If there were a formula for the content space, it could be 5R: Reuse, Repurpose, Remix, Reassemble, Redux. With publishers churning out more titles than ever, and more frequently, there is an overwhelming urgency to manage all that content (in one place) and leverage it. The 5R, thus, is becoming more relevant than ever.
Today, a publisher's mission is to expeditiously move content beyond the physical dimension—notwithstanding the attractive covers, intricately designed pages and beautiful illustrations—into other realms: mobile, Web, audio, whatever. The content of a publication must stay dynamic and be accessible via technological platforms such as Google, BlackBerry, iPod and Kindle.
The whole idea is to maximize a book's value by distributing the same content via multiple delivery points. The shift toward online and digital forms of information access, rather than print, is evident in the ubiquity of handheld devices and laptops around us. It is not far from the truth, therefore, to say that the print-centric publishing model is fast losing its allure. And simultaneous cross-media and multichannel publishing—print, CD-ROM, Web, etc.—is the answer to staying relevant in the fast-evolving information industry. Ultimately, generating new, and additional, revenues from the same content is the goal. (Forget the lofty rhetoric of free information for all and sundry.)
Now comes the hard part: How, and where, to start?
First, to maintain content flexibility, a digital-centric, media-neutral workflow with a single-source repository is essential. Second, before implementing such a system, you need to take a hard look at the source—i.e., the technology and standards currently powering your editorial and publishing processes. Streamlining these processes is critical to the new paradigm because traditional methods simply cannot support the required dynamism and are too onerous for cost and work efficiencies. Third, as in any enterprise-wide initiative, internal buy-in, coupled with proper planning and execution, is crucial.
Then, you have to get to know (and love) XML (eXtensible Markup Language), the de facto standard enabling delivery of content anytime, anywhere, any way. Once it's in XML, the content is independent of the device, software, hardware and vendor. (That, however, does not mean you should shift vendors with the regularity that you change your socks.) So, if your files and database are still in yesterday's solutions—WordStar, floppy disk, microfiche and the like—or in proprietary technologies, it's high time to unlock the full potential of your content with a migration to XML.
Need more convincing? Imagine you have a college text laden with math and chemical formulas. With XML, which is supported by Unicode capabilities, a multilingual version with a mixture of Latin, Cyrillic, CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and HAT (Hebrew, Arabic, Thai) characters can be produced in a single workflow, without freezing your computer. The content can be modularized and the chunks licensed, royalties tracked and pages selected for print-on-demand, all with relative ease. Additionally, it can be customized, split into several versions, converted into different languages, as well as enhanced with search tools and links after PDF conversion. Moreover, NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) compliant materials for people with learning disabilities, including Braille and Digital Talking Book, can be processed simultaneously. Best of all, each update is reflected in all derivative products with just one entry.
Of course, the flow does not necessarily have to go from print to online/digital. You may be interested in emulating what many educational and SSTM (scholarly, scientific, technical and medical) publishers are doing: online-first publishing, otherwise known as electronic pre-publication release. Or, you may be contemplating producing ancillary Web-based materials to add value to your print products and provide a virtual experience or to liven up difficult subjects with Flash animation and cutesy illustrations.
All these are possible only if the content is derived from the same repository and has been tagged down to a predetermined granularity level. The tags facilitate the identification and extraction of chunks for reuse while eliminating the need to create additional files. By using XML and its tags, virtually any type of publication—cookbooks, children's titles, reference works, business and professional titles, and operation manuals—can be produced and channeled to the desired platforms. The trick lies in adopting XML-enabled tools and technologies throughout the process, starting with content authoring and layout.
For many, XML-first (also called front-end XML) with round-trip conversion is the preferred workflow. In this process, the document is first analyzed and tagged, then flowed through a publishing program. This is where software such as Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, SoftCare K4 and Woodwing comes in. Subsequently, the authors and editors revise the document in MS Word or a previously agreed desktop program within a set of authoring rules (e.g., no fancy fonts, additional colors or illustrations). Once done, the document is converted back to XML and reflowed.
That brings us to one critical component in successful XML implementation: conformance. Everybody, from the author to the publisher, must agree to abide by the XML publishing rule book. It is often too tempting and all too easy to fall back on old methods, and most of us will do just about anything to avoid change. It is therefore crucial to set out the rules governing the XML initiative, publication templates, document structures, style sheets, etc., beforehand. And bear in mind that cost efficiency and content flexibility win over aesthetics; at the end of the day, it is the substance of your content that brings in the dough, not the beautiful layout or unusual typeface (unless you are in the graphic design/photography book business).
Now that we're at Web 2.0, new models for publishing (and novel ways for extracting money from customers) are emerging, as are better and more efficient XML tools and technologies. But not everyone is convinced or embracing XML with open arms; it is, for sure, a major paradigm shift. However, survival in this age of information stampede means you must round up your team and control your content, starting right now. And, remember, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to do things better; it just takes guts (and, of course, XML).
