where Cambridge got it wrong
Driven by a ‘vision’ and technical ability – but customers (editors) not ready
Impacts the WHOLE publishing process (not just behind the closed doors of production) and so get entire company buy in
If setting up a publisher now and writing job descriptions probably not the same as we currently have
Those titles or journals not suited to XML workflow mustn’t be forgotten, solutions for processing and hence not disenfranchising them need to be kept in mind

15. Conclusions Full cost/benefit analysis first
Be clear on the implications (technical resources etc)
“Automated not automatic”
Get your ‘customers’ on board
Small scale experiments?
Would we do it now (if we hadn’t already)…
Journals – definitely
ELT – trying to catch up
Academic books – perhaps more selectively

16. Questions? Andy Williams Manager Content Services &
AcPro Production Director – Europe