News and Events

IDPF Has Combined With W3C

January 31, 2017
On January 30, 2017 the combination of IDPF and W3C was completed (W3C press release: www.w3.org/2017/01/pressrelease-idpf-w3c-combination.html.en), and IDPF has ceased operations as a membership organization. This website is now an archive. For current information about EPUB and more visit https://www.w3.org/publishing/ .

IDPF Executive Director on the Combination with W3C

January 18, 2017

IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy has published an opinion piece on digitalbookworld.com, sharing his perspective about the significant benefits of the combination of IDPF with W3C for the future of EPUB and book publishing.

IDPF combining with W3C: the facts

January 16, 2017
A self-appointed “Save the IDPF. Save EPUB. committee" is publicly attacking the plan to combine IDPF with W3C, even though it has already been approved by the IDPF Board and membership, and is expected to be finalized within weeks. Their basic assertion is that the planned combination will be bad for the book industry. How the combination is likely to impact the book industry is certainly an important question. But, regrettably, their communications have also included misleading information about the plan to combine. This post focuses on setting the record straight about the facts.

Updates on IDPF Open Meeting Jan 18 and IDPF Member Discount to DBW

January 16, 2017

The Open Meeting about the combination of IDPF with W3C is set for this Wednesday, January 18 from 12:30pm until 2:00pm US Eastern Time. Meeting space has provided courtesy of the Digital Book World 2017 Conference (DBW 2017) taking place January 17-19 at the NYC Hilton Midtown.

Calling All EPUB Contributors: Ensure EPUB Remains Free and Open

January 11, 2017
IDPF recently requested that all organizations that have contributed to EPUB, whether or not current IDPF members, authorize their inclusion as a co-submitter with IDPF on the submission of the latest version of EPUB to W3C as part of implementation of the combination of IDPF with W3C, which was overwhelmingly approved last November by the IDPF membership. Some questions and misinformation has arisen regarding this request so we are publishing this follow-up covering several frequently-asked questions about the request.

Executive Director's Message: Happy New Beginnings!

January 5, 2017
The Pantone Color of the Year for 2017 was announced last month as "Greenery, symbolic of new beginnings". This struck a chord with me as the coming year promises to be a new beginning for our community which came together in 1999 as the Open EBook Forum (OEBF) to develop open standards for digital books, reinvented itself in 2005 with a broader remit when it became the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), and then found mainstream success with the development of the key EPUB standard. While I know a number of IDPF members and others in the publishing community have expressed concern at the prospect of IDPF no longer being a standalone organization, I also know that many of you share my excitement and optimism. By joining forces with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), we will continue to expand and accelerate the convergence of EPUB and the Open Web Platform in service of our mission to foster the global adoption of an open, accessible, and interoperable digital publishing ecosystem that enables innovation.

Members Unanimously Approve EPUB 3.1 as an IDPF Recommended Specification

January 5, 2017
The IDPF Membership has unanimously approved EPUB 3.1 as a Recommended Specification, by a vote of 72 YES to zero NO votes. 73 members voted (including one abstention) representing 54% of the members in good standing. significantly above the 25% quorum requirement.
 

Drafts Charters of W3C Publishing Business Group, EPUB 3 Community Group Available

December 22, 2016
As part of work towards implementing the plan to combine IDPF with W3C, proposed initial charters have been drafted for the anticipated new W3C Publishing Business Group and W3C EPUB 3 Community Group.

Voting Underway to Approve EPUB 3.1 Update

December 13, 2016
The IDPF Board has called a vote of the IDPF membership to approve EPUB 3.1 as the new current version of EPUB. Voting will be open through January 3, 2017. The EPUB 3.1 project began in October of 2015, with a goal of simplifying the specification and better aligning with the Open Web Platform. EPUB 3.1 is a significant update but includes no significant new features: it corrects many errata, reflects updates to HTML5 and other dependent Web specifications since the finalization of EPUB 3.0.1 in June, 2014. and adds specificity to accessibility guidelines. Additonally, the EPUB specification has been significantly reorganized, with general conformance requirements now a separate document that also serves as the main "entry point" to the EPUB specification.

Open Meeting about IDPF Combination with W3C: Jan 18 (NYC and webinar)

December 12, 2016
IDPF will hold an open meeting and webinar on January 18, 2017 from 12:30pm-2:00pm US Eastern Time to update IDPF members and the publishing community about the planned combination of IDPF with W3C. This will be an open forum for discussion, and the latest updates regarding the combination will be shared by IDPF President George Kerscher, other IDPF Board members, IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy, and Karen Myers, W3C Business Development and Communications. The meeting will take place at the Digital Book World conference in New York City.. A DBW conference pass is not required to attend the meeting, but a special IDPF discount to DBW is available (/news/idpf-discount-to-digital-book-world-conference-jan-...)

IDPF Discount to Digital Book World Conference (Jan 17-18 NYC)

December 11, 2016
From big-picture topics to practical-use-it-now topics, the new Digital Book World Conference has it all! Use the registration code: IDPF17 to save 10%. And register by December 16 to get that extra 10% off DBW's Early Pricing. Register at digitalbookworldconference.com/index.php/register

Request for Contributors to Co-Sign IDPF EPUB 3.1 Submission to W3C

November 28, 2016
As one element of finalizing the planned combination of IDPF with W3C, IDPF anticipates submitting EPUB 3.1 to W3C as a W3C Member Submission. IDPF and W3C would like all organizations that contributed to the development of EPUB specifications to co-sign IDPF's member submission. This will facilitate the transfer of this important intellectual property and memorialize your organization's contributions to a critical open standard. An authorization, which includes a draft of the cover for the prospective submission, is located at /sites/default/files/EPUB_3_1_authorization_with_cover.pdf.

IDPF Members Approve Plan to Combine with W3C

November 7, 2016
The member organizations of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) have overwhelmingly approved, by a margin of 71 (88%) in favor to 10 (12%) opposed, a plan proposed by the IDPF Board of Directors to combine IDPF with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The plan will now proceed, with anticipated completion of the combination by January, 2017 still subject to finalization of the necessary definitive agreements. 85 votes were cast (including 4 abstentions), equating to 65% of the 130 IDPF members in good standing. This represented the highest percentage of IDPF members participating in any vote or election in the last 8 years, significantly exceeding the 25% quorum requirement.

IDPF Begins Member Vote To Approve Combination With W3C

October 14, 2016

Voting on a proposed “combination” of the IDPF with the World Wide Web consortium (W3C) by IDPF members is underway. On October 13, 2016 IDPF Board of Directors approved the proposed plan for submission to the members, with a recommendation that members vote to approve. The transactions would be expected to be completed by early 2017 (subject to the member vote as well as to final approvals by IDPF Board and the W3C Director).

EPUB 3.1 Now Proposed Specification

October 14, 2016

The IDPF Board recently approved working group recommendations to advance the specifications of EPUB 3.1 to Proposed Specification status. A final member and public review and comment period for these specifications will be open through 7 November, after which the final step according to IDPF policies is a member vote to approve as Recommended Specifications.

Call for Review - Public Draft of EPUB 3.1

September 6, 2016

On September 6, 2016, the IDPF Board of Directors unanimously approved elevation of EPUB 3.1 to Public Draft status. EPUB 3.1, developed by the EPUB Working Group, represents a new major version of EPUB. Although generally compatible with EPUB 3.0.1, significant changes have been introduced in this new version (e.g., changes in metadata expressions and removal of support for some EPUB-defined features).

First Editors Draft of EPUB Accessibility 1.0 now available

August 18, 2016

The first Editors Draft of EPUB Accessibility 1.0 has been published at http://www.idpf.org/epub/a11y/, making available a conformance and discovery specification for accessiblility within the EPUB standard. While accessibility has always been a requirement of EPUB 3, this new specification&

Update on Potential Combination of IDPF with W3C

August 9, 2016

On May 10, IDPF and W3C announced that we were jointly exploring the potential to combine our organizations to accelerate EPUB adoption and advance publishing technologies for the overall Open Web Platform.

Register by Sep. 2 to Participate in W3C TPAC 2016

August 9, 2016

As previously announced, all IDPF members are invited to attend a Publishing Community Meeting on September 22 during W3C TPAC 2016 (Lisbon), co-sponsored by W3C and IDPF, as well as to attend other meetings throughout TPAC week, the flagship annual event for the global community developing Open Standards for the Web.

Third Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 Published

August 8, 2016
The EPUB 3 Working Group is pleased to announce that the third Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 is now available for community review. This draft is feature complete, and all open issues in the tracker have been addressed. The Working Group is looking to publish the first formal Public Draft of the EPUB 3.1 specification by early September, and meanwhile encourages any community feedback on the work to date.

Markus Gylling Joins IMS Global as Solutions Architect and Head of Operations for IMS Europe

July 10, 2016

IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS Global/IMS), the world leader in EdTech interoperability and innovation have announced that Markus Gylling will join IMS Global to lead IMS efforts in accessibility and digital content and to serve as the primary executive for IMS Europe effective October 1, 2016. The appointment will help accelerate the effective adoption and use of e-textbooks and other digital learning materials for all learners worldwide and will strengthen support and integration resources for IMS members across Europe.

IDPF Members Elect Two New Board Directors, Return Six Incumbents

June 21, 2016
In its annual Board elections, 81 IDPF member organizations cast votes, selecting eight Board members from among twelve candidates. Newly elected to the IDPF Board are Mike Baker (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) and Tzviya Siegman (Wiley). All six incumbents who ran for re-election were selected, including Paul Belfanti (Jone & Bartlett Learning), Leslie Hulse (HarperCollins), Rick Johnson (Ingram Content Group), Bill Kasdorf (Apex CoVangtage), Liisa McCloy-Kelley (Penguin Random House), and Junichi Yoshii (Kodansha).

Publishing Community Meeting at W3C TPAC 2016 (Sep 22, Lisbon)

June 9, 2016

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), are organizing a one-day Publishing Community Meeting during W3C’s largest annual event,

June 15 - Q&A With IDPF Members About Potential W3C Combination

June 5, 2016
On June 15 at UTC 14:00 (16:00 CEST, 10:00 U.S. ET) IDPF Europe'[s host EDRLab will facilitate a 90 minute interactive webinar regarding the prospective combination of IDPF with W3C. As announced on May 10 the IDPF is soliciting member feedback and comments with this webinar as part of the process. This call will open with a brief summary of the current status, followed by open discussion and Q&A.

IDPF Board Election Under Way - Vote By June 17

June 1, 2016
The annual election process for the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) Board of Directors has begun. Twelve candidates, including six incumbents, are standing for election to eight director positions. Each IDPF member organization's primary representative is eligible to vote, and has been sent an online ballot link via email. The election will be open through Friday, June 17, 2016. A list of candidates with links to their nominating statements is available at: /board-elections-2016-05

IDPF Announces Open Nominations for Board of Directors

May 19, 2016
Nominations are now open for eight seats on the IDPF Board of Directors. The IDPF Board (fourteen members including the President) is elected by the members to manage the organization’s business and affairs. This includes developing the vision and strategic plan and providing oversight and direction to staff and volunteers carrying out the work. Directors serve two-year terms. At least one new Director will be elected, as one seat in this class is vacant. Self-nominations are due by May 31, 2016 5:00pm U.S. ET and are open to anyone who is or becomes an IDPF member organization's Primary Representative. Please email your intention to run together with a self-nomination statement to [email protected].

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) Explore Plans to Combine

May 10, 2016

Web Inventor and W3C Director Tim Berners-Lee shares vision of Publishing on the Web in his keynote address at IDPF DigiCon at BEA 2016 

FAQ for IDPF Members About Potential Combination with W3C Now Available

May 10, 2016

A preliminary FAQ targeted for IDPF Members is now available at /faq-for-idpf-members-about-proposal-to-merge-with-w3c. For the full press release on plans to explore a W3C and IDPF combination see here. For public FAQ please see http://www.w3.org/2016/05/digpub-faq.html.

Second Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 Available for Review

April 26, 2016

The EPUB 3 Working Group is pleased to announce that the second Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 is now available for community review. The previous Editors Draft, published in January, included some potentially controversial changes, in effect as 'trial balloons". Based on community feedback, some of these proposed changes have now been modified or redacted.

IDPF Member Meeting May 11 at BEA Chicago

April 18, 2016

The IDPF will host a special meeting for members at BEA 2016 (Chicago) on Wednesday, May 11 after the conclusion of our May 10-11 IDPF DigiCon conference. The meeting will take place from 2:00 to 4:00pm in McCormick Place room W196.

IDPF DigiCon @BEA Announces Speakers and Sessions - Register Now for Early Bird Savings

April 2, 2016

IDPF DigiCon @BEA (fka Digital Book) has been hailed as the absolutely critical, best value and most informative conference in the industry, attracting an audience of nearly 1,000 professionals annually, of which 60% are C-Suite executives, senior directors, or above.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web, to Keynote at IDPF DigiCon @BEA

March 25, 2016

The IDPF is pleased to announce that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, will serve as the keynote speaker at the upcoming IDPF DigiCon @BEA.

White House Announces Launch of Open eBooks Project

February 24, 2016

Now Available: A Library of Opportunity

Open eBooks is now available to millions of students offering unprecedented access to thousands of digital books.

What if we could ensure that every student, no matter where they live or the income of their parents, could get access to a great book?  What if they had access to not just one book, but a library of thousands of titles – and could read them from anywhere?

New Public Draft for EPUB for Education Profile

February 19, 2016

A 2nd Editors Draft of the EPUB for Education Profile has been announced today. This new profile specification includes:

First EPUB Summit April 7-8, Bordeaux, France - A Bordeaux Digital Week Event

February 2, 2016

IDPF and EDRLab are pleased to announce that the 2016 EPUB Summit will take place during the Bordeaux Digital Week at Librairie Mollat. Over the course of two days, the digital publishing community will focus on analysis, demonstrations, workshops and collaborative work to share best practices and learn about the latest developments surrounding EPUB.

First Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 Available for Review

February 1, 2016

The EPUB 3 Working Group is pleased to announce that the first Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 is now available for community review. A condensed summary of the changes being put forward for review is available in the EPUB 3.1 Changes from 3.0.1 document. The approach taken in this first draft of propositioning potentially controversial changes, in effect as 'trial balloons",  makes timely feedback even more important. 

IDPF DigiCon@BEA 2016 (fka IDPF Digital Book), Chicago, Theme Announced - Digital: The Channels, The Formats and The Opportunities

January 6, 2016

The theme for our 2016 conference will explore all things Digital: The Channels, The Formats and The Opportunities and will take place in Chicago at the McCormick Center from May 10-11, 2016.

EDUPUB Alliance, EPUB Accessibility Meetings in Baltimore, February 24-25, 2016

January 6, 2016

The next meeting of the EDUPUB Alliance, together with a related summit on EPUB Accessibility and Certification, will take place on February 24-25 2016 near Baltimore, Maryland.

La Solidarité

November 17, 2015

  

The IDPF condemns the outrageous and tragic attacks in Paris which have taken the lives of at least two members of the French publishing industry. We stand in solidarity with our many friends, colleagues and members in France. Access to information and knowledge is the single most powerful tool available to promote world peace. IDPF supports this wholeheartedly through its mission to increase access to information and content on a global basis by fostering open standards. We can not and will not let terrorism prevent the advancement of global knowledge, peace and prosperity so we will continue to promote these ends as one element of the fight against barbarism. The IDPF grieves for all the victims and we extend our sincere condolences to their families.

Candidates Solicited for IDPF Board

November 16, 2015
The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) Board of Directors Nominating Committee is soliciting candidates for Director positions for the coming year.  The IDPF Board represents member interests in developing the vision and strategic plan for the organization and providing oversight and guidance to staff and volunteers carrying out the work of the organization. 
 

Upcoming IDPF Webinar: IBM BlueMix Accessibility Checker

November 16, 2015
On December 16th at 19 UTC, Thomas Brunet, Rich Schwerdtfeger and P G Ramachandran from IBM will join an IDPF webinar to give a live demonstration of the newly released IBM accessibility checking tools, followed by a Q&A session. The webinar is free for IDPF members (registration required).
 

EDRLab Appoints CTO, Evangelist

November 16, 2015
The European Digital Reading Laboratory (EDRLab), recently established to host IDPF Europe and Readium Europe operations, has appointed Laurent Le Meur (@lmrlaurent) as its founding CTO. Laurent will take overall responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Lab as well as in setting strategic direction and coordinations with IDPF, Readium Foundation, and other stakeholders in the global EPUB platform.
 

IDPF and SSP Partner on New Academic & Professional Publishing Track at IDPF Digital Conference at BEA 2016

November 16, 2015
The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) today announced that SSP is co-sponsoring a new Academic and Professional Publishing track at the IDPF Digital Conference at BookExpo America 2016 (May 11-12, McCormick Place, Chicago). IDPF Digital @ BEA is the longest-running professional conference for the digital publishing industry.

EPUB 3.1 Revision Kicks Off - Soliciting Member Feedback on Deprecations

November 16, 2015
Work on the EPUB 3.1 revision kicked off on Oct. 8-9 with an initial F2F meeting in NYC, Over 30 participants attended, not including many who dialed in remotely, and the EPUB Working Group is now holding weekly conference calls to continue the discussions, with breakout sub-teams working on key priorities. As part of the work-plan, there is consideration of potentially deprecating several specialized EPUB constructs that have not been widely adopted, in order to simplify EPUB specifications and improve alignment of EPUB with the broader Open Web Platform. To help the Working Group better understand the current situation, IDPF members who produce EPUB content are invited to complete a short survey at https://goo.gl/19AEbP.

EPUB Working Group F2F October 8-9 NYC

September 8, 2015
The IDPF EPUB Working Group is holding a face-to-face meeting at the Google offices in NYC (111 8th Ave (on 15th street and 8th Ave)) on October 8 and 9 (all day on 8th and morning of 9th). The purpose of this meeting is to work on identified issues and solution proposals relating to the EPUB 3.1 revision. All IDPF member organizations are invited to participate.

EPUB Extensions for Indexes, Dictionaries, Advanced Layout Approved

August 26, 2015
Five modular extensions to EPUB 3.0.1 have been approved as final Recommended Specifications.  The specifications include:
 

IDPF To Open European Headquarters in Paris

August 24, 2015

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) will later this year formally launch a new European headquarters in Paris, France. IDPF Europe will be co-located with European headquarters for the affiliated Readium Foundation (Readium.org), hosted by a newly created European Digital Reading Lab (EDRLab).

IDPF at Beijing International Book Fair 2015

August 10, 2015

Following on from last year's highly successful event, IDPF@BIBF is a one day conference on August 28, 2015 at the Beijing International Book Fair, focusing on the general trend of digital publishing and readers. Industry experts will look at the current market situation and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Voting Underway to Finalize EPUB Extensions for Indexes, Dictionaries, Advanced Layout

August 4, 2015
Five proposed extensions to EPUB 3.0.1 have been submitted to IDPF Member organizations by its Board and the applicable Working Group for votes to approve as final Recommended Specifications. They include: EPUB Indexes 1.0, EPUB Dictionaries and Glossaries 1.0, EPUB Previews 1.0, EPUB Multiple-Rendition Publications 1.0, and EPUB Region-Based Navigation 1.0

Call for Review: EDUPUB Profile for EPUB, Open Annotations in EPUB, EPUB Distributable Objects, EPUB Scriptable Components

July 30, 2015
The Board of Directors of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) has unanimously approved elevation of five specifications of modular extensions to EPUB to Draft status with a call for member and public review.

June 2015 Event! Transforming Institutional Publishing: Sharing Best Practices

May 18, 2015

June 29 sees the gathering of of a broad range of institutions at this one day conference in Brussels. IDPF are delighted to be co-organizers of this event alongside the Interinstitutional Digital Publishing Committee of the EU where delegates can look forward to an intensive day discussing challenges and opportunities that today's dynamic publishing ecosystem presents.

IDPF Digital Book 15 at BookExpo America - Register Now!

May 14, 2015

Have your booked your place at IDPF Digital Book 15? This year BEA's flagship digital conference is concentrating on Putting Readers First: How to Connect with Consumers in the Digital Age. The program promises to be an exciting mix of industry experts, technical specialists and top executives. 

IDPF Members Elect Two New Directors, Return Four Incumbents to Board

February 9, 2015
Member organizations of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) have elected six board members, including two new directors and four re-elected incumbents. New directors include Graham Bell (EDItEUR) and Eoin Noble (Safari Books Online). Incumbent directors re-elected in this cycle include the elected Board President, George Kerscher (DAISY Consortium) as well as Garth Conboy (Google), Pierre Danet (Hachette Livre) and Cristina Mussinelli (Italian Publishers Association).

IDPF Solicits Member Feedback on Potential IP Policy Change

January 30, 2015
The IDPF Board of Directors is considering the merits of migrating from their current Intellectual Property (IP) Policy, which provides for RAND (Reasonable and Non-DIscriminatory) patent license commitments by members to adopters, to an IP Policy that would provide for RF (Royalty Free) patent license commitments. We consider it very beneficial that, to the best of our knowledge, no patent claims specific to EPUB have ever been asserted to date.

2015 IDPF Board Elections Underway

January 26, 2015

Voting has begun in the annual election process for the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) Board of Directors. This year, six directors will be elected, including the elected President position. Eight candidates are standing for election, affiliated with IDPF member organizations from Asia, Europe and North America.  Each IDPF member organization's primary representative is eligible to vote, and has been sent an online ballot link via email. The election will be open through Friday, February 6, 2015. 

EPUB 3.0 Published as ISO Technical Specification

December 21, 2014
EPUB 3.0 was recently published by the International Standards Organization as ISO/IEC TS 30135 (parts 1-7). EPUB 3.0 was submitted to ISOi/IEC JTC 1 SC34 (Joint Technical Committee 1, Subcommittee 34, Document description and processing languages) by the government of South Korea, in cooperation with the IDPF. During the by-country voting and subsequent ballot resolution process, several dozen minor specification issues with EPUB 3.0 reported by ISO experts have been resolved in the latest revision of EPUB, EPUB 3.0.1, which recently became the current version of the EPUB Standard. The IDPF anticipates continued collaboration with ISO, with the expectation to submit to JTC 1 a forthcoming EPUB 3.1 update as a prospective full International Standard.

Program Announced for EDUPUB Summit and Workshop (Feb 26-27)

December 19, 2014

The next gathering of the EDUPUB community will take place in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) on February 26 and 27, 2015. A preliminary program is now available,  and registration is open.  The summit will launch the implementation phase of EDUPUB, a cross-organizational initiative to develop  a comprehensive open platform for next-generation learning content based on EPUB 3, IMS standards for learning environment integration, and the overall Open Web Platform.

New EPUB Proposed Specifications: Dictionaries and Glossaries, Previews, Multiple-Rendition Publications, Region-Based Navigation

December 18, 2014
The IDPF Board recently approved recommendations of the Dictionaries and Advanced-Hybrid Layout Working Groups to advance four modular extensions to EPUB 3.0.1 to Proposed Specification status. The four specifications are: EPUB Dictionaries and Glossaries, EPUB Previews, EPUB Multiple-Rendition Publications, and EPUB Region-Based Navigation. A final member and public review and comment period for each of these specifications is open through January 31, 2015

2015 IDPF Board Slate Announced, At-Large Nominations Open Through Jan. 16

December 18, 2014
The IDPF Board of Directors has announced a slate of five recommended candidates for the 2015 Board election, as recommended by its Nominating Committee.

Digital Learning Metadata Alliance Launched by Dublin Core, IMS Global and IDPF

October 24, 2014
The Digital Learning Metadata Alliance was launched today to facilitate cooperation on metadata standards to make it easier to find and use digital resources both within educational institutions and via the world wide web. DLMA.org is an umbrella project by which standards organizations with a stake in educational and learning metadata can coordinate and harmonize standards. Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI), IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS Global) and the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) are the founding organizations of the alliance. The goal of the collaboration is to ensure adequacy and consistency of metadata across a wide variety of consuming applications, such as library systems, learning platforms and Internet search engines. DCMI was recently asked to become the steward for the Learning Resource Metadata Initiative (LRMI). Thus, DLMA will be able to further the evolution of LRMI in coordination with other key standards.

Candidates for IDPF Board Solicited - Apply to Nominating Committee by Nov. 21

October 23, 2014
The Board of Directors of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) has formed a 2015 Nominating Committee, which is soliciting candidates for Director positions. To be eligible, an individual must be or become the primary representative of an IDPF member organization. Interested parties should send a candidate statement by November 21 to [email protected]. Typically, a candidate statement would include a brief biography, and potentially reasons for running for the position and/or general vision or ideas for the IDPF. The Committee will also consider as candidates those current board members who wish to continue their service to the IDPF but whose term runs out this year.

Announcing CONTEC Workshop: Digital Publishing Standards Update - October 9, Frankfurt Book Fair

September 4, 2014
IDPF in partnership with the Frankfurt Book Fair/CONTEC and the MVB will present a workshop at the fair on Digital Standards, taking place on Thursday October 9th, 9.30 - 11am in Hall 4.2, Room Dimension - http://www.buchmesse.de/en/businessclub/schedule/contec/event/01630/index.html

IDPF@ BIBF Conference recap: a clarion call for an integrated global digital publishing ecosystem

September 2, 2014
Over 100 China publishing industry leaders convened in Beijing’s Crowne Plaza Hotel on August 29 at IDPF@BIBF, the first China event produced by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). IDPF@BIBF, held in conjunction with the 20th Beijing International Book Fair, focused on key issues and opportunities presented by the global expansion of digital publishing across segments of the traditional publishing industry (trade, reference, academic, scientific and education) . IDPF@BIBF was a “tremendous success” declared Mr. Liu Bogan, Vice President, China Publishing Group, in his closing remarks.

Program Announced for IDPF@BIBF (August 29, Beijing)

August 5, 2014

IDPF@BIBF (August 29, Beijing) is a one-day conference on the digital transformation of the global publishing industry and IDPF's first-ever event in China. The full program is now available at /idpf-bibf-2014and international registration is available.

Announcing EDUPUB Tokyo 2014 (September 16-18)

July 7, 2014
EDUPUB Tokyo 2014, the next convocation of the global community developing a global open platform for e-textbooks and other learning content, will take place September 16-18 in Shinagawa Tokyo, at Microsoft Japan HQ. For more information and to apply to be a presenter or attendee please visit http://www.jepa.or.jp/edupub/early.html .

EPUB 3.0.1 Approved As Final Recommended Specification

June 26, 2014
EPUB 3.0.1 has been overwhelmingly approved by the IDPF membership as a final Recommended Specification, superseding EPUB 3.0 to become the current version of the EPUB Standard. EPUB 3.0.1 is a minor revision, focusing primarily on bug fixes and errata for the 3.0 specification, together with several minor backwards-compatible additions. A quorum of 95 IDPF member representatives voted in this election (50% of eligible members), with 93 voting in favor and 1 voting against (with 1 abstention), for an overall approval percentage of 99%, exceeding the Super-Majority of 66%, required by IDPF policies and procedures.

Program Announced for EDUPUB Europe 2014 (June 19, Oslo)

May 23, 2014

IDPF and EDUPUB Alliance partners today announced the preliminary agenda for EDUPUB Europe 2014 (June 19, Oslo Norway). Over 100 atttendees are expected at this workshop; registration is open through June 1. For more information or to register visit the workshop main page at /edupub-europe-2014 .

IDPF announces the launch of EPUBZone.org

April 8, 2014

LONDON, UK – 9 April 2014 (PRESS RELEASE): The IDPF is pleased to announce the launch of its new microsite – EPUBZone.org, the Community and News site for all things EPUB.

Announcing EDUPUB Europe 2014 - June 19, Oslo

March 19, 2014
EDUPUB Europe 2014 will take place in Oslo, Norway, 19 June 2014. The meeting will provide an update on current progress of the EDUPUB initiative to advance the effective adoption and use of e-textbooks and other digital learning materials by improving interoperability, accessibility, and baseline capabilities via broad adoption of enabling technical standards. The workshop is co-sponsored by IDPF and IMS Global Learning and hosted by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC36 and Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences / LACE project. The agenda and registration details for the workshop are available at: /edupub-europe-2014 .

EPUB 3.0.1, EPUB Indexes Now Proposed Specifications

March 11, 2014
The IDPF Board recently approved working group recommendations to advance the specifications of EPUB 3.0.1 and EPUB Indexes to Proposed Specification status. A final member and public review and comment period for both of these specifications will be open through April 30, after which the final step according to IDPF policies would be a member vote to approve as Recommended Specifications. EPUB Indexes, developed by the IDPF Indexes Working Group, defines a consistent way of encoding the structure and content of indexes in EPUB Publications. Reading Systems can exploit this encoding to offer not only the benefits of a print index but also interactive functionality and features not possible in a print book. EPUB 3.0.1 is a minor maintenance release update to EPUB 3.0, developed by the umbrella IDPF EPUB Working Group. It incorporate a number of corrections to errors and omissions, and updates normative references to the latest versions of dependent specifications.

IDPF Workshop on EPUB Comics/Manga - March 26 (Paris)

February 27, 2014
The IDPF will hold a technical workshop on Sequential Art (Comics, Manga, Bandes dessinées, and new form) on March 26, 2014 in Paris, France, hosted by Cap Digital, and via web meeting. The goals of this international workshop are to inform IDPF members and other interested parties about the new features for fixed-layout EPUB that have been developed by the Advanced-Hybrid Layout (AHL) Working Group, to determine what gaps may still remain in EPUB relative to requirements for digital comics and manga (such as interactive cutscenes and other advanced inter- and intra-page transition effects), and to reach consensus of stakeholders on an action plan to address these gaps and ensure that EPUB is a complete foundation for rich, interactive digital comics and manga on a global basis. For more information on the event and how to participate, visit the event page at /idpf-comics-manga-workshop-paris .

BISG, DAISY and IDPF Launch EPUBTest.org to Showcase Reading System Conformance Site

February 19, 2014
The new website epubtest.org has been launched in a collaboration between the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), DAISY Consortium, and the IDPF. EPUBTest.org provides a unified home for the definitive EPUB 3 Reading System Conformance Testsuite, originally developed by the IDPF, and the next generation of the BISG EPUB 3 Support Grid, which has been revamped, via a collaboration between BISG and DAISY, from an Excel spreadsheet listing high-level features into a Web-based database with fine-grained results determined objectively via the EPUB 3 Testsuite. The initial set of results showcase conformance of over two dozen different reading systems.

IDPF Board Member, Exec Dir Elected to Readium Foundation Board

February 18, 2014

The members of Readium Foundation (Readium.org), an independent open source consortium developing software to advan

IBM standardizing on EPUB to reduce digital barriers and increase mobile support

February 13, 2014
SEATTLE, WA – 13 February 2014 (PRESS RELEASE): International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a collaboration to develop a white paper highlighting lessons learned from IBM’s recent decision to support EPUB as the company’s primary packaged portable document format. Increased client demand for mobile solutions, accessibility through the cloud, and the transformational opportunities both pose for enterprise content are the key drivers for IBM’s move to the next-generation portable document format. By standardizing on EPUB, IBM is also extending its leadership in accessibility and delivering a richer user experience and engagement. “We applaud IBM’s innovation in adopting EPUB across the spectrum of enterprise content and in its education solutions, to create a better reading experience for its content across devices and the spectrum of individual needs,” said Bill McCoy, Executive Director, IDPF. “We look forward to collaborating to showcase lessons learned by a global IT leader in order to help other enterprises and content publishers move digital publishing onto the Open Web Platform.” IBM also recently joined IDPF as well as the Readium Foundation, a consortium formed last year to develop open source tools libraries to accelerate adoption of the latest IDPF standards and bootstrap the development of compatible reading solutions. Over 40 industry leaders, including IBM, are contributing funds, people, and technology to advance the Readium effort. IBM will also be promoting EPUB based workflows in its IT solutions for e-learning and education publishing. “We are now in an age of extreme multichannel publishing which makes open web technologies and standards that are based on them such as EPUB more important than ever.” said Frank Gilbane, Founder of Bluebill Advisors and the Gilbane Conference. "EPUB has already become a critical component of publishing industry infrastructure for book publishing and is especially interesting for modern textbooks and other collaborative book applications. IBM’s adoption of EPUB for enterprise documents is a significant endorsement for using EPUB for a much broader set of enterprise content applications.” “Accessibility and other EPUB features will redefine what we know as textbooks by expanding its utility to all students, including those with speech, hearing or vision challenges, to ensure they have the same opportunities to gain skills and training to compete in the 21st-century workforce,” said Michael D. King, Vice President, Global Education Industry at IBM. “By having digital content available on mobile devices of their choice, we can create more engagement from students, while also helping teachers teach in the digital world that students live and play.

IDPF Elects New Board Members

February 8, 2014

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) membership has elected eight board members, including five new directors and three re-elected Incumbents. A record 65% of eligible IDPF member organizations cast votes in this election.  Directors elected in this cycle are:

IDPF Begins Board Elections, Vote on Bylaws Change

January 21, 2014

Nine candidates are seeking election to eight seats on the IDPF Board of Directors. These candidates,  affiliated with IDPF member organizations that include publishers, services providers, and industry organizations, hailr from Europe, Asia, and North America.  The election is underway from January 22 through February 7, 2014. Each IDPF member Primary Representative is eligible to vote on behalf of their organization, and should have received an email ballot.

IDPF Digital Book 2014 at BEA Expands to Two Full Days, Adds BISG Making Information Pay

December 17, 2013
IDPF Digital Book 2014 conference will take place May 28-29 at NYC Javits Center during BookExpo America, and is now open for early-bird registration at /db14. The longest-running digital publishing conference in the industry will this year expand to two full days and add significant new "Big Data" content with the colocation of BISG Making Information Pay as a new track on the afternoon of May 29.

EPUB Specs in Public Review: Multiple Renditions, Region-Based Navigation, Previews

December 16, 2013
A public and member review is under way through January 15, 2014 for several modular specifications produced by the Advanced-Hybrid Layout Working Group, working under a charter approved in November, 2012. The specifications, elevated by the IDPF Board to Public Draft status on December 12, include EPUB Previews, EPUB Multiple Renditions, and EPUB Region-Based Navigation and the related Magazine Structural Vocabulary.

IDPF Board Slate Announced, At-Large Nominations Open Until Jan. 15

December 16, 2013
The IDPF Board of Directors Nominating Committee has announced a slate of recommended candidates for the upcoming Board election. The committee received over twice as many candidates as available places, but ultimately unanimously agreeed on the slate of seven candidates, which was subsequently approved by the full Board. The candidates are: Paul Belfanti (Pearson), Angela Bole (Independent Book Publishers Association - incumbent), Leslie Hulse (HarperCollins - incumbent), Rick Johnson (Vital Source Technologies), Bill Kasdorf (Apex Covantage), Liisa McCloy-Kelley (Penguin Random House - Incumbent), and Junichi Yoshii (Kodansha). Eight seats will be filled in this cycle so at least one "at large" candidate will be elected. Nominations for "at large" candidates are open through January 15, 2014. Any primary representative of an IDPF member organization is eligible to stand for election and the eight candidates receiving the most votes will be elected. Please send self-nomination statements to [email protected]. For more information on the role and duties of IDPF Board members please see: /news/nominating-committee-seeking-candidates-for-idpf-bo... .

IDPF Digital Book 2014: Call For Speakers

December 13, 2013
A call for speakers is now open for IDPF Digital Book 2014 at BookExpo America (May 28-29, NYC Javits Center). IDPF Digital Book at BEA is a multi-faceted conference geared towards leaders and professionals across the industry from publishers and editors to the production team, distributors, programmers and developers, marketers, and executives. DB14 will include three content tracks targeting business & marketing, technology & production , and education & STM publishing. Over 1,000 attendees are expected. Please send speaker proposals to [email protected] by February 1, 2014.

Wrap Up: New Delhi Seminar on EPUB and HTML5 for Publishers

December 2, 2013
Nearly 100 people attended the first-ever IDPF seminar in India this past Saturday, November 30 2013. Hosted by Adobe at their Noida campus (New Delhi area), with logistics support from DAISY India office, the event featured presenters from IDPF, W3C, Adobe, O'Reilly Media, Aptara, DAISY, and National Book Trust. Presentation files have been uploaded to the public event site: /idpf-seminar-epub-and-the-open-web-platform-for-publishe... .

Open Book Hack Weekend Jan 11-13 at NYPL

December 2, 2013

NYPL Labs and Readium.org are co-organizing an "Open Book" hack weekend at NYPL (42nd St. main building) January 11-13 2014. Sponsors include O'Reilly Media, Hypothes.is, and Perseus Books Group. For more information or to register visit: http://bit.ly/1b8lGA9 .

Call for Participation: EDUPUB2 Workshop (Feb 12-13)

November 21, 2013
Building on the momentum established in the inaugural EDUPUB workshop (Oct 29-30, Boston), EDUPUB2 has now been announced and is open for participation EDUPUB2, hosted by IMS Global and co-sponsored by IDPF and W3C, will take place Feb 12-13 2014 in Salt Lake City, USA. EDUPUB 2 will be the 2nd in a series of workshops led by the global publishing and education segment to accelerate market adoption of digital textbooks and learning materials by collaborating on enabling open standards and best practices. More information: http://www.imsglobal.org/edupub/index.html

Open Annotations in EPUB Kicks Off

November 20, 2013
The EPUB Working Group recently started a project to develop a modular specification for annotations in EPUB (unfinished business per the EPUB 3 Charter). The results are expected to be aligned with Open Annotations, a specification being developed by the OpenAnnotations W3C Community Group. For more information about the project, including how members can participate, visit https://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/AnnotationsMainPage .

Last Chance to Register for Nov. 30 New Delhi Seminar on EPUB3 & HTML5

November 20, 2013
Register now for the November 30 IDPF Seminar on EPUB3 and HTML5 in Noida (New Delhi). Presenters include O'Reilly Media digital production manager and innovator Nellie McKesson, IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy, and speakers from W3C, DAISY Consortium, Aptara, National Book Trust, and Adobe InDesign and Web teams. Thanks to the generosity of host Adobe and sponsor participants O'Reilly Media and Aptara the ticket price for this all-day event, including lunch, has been reduced to 2000 INR - 1500 INR for members of IDPF, W3C, DAISY, Federation of India Publishers (FEP), or Adobe InDesign User Group (IDUG). Learn how the Open Web Platform can help you deliver compelling digital books today and future-proof your content strategy for the future. Space is limited to register today at at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/epub-and-the-open-web-platform-for-publisher... .

Nominating Committee Seeking Candidates for IDPF Board - Apply by Dec. 3

November 12, 2013
The IDPF Board of Directors has formed a 2014 Nominating Committee, which is soliciting candidates for Director positions. Every primary representative of an IDPF member organization is eligible to serve on the board. Interested individuals should send a candidate statement by December 3, 2013 to [email protected]. Typically, a candidate statement would include a brief biography, and potentially reasons for running for the position and/or general vision or ideas for the IDPF. The Committee will also consider as candidates those current board members who wish to continue their service to the IDPF but whose term runs out this year. The IDPF Board's core responsibilities include representing member interests in developing the vision and strategic plan for the organization and providing oversight and guidance to staff and volunteers carrying out the work of the organization. Seven of fourteen seats on the IDPF Board will be elected in this cycle, for two-year terms. The Nominating Committee and IDPF Board anticipates recommending to the membership a slate of five or six candidates, which will leave at least one seat open for at-large election.

Call for review: second public draft of EPUB Indexes specification

November 11, 2013
On November 7, 2013 the IDPF Board of Directors unanimously approved publication of a second Public Draft of EPUB Indexes 1.0. EPUB Indexes, developed by the EPUB Indexes Working Group, defines a consistent way of encoding the structure and content of indexes in EPUB Publications. Reading Systems can exploit this encoding to offer not only the benefits of a print index but also interactive functionality and features not possible in a print book. The draft specification is available at: http://www.idpf.org/epub/idx/ . Comments on the second draft specification are solicited through December 3, 2013.

Call for Review - Public Draft of EPUB 3.0.1

November 11, 2013
On November 7, 2013 the IDPF Board of Directors unanimously approved elevation of EPUB 3.0.1 to public draft status. EPUB 3.0.1, developed by the EPUB Working Group, is a backwards-compatible minor update to EPUB 3 intended to address a number of minor errata and issues in EPUB 3.0, improve alignment with the latest Open Web Platform specifications, and provide extension points for modular extensions to EPUB that are presently under development. Comments on the draft specification are solicited through December 3, 2013.

AAP EPUB 3 Implementation White Paper Now Available

October 28, 2013
As part of the ongoing EPUB 3 Implementation Project the Association for American Publishers (AAP) has made available a white paper that documents several outcomes of the cross-industry initiative, including the top 10 features deemed most critical for immediate implementation by participating publishers and reading system developers, as well as the top 13 tips for content publishers to create accessible EPUB 3 publications. For more information and to download the white paper, visit: http://publishers.org/press/117/ .

Announcing New Delhi Seminar on EPUB and Open Web Platform (Nov. 30)

October 14, 2013
On Saturday, November 30, 2013, New Delhi will be the venue for an IDPF technical seminar on EPUB and the Open Web Platform for Publishers. Hosted by Adobe Systems at their Noida campus, the all-day event (9:00am-17:00pm) will cover the latest developments in EPUB 3, HTML5, and the Open Web Platform, aiming to give senior leaders and technologists at publishers and solution providers the information they need to know to efficiently create and distribute eBooks and other digital publications. Speakers include senior leaders at IDPF, DAISY, W3C, Adobe, the National Book Trust, O'Reilly Media, and Aptara who will cover the latest technical developments and showcase powerful tools and emerging best practices in the fast-evolving digital publishing industry. More information and registration: http://bit.ly/1elDRCB., The seminar is co-sponsored by W3C, DAISY Consortium, the National Book Trust, India, and the Federation of Indian Publishers (FEP).

Last Chance to Register for IDPF eBook Design Worskhop, CONTEC Frankfurt

October 6, 2013
On Tuesday October 8 the new CONTEC digital conference will open the Frankfurt Book Fair, and on Thursday October 10 IDPF has organized a morning seminar on eBook design. Limited space remains available for both of these extremly timely events, for which IDPF members can receive 20% discount. The IDPF seminar the 10th will cover principles and practicalities of design and typography in all kinds of digital books, ranging from novels to highly designed illustrated titles, enhanced titles, and comics, with a focus on how to implement scalable workflows. Speakers will include Luc Audrain, head of digitalization of Hachette-Livre, Liisa McCloy-Kelley, VP and Director of eBook Development and Innovation at Random House, Samuel Petit, co-founder of ActiaLuna, and Markus Gylling, CTO of IDPF and DAISY Consortium. CONTEC is a new conference series designed to shed light on the many ways the experience of publishing is changing, covering the most relevant topics and presenting them in a way that promotes dialogue and exchange. Register for CONTEC at: http://www.book-fair.com/en/academy/programme/00339/.(enter code CONTEC13Partner20IDPF for discount) and for the IDPF eBook design seminar at http://www.buchmesse.de/en/academy/programme/00342/(enter code EBB13Partner20IDPF).

EDUPUB Workshop Agenda Available

October 4, 2013
The detailed program agenda for EDUPUB, an IDPF workshop on digital publishing for education, is now available at /edupub-2013-agenda . The invitation-only event, taking place October 29-30, 2013 in Boston (USA), will cover four topic themes: the educational interoperability landscape, rich and interactive content, accessibility, and production workflows. Keynote speakers include Jeff Jaffe (CEO, W3C) and Dan Cooper (SVP of Content Management Solutions, Pearson North America). Other presenters at the workshop represent a wide range of leading organizations and institutions involved in education publishing including IMS Global Learning, SIF, Sophia University (Japan), Ingram VitalSource, CourseSmart, Inkling, Carson-Dellosa, O'Reilly Media, Imagineering, Google, Benetech, Metrodigi, CETIS, NCAM, LRMI, AMAC, Wolfram, DAISY, ETS, Nook Media, Adobe, VersaPub, Harvard Business Publishing, and Evident Point. EDUPUB is hosted by Pearson Education, with organizational co-sponsors W3C and IMS Global Learning, and additional corporate sponsors including Aptara, CourseSmart, Ingram Content Group, Metrodigi, and SPi Global.

IDPF Member Open Meeting at Frankfurt

September 19, 2013
IDPF will hold an open forum for members on Tuesday, October 8 from 14:00-15:30. IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy and IDPF CTO Markus Gylling will provide a brief overview of the latest developments and upcoming roadmap for the EPUB standard, and with several IDPF Board Members on hand the majority of the time will be spent in Q&A and open discussion with attendees. The meeting will be at the Frankfurt Marriott, just outside the trade show grounds, in the Gold 3 room. Space was generously provided by Frankfurt Academy and CONTEC Frankfurt. CONTEC will be taking place simultaneously at the Marriott; while a CONTEC badge is not required to participate in the IDPF meeting attendees are sttrongly encouraged to register for CONTEC (http://www.buchmesse.de/en/academy/programme/00339/) and take advantage of the 20% discount for IDPF members (use promotion code CONTEC13Partner20IDPF). Directly following the IDPF meeting a Readium Foundation (http://readium.org) open meeting will take place in the same room and interested parties are welcome to attend both meetings.

Don't Miss CONTEC Frankfurt - 20% Discount for IDPF Members

September 14, 2013
The inaugural edition of CONTEC Frankfurt will take place on October 8 2013. CONTEC is a new conference series designed to shed light on the many ways the experience of publishing is changing, covering the most relevant topics and presenting them in a way that promotes dialogue and exchange among attendees, speakers and even those following along via social media. CONTEC Frankfurt will offer actionable tips for integrating big data/small data, explore the latest in open platforms and standards, examine alternative sales channels, a special track devoted to publishers and startups, EDItEUR's Supply Chain track, and much more. IDPF members get 20% off registration with promotion code CONTEC13Partner20IDPF. Register now at: http://www.book-fair.com/en/academy/programme/00339/.

EDUPUB Workshop - Position Papers Due Friday, August 23

August 19, 2013
EDUPUB is a workshop focused on advancing effective adoption of e-textbooks and other digital learning materials via EPUB 3 and the Open Web Platform. EDUPUB (Oct. 29-30, Boston) is shaping up to be a watershed event for the education publishing industry but space is limited and attendance is by invitation only, so if you are interested in attending please submit a position paper to [email protected] by this Friday, August 23. Position papers (which can be brief) should explain your / your organization's perspective on a topic relevant to the workshop. More information: /edupub-2013-participation . EDUPUB is an IDPF workshop, hosted by Pearson Education and organizationally co-sponsored by W3C and IMS Global Learning, with corporate sponsors including Aptara and SPi Global

IDPF Seminar on eBook Design at Frankfurt

July 31, 2013
IDPF, in partnership with Frankfurt Academy, will present a seminar at Frankfurt Book Fair. "What Makes an E-Book Beautiful?" will take place October 10, 2013 from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Speakers include Luc Audrain, head of digitalization of Hachette-Livre, Liisa McCloy-Kelley, VP and Director of eBook Development and Innovation at Random House, Samuel Petit, co-founder of ActiaLuna, and Markus Gylling, CTO of IDPF and DAISY Consortium. Register now at http://www.buchmesse.de/en/academy/programme/00342/index.html (IDPF members enter code EBB13Partner20IDPF for 20% discount).

Call For Participation: EDUPUB Workshop (Oct. 29-30, Boston)

July 30, 2013
IDPF today announced EDUPUB, an IDPF workshop on digital publishing for education. The workshop will take place October 29-30, 2013 in Boston (USA). EDUPUB is hosted by Pearson Education and organizationally co-sponsored by W3C and IMS Global Learning, with corporate sponsors including Aptara and SPi Global. The workshop goal is to assess the current state of the art and identify critical gaps that need to be filled to advance the effective global adoption and use of e-textbooks and digital learning materials. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to share their own perspectives, requirements, and ideas to help ensure that EPUB, the overall Open Web Platform of which it’s a part, and eLearning-specific standards harmoniously evolve to better meet the needs of education publishing. EDUPUB workshop program co-chairs are Paul Belfanti (Director, Content Architecture, Pearson North America) and Markus Gylling (CTO, IDPF and DAISY Consortium.). Workshop program committee members including executives and senior leaders from W3C, IMS Global Learning, Pearson, Apex Covantage, Aptara, Benetech, Cengage, CourseSmart, Google, Hachette Livre, Ingram/VitalSource, Inkling, Jouve, Kaplan, KERIS (Korea), McGraw-Hill Education, SPi Global, Sophia University (Japan) and other leading organizations involved in education publishing . Prospective participants are asked to submit a position paper or statement of interest by August 23, 2013. For more information on the workshop including how to participate see: /edupub-2013 .

AAP Announces EPUB 3 Implementation Project

July 22, 2013
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today announced a major initiative to rapidly advance EPUB 3 adoption over the next six months. IDPF is pleased to partner with the AAP, other IDPF members, and other industry stakeholders on this important initiative. The project will have a key focus on expanding accessibility for people who are blind or have other print disabilities. As part of the initiative AAP will host a workshop on September 10 in New York City to define and prioritize actionable projects around EPUB 3 implementation. More information: http://publishers.org/epub3implementationproject/ .

25% Off Reading Readers Book Marketing Event (May 28 NYC)

May 23, 2013

Recharge your book marketing strategy, boost your outreach success and build lasting relationships with readers and customers at the Reaching Readers Conference

European eBook Interoperability Study Recommends EPUB 3

May 21, 2013
A study of interoperabillity of eBooks, commissioned by the European & International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), has recommended EPUB 3. The report was prepared by Professor Christoph Bläsi and Professor Franz Rothlauf of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and states: "There is no technical or functional reason not to use and establish EPUB 3 as an/the interoperable (open) ebook format standard.", noting that EPUB 3 supports all features needed for multimedia and interactive e-books. The report highlights the open source work of the recently established Readium Foundation as a meanas to promote increased interoperability across EPUB implementations and argues the feasibility of development of interoperable DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology for the EPUB ecosystem. On May 16, at the EIBF Annual Conference in Brussels, the report was formally presented to Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the EU Commission for the Digital Agenda, who welcomed the study with praise: "Interoperability is a major requirement to build a truly digital society... Now is the time for open standards regarding ebooks". EIBF release with link to full report: http://bit.ly/19APyB5 .

Solutions Provider Showcase Participants Selected for Digital Book 2013

May 16, 2013

The IDPF has announced the nine companies that have been selected as lucky participants in the upcoming Solution Provider Showcase at IDPF DB13 at BookExpo America. Each company will have a chance to demonstrate their product or service in a lightning-fast (under 5 minutes!) presentation. The most innovative company will be awarded two complimentary tickets to the 2014 IDPF Digital Book Conference, a free one-year membership to IDPF and of course, bragging rights! 

The presenting companies are:

Angela Bole to Lead Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

April 25, 2013

IDPF congratulates BISG’s Deputy Executive Director and IDPF Board member Angela Bole, who been appointed the next Executive Director of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). IBPA is the largest not-for-profit trade organization for publishers in the United States, representing over 4,000 small and independent publishers and self-published authors. Angela will succeed Florrie Binford Kichler in this position.

Electronic Book Publishers Assoc. of Japan Publishes EPUB 3 File Creation Guide

April 24, 2013

The Electronic Book Publishers Association of Japan (EBPAJ) this week published an English language translation of the EBPAJ EPUB 3 File Creation Guide (available at http://ebpaj.jp/guide.html). This information was created by EPBAJ "to help corporate members of the Electronic Book Publishers Association of Japan (EBPAJ) create EPUB 3 files for trade books in accordance with the specification of International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF)".

Readium Foundation, EPUB 3 SDK Project Launched

March 25, 2013

IDPF and two dozen other initial members today announced a new Readium Foundation, formed to promote EPUB 3 and the Open Web Platform via open source development. A new Readium SDK open source project, developing an EPUB 3 rendering engine optimized for tablets and other mobile devices, was also unveiled today. Read the full article on readium.org at: http://readium.org/readium-foundation-announced .

Call for review - public draft of EPUB Indexes

March 14, 2013

On March 7, 2013 the IDPF Board of Directors unanimously approved elevation of EPUB Indexes to public draft status. This draft specification, produced by the EPUB Indexes Working Group, defines a consistent way of encoding the structure and content of indexes in EPUB Publications. Reading Systems can exploit this encoding to offer not only the benefits of a print index but also interactive functionality and features not possible in a print book. Comments on the draft specification are solicited through April 15, 2013. IDPF members may submit comments via the EPUB WG mailing list. Members and non-members alike are also welcome to submit comments via email to the working group co-chair.

International Publishers Association Endorses EPUB 3 as Global Standard

March 12, 2013
The International Publishers Association (IPA) today announced that its Board has endorsed EPUB 3. Jens Bammel, IPA’s Secretary General, said: “Digital publishing is now truly global. IPA strongly urges all publishing industry stakeholders to adopt EPUB 3 so that the publishing industry can achieve an interoperable and fully accessible global standard for e-books and other digital publications." Full text of the release (via Library Journal INFODocket) : http://bit.ly/Wksxzf .

EPUB 3 Best Practices Book Now Available

February 26, 2013

O'Reilly Media has released  EPUB 3 Best Practices, the comprehensive guide to using all the new features of EPUB 3, with chapters covering accessibility, multimedia, global language support, font embedding and licensing, packaging and metadata, and more. A reviewer writes "EPUB 3 Best Practices gets right down to business to what you need to do to modify your EPUB 2 workflow to upgrade to EPUB 3".

IDPF 2013 Focus: EPUB 3 Adoption

February 26, 2013
Digital publishing has come a long way in the last two years, wtih eBooks now outselling hardcovers. EPUB has been a key standard at the heart of the eBook revolution. EPUB 3, which converges digital publishing with HTML5 and modern Web Standards, and delivers robust accessibility and global language support, is a monumental update to the standard. The roll-out of solutions adopting EPUB 3 continues, with reading systems such as Apple iBooks, Kobo, Google Play Books, and Ingram VitalSource already supporting EPUB 3, and publishers such as Hachette and O'Reilly starting to distribute EPUB 3 content. For 2013, the top priority of the IDPF is to accelerate the continued adoption of EPUB 3 by the industry as a whole, with a particular emphasis on e-textbooks and other publications that are being enabled by the proliferation of tablets and benefit from the new features of EPUB 3 (rich media, interactivity, enhanced styling, fixed layout, mathematics). Work continues to enhance the EPUB standard: member working groups are actively developing new specifications for dictionaries, indexes, and advanced/hybrid layout. But the primary goal of the IDPF during 2013 is very focused: get EPUB 3 broadly and fully adopted. A unified, interoperable global standard for eBooks and other digital publications is critical to the industry and consumers, and the IDPF is fully engaged to deliver on the promise of portable documents for the Open Web Platform by making EPUB 3 happen. Stay tuned for announcements soon of new IDPF initiatives to further that adoption.

Digital Minds Conference April 14 at LBF: IDPF Member Discount

February 25, 2013
Sunday April 14, the eve of The London Book Fair, the Digital Minds Conference returns for a fifth year, with a broadened theme of "The Future of Publishing Content". This year's program and speakers are top-notch, and should make for a stimulating day at the superior QEII Conference Center in Westminster, Central London. Register now at https://www1.registerbynet.com/reg.asp?showcode=lbf13 - IDPF members use code LBF13IDPF to receive a 10% discount.

March 6 BISG Webcast: What's New (and On the Horizon) for EPUB 3?

February 20, 2013
On March 6 2013, 1:00pm ET, BISG is presenting a live 60-minute webcast on the latest developments in EPUB 3 ecosystem. Bill Kasdorf (VP of Apex and Chair of BISG's Content Structure Committee) and Markus Gylling (CTO of the IDPF and Chair of IDPF's EPUB 3 Working Group) will cover key topics publishers need to know including: Update on current reading system adoption of EPUB 3... EPUB 3 resources from BISG including: EPUB 3 Support Grid and the upcoming Field Guide to Fixed Layout... IDPF open source tools including EPUBCheck and Readium... upcoming additions to the EPUB specs and ISO standardization process ... and much more. To register visit http://www.bisg.org/events-0-904-live-webcast-whats-new-and-on-the-horiz... .

IDPF HTML5 & EPUB 3 Seminar: March 25 at Paris Book Fair

February 12, 2013
IDPF is pleased to announce a technical seminar on HTML5, EPUB 3, and digital book production on March 25, 2013 at the Paris Book Fair (Salon du Livre). The day-long program (bi-lingual French/English) will cover the nuts and bolts of HTML5 and EPUB 3 from a publisher's perspective, and provide practical examples of best practices and emerging tools for cost-effectively producing, managing, and distributing digital book content and metadata. Register now (http://www.salondulivreparis.com/GB/PRO/IDPF-PE.htm) and discover the next generation of digital publishing innovation and enhance your network by meeting leading digital experts convened in Paris.

O'Reilly TOC NYC 2013 - IDPF discount

December 10, 2012
O’Reilly’s Tools of Change for Publishing Conference is happening February 12-14, 2013 in New York City. TOC is where the publishing and tech industries converge to explore ideas and join together to navigate publishing's ongoing transformation. Save 15% on registration by using discount code IDPF (http://toccon.com?cmp=mp-toc-tc13-idpf-promo).

DBW 2013: Jan 15-17, NYC - 20% off for IDPF members

December 10, 2012
Digital Book World 2013 (www.digitalbookworld.com) will take place Jan 15-17 in New York City. DBW is focused on giving trade publishers hard data and actionable strategies. DBW has extended a 20% discount to IDPF members. Register using code DBWIDPF.

Call for Speakers: IDPF Digital Book 2013 at BEA

December 10, 2012
A call for speakers is now open for IDPF Digital Book 2013 at Book Expo America (May 29-30 NYC Javits Center). IDPF Digital Book at BEA is a multi-faceted conference with three content tracks targeting business & marketing, technology & production , and education & STMS publishing. Over 1000 attendees are expected. Please send speaker proposals to [email protected] by February 15, 2013.

IDPF EPUB 3 Awarded Best Technology Innovation at FutureBook

December 5, 2012
At the FutureBook Innovation Awards, held as part of this week's FutureBook Conference in London, IDPF was the winner in the category of best technology innovation, for EPUB 3. Mark Bide, EDItEUR and newly elected IDPF Board member, accepted the award on behalf of IDPF. Mark Marjurey, commercial director, digital at Taylor & Francis said: “Over the last ten years publishers have been beset by the challenges of developing e-book content fragmented across various proprietary formats and devices. EPUB 3 finally delivers us an open standard with which we can foster interactivity, enhanced content, full accessibility for the visually impaired, and begin to tackle the vagaries of device incompatibility. From authors to publishers to readers, this is something we can all get behind."

IDPF Elects Board Members, Approves New Working Group

November 26, 2012
The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced the election of four new members of its board of directors, the re-election of its President and two incombent directors, and approval of a new working group charter. The new IDPF directors are: Mark Bide - EDItEUR; Pierre Danet - Hachette-Livre; Keith Fahlgren - Safari Books Online; Adam Witwer - O'Reilly Media; Current directors Garth Conboy (Google) and Cristina Mussinelli (Italian Publishers Association) were reelected, and George Kerscher (DAISY) was re-elected as IDPF President. Members also approved the charter for a new Advanced/Hybrid Layout working group ( /charters/2012/layout/ahl.html ).

Fourteen Candidates Running for IDPF Board of Directors

November 5, 2012

Fourteen candidates submitted nominations for election to seven seats on the IDPF Board of Directors, including the elected President position. These candidates are affiliated with IDPF member organizations from Asia, Europe, and North America, including publishers, reading system vendors and service providers.  The election is underway from today (November 5) through November 21, 2012. Each IDPF member Primary Representative is eligible to vote on behalf of their organization, and should have received an email ballot.

Businessweek: With EPUB 3, E-Books Finally Get Traction in Japan

November 1, 2012

A recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek credits EPUB as an enabler for e-Books (beyond manga) to finally start getting traction in Japan:  "... Japan’s e-reader dark ages may be ending. EPUB 3.0, the latest open-standard software for digital readers developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum, an electronic publishing trade group, can display Japanese text vertically.

W3C Announces Workshop on Electronic Books and the Open Web

October 25, 2012

The W3C, in partnership with IDPF and BISG, is organizing a workshop on Electronic Books and the Open Web, to bring together major players of the eBooks market, including publishers, standardization organizations, booksellers, accessibility organizations, etc, in order to help bring eBook publishing to its full potential through standardization.

Benetech Adopts Readium, Advances EPUB 3 Accessibility

October 25, 2012
The IDPF today announced that Benetech, a non-profit technology provider based in Palo Alto, California, has become a Readium contributor and is adopting Readium technology for its Bookshare service. The Readium project, sponsored by the IDPF, is developing an open source EPUB 3 reading system. Benetech's Bookshare service will be utilizing Readium components in a new web reader that will work in conjunction with a cloud-based bookshelf, allowing qualified users with print disabilities to access their books and read online, directly in a browser, from school, home, and mobile devices. Benetech is also contributing accessibility features including screen reader integration back to the project.

EPUB Reading System conformance test suite project kicks off

October 25, 2012

The IDPF today makes an initial call for participation in a new EPUB conformance test suite project. This newly started open source project is developing materials and methods for the evaluation of feature coverage in EPUB Reading Systems.  The goal is to develop a testing paradigm that is comprehensive, objective, and tests all the features in EPUB 3 and its dependent Web Standards that are relevant to content creators. A means to publicly communicate results is also envisioned.

Comment Period Underway for Proposed Advanced/Hybrid Layout Working Group

October 5, 2012

Following the IDPF workshop on advanced/hybrid fixed layout that was held in Tokyo on July 6 2012, an ad hoc group has drafted a working group charter proposal, and the IDPF Board has called a member comment period, which will be from October 5 through October 19, 2012.  The proposed Advanced/Hybrid Layouts working group would be chartered to publish a set of modular specifications to extend EPUB 3 functionality to better meet the full needs of the ecosystem with regards to user and context adaptation and reading of image-centric publications such as comics and magazines.

IDPF Board Nominations Open Through October 26, 2012

October 5, 2012

A self-nomination period is now open for an election to fill seven positions on the IDPF Board of Directors. Every primary representative of an IDPF member is eligible to be a candidate to serve on the board. Four incumbent directors have expressed an intention to run for re-election, so it is anticipated that the organization will elect at least three new directors during this cycle. The nomination period will be from October 5 through October 26, 2012. After the nomination period has closed, all nominations will be posted on the IDPF website.

DAISY and NFB Ask U.S. State Dept. for EPUB Support

September 26, 2012

DAISY Consortium and the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) recently submitted a response to a Request for Information (RFI) from the U.S. State Department regarding its planned e-reader initiative, expressing concern about accessibility and requesting support for the EPUB open standard format.

Readium Launched on Chrome Web Store

September 26, 2012
The Readium open source project to develop an EPUB 3 reference implementation, sponsored by IDPF and other supporters, continues to rapidly evolve. The Chrome web app configuration of Readium was recently launched on the Chrome Web Store, and can be installed via https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fepbnnnkkadjhjahcafoaglimekefifl. Recently added Readium features include an implementation of the Canonical Fragment Identifier (CFI) specification, rate and volume controls for Media Overlays, UI enhancements including the ability to drag-and-drop EPUB files into the Readium library, and support for the EPUB reading system JavaScript object. Other recent under-the-hood work includes faster zip unpacking and other performance improvements, internationalization framework with several localizations, cross-browser support elements, and many bug fixes.

EPUB Adaptive Layout Specification Becomes IDPF Informational Document

September 13, 2012
On September 6, 2012 the IDPF Board of Directors unanimously approved elevation of EPUB Adaptive Layout to be an IDPF Informational Document. This specification defines a model for template-based adaptive paginated layouts as an extension to CSS. The features described in the EPUB Adaptive Layout specification allow authors to describe precise page appearances that can intelligently adapt to a wide range of device sizes and custom user settings.

Update on EPUB Lightweight Copy Protection Activity

September 13, 2012

IDPF received 8 responses to its recent request for proposals for solutions to potential requirements for standardizing a lightweight copy protection technology for EPUB. Specific proposals were received from DRMinside, FileOpen Systems, Kobo, Marlin Developer Community, RHK, and Sony DADC.

Tokyo Book Fair Video Now Available

August 23, 2012

Video of IDPF's EPUB 3 conference last month at the Tokyo International Book Fair is now available, courtesy of Voyager Japan, whose CEO (and IDPF Board member) Masaaki Hagino served as MC for the event.

BISG Endorses EPUB 3 as the "Accepted and Preferred" Standard

August 6, 2012

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), the leading U.S. book trade association for standardized best practices, research, and educatinon, today issued a press release endorsing EPUB 3 as the "accepted and preferred format" for Web Standards-based digital content. The announcement noted that their endorsment "addresses the critical need for the global book publishing industry to rally around a single standard... in order to impede ... fragmentation".

IDPF HTML5 & EPUB 3 Workshop at Frankfurt: Early-Bird Rate Until August 15

July 31, 2012

On October 11 2012 during Frankfurt Book Fair IDPF and Frankfurt Academy will host an in-depth technical workshop on practical opportunities and challenges for publishers for creating and delivering complex and enhanced eBooks via HTML5 and EPUB 3.

Japanese Government Sponsored Digitization Project Adopts EPUB 3

July 31, 2012

Under the auspices of the recently formed Pubridge, aka DPIJ (Digital Publishing Initiative Japan Co, Ltd. - http://www.pubridge.jp/), the Kindigi (Urgent Content Digitization Project) has received 1B Yen ($12.5M) in funding from the Japanese government. On July 27 2012 it was announced that EPUB 3 will be supported by this initiative.

Request for Proposals on Lightweight Content Protection for EPUB

July 20, 2012

The IDPF on July 20, 2012 published a request for proposals for standardizing interoperable lightweight content protection technology for EPUB, available at: /epub-content-protection-rfp. Interested parties are invited to submit proposals by August 31, 2012.  The updated RFP is a follow-up to the initial draft of use cases and requirements, published May 18, 2012 (with a request for comments).

IDPF and Korean Government Agency Agree on Collaboration

July 10, 2012

Seoul, July 10, 2012 (NEWS RELEASE) - The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and Korea Education & Research Information Service (KERIS) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to advance the standardization of digital publishing technology in South Korea. Signed today in Seoul by KERIS President Chulkyun Kim and IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy, the MOU provides for a number of measures to advance the adoption and quality of digital textbooks and other publications based on the EPUB standard.

EPUB 3 Support a Highlight of eBook Expo Tokyo Conference

July 9, 2012
On July 4 the IDPF's first major Asian event, an EPUB 3 conference at eBook Expo Tokyo, attracted nearly 400 attendees. Rakuten Group Manager Ren Ando underscored Rakuten's commitment to EPUB 3 as a key global standard, explaining that Rakuten-Kobo's new Japanese eBook store, to go live later this month, would exclusively support EPUB 3. IDPF CTO Markus Gylling along with representatives of Voyager Japan, ACCESS and ATDO demonstrated publicly for the first time vertical writing and other Japanese typography features in the IDPF-sponsored open source Readium project.

IDPF Digital Book 2012 Is a Wrap

June 13, 2012

IDPF Digital Book 2012 at BEA was another sell-out event, with a record well over 1000 attendees. Thanks to all of our speakers and sponsors for making the program a great success. Save the date for our next IDPF Digital Book conference at BEA: June 3-4 2013.

Comment Period for Lightweight Content Protection for EPUB Extended Until June 29

June 11, 2012
At the request of several members and other interested parties, the comment period on the draft of use cases and requirements for a potential lightweight content protection technology for EPUB published on May 18, 2012 has been extended until Friday, June 29. See the original notice for more details and background. As noted in the original announcement, comments are solicited on any additional high priority use cases and requirements not encompassed in this initial straw-man document, the overall desirability of a standardized solution in this area, and regarding the relative priority of a solution vs. other IDPF activities. Please direct comments to bmccoy "at" idpf.org. Comments received will be by default considered public; however, IDPF member organizations may request anonymity, or for feedback to remain limited to IDPF management and Board. IDPF leadership will also endeavor to take account of published comments (e.g. blog posts) on this topic.

Call for Participation: IDPF workshop on Advanced/Hybrid Fixed Layouts in EPUB (July 6 2012, Tokyo)

June 10, 2012
A workshop on Advanced/Hybrid Fixed Layouts in EPUB will be held on July 6 2012 in Tokyo Japan and via Web / conference call (details TBD). All IDPF members are invited to participate (see RSVP information below for physical attendance). The primary goal of the workshop is to develop a statement of work, including an outline of a potential new Working Group charter, for EPUB support for a related set of use cases for advanced fixed-layout publications, primarily focused on multiple renditions (.epub files that contain multiple root files / package documents). Specific areas of concern include rendition selection, rendition mapping, and intra/inter-page navigation.

IDPF Presents EPUB 3 at BEA: June 7

June 6, 2012

On June 7, 2012 IDPF CTO Markus Gylling and Executive Director Bill McCoy will give an overview of what's new in EPUB 3, discuss the rollout of EPUB 3 support in Reading Systems and authoring tools, and cover the future roadmap for EPUB. The session in the BEA Education Program runs from 9:30am until 10:20am in room 1E09 and is free to all BEA badge holders.

Attributor receives 2012 IDPF Innovation Award @ BEA

June 6, 2012

On June 6, 2012, IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy presented Attributor with the inaugural IDPF Innovation Award @ BEA, including a trophy and two free passes to IDPF's next flagship conference, Digital Book 2013 at BEA. The over 60 exhibitors in the BEA Digital Discovery Zone were evaluated by a panel of four judges including McCoy, Markus Gylling (CTO, IDPF & DAISY Consortium), Bil Kasdorf (VP, Apex Content Solutions), and Joe Wikert (GM & Publisher and Chair of TOC, O'Reilly Media).

EPUB 3 Samples: Now Showing - All EPUB 3 Features

May 21, 2012
The EPUB 3 samples project (http://code.google.com/p/epub-samples) has continued to progress, and now includes over two dozen sample files which collectively touch on every major feature of EPUB 3 as well as the recently approved EPUB 3 Fixed Layout Metadata specification. These samples are licensed under a Creative Commons "Share Alike" license. Additional samples are still needed to broaden and deepen coverage; for information on contributing see http://code.google.com/p/epub-samples/wiki/Contributing.

Request for Comments: Use Cases & Requirements for Lightweight Content Protection for EPUB

May 17, 2012
The IDPF on May 18, 2012 published a draft of use cases and requirements for lightweight content protection technology for EPUB, available at: /epub-content-protection. Comments from members and other interested parties are requested by Friday, June 8. Comments are particularly solicited regarding the priority of this activity versus other potential IDPF-mediated projects. Also requested are comments on any additional high priority use cases and requirements not encompassed in this initial straw-man document, and regarding the overall desirability of a solution embodying the proposed requirements, or any standardized solution in this area. The document describes requirements for a potential content protection scheme for EPUB. It outlines what would be a “lightweight” scheme, occupying a middle ground between strong DRM and DRM-free. This would enable sharing with or without watermarking, but, unlike watermarking alone, cracks would be considered definitively illegal.

IDPF EPUB 3 Conference at International eBook Expo Tokyo

May 15, 2012

Tokyo, May 15, 2012 (PRESS RELEASE) -  The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced the EPUB 3 Conference, which will be held at 16th International eBook Expo Tokyo at Tokyo Big Sight on July 4, 2012. This event will be the first publicly held large scale Asian event organized by IDPF, whose growing membership of over 300 organizations is now over one-third from the region.

IDPF at London Book Fair & Conference

April 11, 2012

IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy will lead the "Platforms and Standards" session at the LBF Digital Minds Conference (Sunday, 15 April). There's still time to register.  IDPF will have a stand during the London Book Fair Exposition (April 16-18). Members and others are cordially invited to visit booth T755 in the digital zone to learn more about EPUB 3, and other IDPF activities.

IDPF Unveils Program, Speakers for Digital Book 2012 at BEA

April 10, 2012

New York, NY, April 10, 2012 (PRESS RELEASE) – The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) announced today the preliminary program and speakers for Digital Book 2012 at BEA (idpf.org/db12). The conference, held in partnership with BookExpo America (BEA), will be held June 4-5, 2012, in New York City’s Javits Center, and is expected to draw global leaders in the publishing industry, including technologists, marketers, retailers, solution providers, publishers, authors, and agents.

Hachette Livre Group joins Readium Project

March 15, 2012

March 15, 2012 (PRESS RELEASE) Hachette Livre (including Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK) today announced that it is joining the Readium Project, a new initiative by the International Digital Publishing Forum. The Readium Project aims to ensure that open source software for handling EPUB® 3 publications is readily available, to accelerate adoption of EPUB 3 as the universal, accessible, global digital publishing format. This will be achieved by building on WebKit, the widely adopted open source HTML5 rendering engine.

EPUB 3 Fixed Layout Metadata Finalized

March 15, 2012

On March 13, 2012 the IDPF Board of Directors unanimously approved elevation of EPUB 3 Fixed Layout Documents to be an IDPF Informational Document. This specification, produced by the EPUB 3 Working Group, defines a set of metadata properties to allow declarative expression of intended rendering behaviors of fixed-layout documents in the context of EPUB 3. It also defines mechanisms to express the intended rendering dimensions.

Understanding EPUB 3 Webinar series starts Tues, Feb. 21

February 17, 2012

There's still time to register for a special Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and Digital Book World (DBW) 4-part Webcast Series focusing on EPUB 3.0. IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy and EPUB 3 WG Metadata subgroup lead Bill Kasdorf will kick off the series on Tuesday, February 21 (1pm ET). Other presenters will include key IDPF members and WG participants from Kaplan, Metrodigi, and eBook Architects.

IDPF Unveils Program, Speakers for Digital Book 2012 at BEA

February 15, 2012

 

New York, NY, April 10, 2012 – The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) announced today the preliminary program and speakers for Digital Book 2012 at BEA (idpf.org/db12). The conference, held in partnership with BookExpo America (BEA), will be held June 4-5, 2012, in New York City’s Javits Center, and is expected to draw global leaders in the publishing industry, including technologists, marketers, retailers, solution providers, publishers, authors, and agents.

 

Accessible EPUB 3 book now available at O'Reilly website

February 15, 2012
In collaboration with DAISY and IDPF, O'Reilly has now published Accessible EPUB 3 - Best Practices for Creating Universally Usable Content. This is the second installment of the forthcoming EPUB 3 Best Practices book.

Readium Open Source Initiative Launched to Accelerate Adoption of EPUB 3: ACCESS, Adobe, Barnes & Noble, Copia, Google, Kobo/Rakuten, O’Reilly, Samsung, Sony, others support project to advance universal digital publishing format

February 13, 2012
New York, NY, February 13, 2012 -The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced the Readium Project, a new open source initiative to develop a comprehensive reference implementation of the IDPF EPUB® 3 standard. This vision will be achieved by building on WebKit, the widely adopted open source HTML5 rendering engine. A quote sheet with quotes from the following is available at /readium-support : ACCESS, Adobe, Anobii, Apex CoVantage, Assoc. American Publishers (AAP), Barnes & Noble, Bluefire Productions, BISG, Copia, DAISY, EAST, EDItEUR, Evident Point, Google, Incube Tech, Kobo/Rakuten, Monotype, O’Reilly, Rakuten, Safari Books Online, Samsung, Sony, VitalSource, Voyager Japan. For more information about the project, including how to participate and links to downloads and source code, visit http://readium.org .

IDPF announces EPUB samples project

February 12, 2012

IDPF today announces the open source epub-samples project. This EPUB sample document repository is intended to showcase features of the EPUB 3 standard, and to provide evaluation and testing materials for Reading System developers. 

The sample collection is being built and shared collaboratively by contributors from the EPUB community — read more about how to contribute at the project's Contributing page.

Dictionary, Indexes Working Groups Formed

January 31, 2012

IDPF member organizations have approved charters for working groups to add dictionaries and indexes support to EPUB. The consent vote for dictionaries WG was 68 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention. The consent vote for indexes WG was 69 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention.

SPi Global Goes Platinum for Digital Book 2012

January 24, 2012

SPi Global, a Gold Sponsor for Digital Book 2011, has upgraded to a Platinum level sponsorship for the 2012 Digital Book conference.

Progress on Common Approach to EPUB 3 Fixed-Layout Metadata

January 15, 2012

The ad-hoc group working on fixed-layout metadata held an all-day meeting on Jan. 12, hosted by Sony in San Jose, CA, with representatives from Apple, Adobe, Barnes&Noble, Google, Hachette Book Group / AAP, and Sony. Consensus was reached on a unified framework for representing fixed-layout metadata in EPUB 3.

Voting Underway for Dictionaries, Indexes WGs

January 15, 2012

Member consent voting is open through Jan. 29 for working group charter proposals to add dictionaries and indexes support to EPUB, following member comment periods during December, 2011 and subsequent approval of both draft charters by the IDPF Board of DIrectors.

MIP for Higher Ed Publishing: IDPF member discount to Feb 8 BISG event

January 15, 2012

The Book Industry Study Group is offering a discount on registration to IDPF members for its Making Information Pay for Higher Ed Publishing conference (February 8th, 2012 in NYC) to IDPF members. Now in its second year, MIP for Higher Ed brings together publishing executives to gain practical insights on how they can benefit from an industry in transformation. This year’s conference focuses on innovation in the higher ed marketplace.

Discussion forums now available on idpf.org

January 15, 2012

Discussion forums are now available on idpf.org. Posting is open to both IDPF members and the general public (registration required to minimize spam). Our goal in hosting forums is to help foster the EPUB ecosystem via information sharing and community discussion of timely topics. Forums have been established for general IDPF/EPUB topics, EPUB 3, and EPUB Accessibility.

EPUBCheck 3.0 beta hosted at validator.idpf.org

January 11, 2012

The open-source validator tool for EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 content, EPUBCheck 3.0 (currently in beta) is now officially available at validator.idpf.org . Kudos to the EPUBCheck contributors and DAISY Consortium technical team members who coordinated the hosted deployment.

DBW 2012 - $200 off for IDPF members

December 16, 2011
Digital Book World 2012 (NYC; Jan 23-25) is extending a substantial discount to IDPF members Register now using code IDPFDBW12 for $200 off the full conference rate. The DBW conference is uniquely focused on giving trade publishers hard data and actionable strategies.

TOC NYC 2012 - 15% discount for IDPF members (act by Tues, Dec. 20)

December 16, 2011
O’Reilly’s TOC Conference, happening February 13-15, 2012 in New York City, is where the publishing and tech industries converge, as practitioners and executives from both camps share what they've learned from their successes and failures, explore ideas, and join together to navigate publishing’s ongoing transformation. Multiple sessions will highlight the latest developments in EPUB, and speakers will include key IDPF leaders and board members. IDPF members can save an extra 15% on early-bird registration (which ends Tues, Dec 20) by using discount code IDPF. For more details and to register, visit http://toccon.com .

Comment Period Underway for Proposed Dictionaries and Indexes Working Groups

December 6, 2011
Following the virtual workshop on dictionaries and indexes that was held on 18 October, the ad-hoc groups that were formed have completed and published drafts of charter proposals for two working groups on these topics, and a member comment period has been called that will end December 18, 2011. The charter proposals, with comment submission fields, are http://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/DictionariesCharterProposal and http://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/IndexesCharterProposal .

IDPF Elects New Board Members

November 22, 2011
November 22, 2011 - The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced election results for seven seats on its board of directors. Six new board members and re-relected Incumbent Ken Brooks (Cengage Learning) join seven other incumbents on the newly expanded IDPF board. Twenty-one candidates submitted nominations, and a record 127 IDPF member organizations cast votes in this election. The newly elected directors are: Angela Bole - Book Industry Study Group (BISG) Ken Brooks - Cengage Learning (INCUMBENT) Masaaki Hagino - Voyager Japan & Association of Media in Digital (AMD) Leslie Hulse - HarperCollins Publishers Tatsuo Kobayashi - Japan Electronic Publishing Association (JEPA) Liisa McCloy-Kelley - Random House Roger Webster - Barnes & Noble

Taipei Fixed Layout EPUB Workshop Notes Available

November 1, 2011

On October 25, the IDPF held a workshop on fixed-layout EPUB in Taipei. Over 50 people attended physically, with 20+ more participating remotely. Preliminary meetings notes are now available at http://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/TaipeiMeetingNotes . Several action items were taken including formation of two ad hoc groups to propose rendition metadata and a rendition mapping data structure; one or both of these efforts could lead to charter proposals for a new Working Group.

Over Twenty Candidates for IDPF Board of Directors Election

November 1, 2011

A record twenty-one candidates have submitted nominations for election to seven seats on the newly expanded IDPF Board of Directors. These candidates are affiliated with IDPF member organizations from Asia, Europe, and North America, representing publishers, reading system vendors, service providers, libraries, and other organizations. A list of candidates with links to nomination statements is available at /board-elections-2011-11. The election is underway from November 1 through November 21, 2011.

IDPF Board Nomination Deadline: Friday, October 28

October 27, 2011

The nomination period for the upcoming election for seven positions on the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) Board of Directors will close on Friday, October 28, 2011.  

EPUB 3 Becomes Final IDPF Specification

October 10, 2011

Frankfurt, Germany, October 11, 2011. The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced the completion of a major revision to EPUB, the global standard interchange and delivery format for eBooks and other digital publications. The IDPF membership unanimously voted to elevate EPUB 3.0 to a final IDPF Recommended Specification, publicly available at /epub/30.

IDPF Board Nominations Open Through October 28, 2011

October 10, 2011

A self-nomination period is now open for an election to fill seven positions on the IDPF Board of Directors. Six of the seven positions will fill board seats that are new or vacant (pursuant to the recently approved expansion of the IDPF Board from 9 to 14 members). The nomination period is from October 11 through October 28, 2011.

IDPF Workshop on Fixed-Layout EPUB: Oct 25, 2011

October 8, 2011

The IDPF will hold a workshop on Fixed Layout EPUB (representing pre-paginated content) on October 25, 2011. The workshop will be hosted in Taipei, Taiwan thanks to the support of the Taiwanese Digital Publishing Forum. All IDPF members interested in this topic are welcome to participate physically or via Web conference. Non-members can request an invitation by emailing co-organizer Bill McCoy at [email protected].

"What is EPUB 3?" Article from O'Reilly

October 6, 2011

O'Reilly Media, in collaboration with the IDPF, have just released a free (registration required) white paper "What is EPUB 3?", authored by EPUB 3 spec editor Matt Garrish. Per the catalog description: "This article walks you through the format and puts it in its place in the digital landscape, explaining why EPUB 3 is set to become the new global standard for ebooks as it also becomes the new accessible standard for ebooks".

Markus Gylling Appointed CTO of IDPF

September 21, 2011

Seattle, Washington and Stockholm, Sweden, September 21, 2011 The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced that Markus Gylling has been appointed its Chief Technical Officer. Gylling has been seconded to the IDPF via the DAISY Consortium, and will continue to serve in parallel as CTO of DAISY.

EPUB 3 From DocBook Via XSLT

September 21, 2011

The open source XSL stylesheets for DocBook have been updated to support EPUB 3 by Bob Stayton (author of DocBook XSL: The Complete Guide). The EPUB produced validates against the new EPUBCheck 3.0 b2 and supports advanced EPUB 3 features including audio, video, and MathML.

First Release of EPUBCheck 3.0 Now Available

September 6, 2011

On September 6 an initial beta of the next version of the widely used validation tool for EPUB was made available by its open source developers. EPUBCheck 3.0, a Java library, now supports validation of EPUB 3 content. As well, the new release supports validation of "exploded" (unzipped) EPUB publications and single-file validation of individual elements of a publication (package file, navigation file, etc.). Fore more information about the new version see: http://code.google.com/p/epubcheck/wiki/EPUBCheck30

Advanced Adaptive Layout Workshop Notes

July 26, 2011

On July 20, 2011 the IDPF held a workshop on Advanced Adaptive Layout for High-Design Publications, in Mountain View, CA USA and via Web conference. Total attendance was over 60 (over 30 in person)  from over 25 different organizations including Adobe, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Cengage Learning, Google, IDEAlliance, Inkling, John Wiley, Libre Digital, Pearson, Rodale, Safari Books Online, and others.

Digital Book 2011 - presentation slides now available

July 15, 2011

Presentation slides from IDPF Digital Book 2011 at BEA (May 23-24 2011) can be downloaded from links in each speaker's biography. We regret the delay in posting. Note  that not all speakers and panelists utilized slides, and some speakers have chosen not to make slides publicly available.

RSVP today for July 20 IDPF Workshop

July 12, 2011

RSVPs are requested by today (July 12) for physical attendance at the IDPF Workshop on Advanced Page Layout for High-Design Publications which will be held on July 20 at the Google campus in Mountain View, CA.

JEPA Seminar on EPUB 3 Latest Topics (Tokyo, July 8, 2011)

June 29, 2011

JEPA (Japan Electronic Publishing Association) will hold a seminar on EPUB 3 Latest Topics in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2011. Speakers will include IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy and several key contributors to the Japanese digital publishing technology ecosystem. Capacity is limited to 120 and pre-registration is required (at  http://www.jepa.or.jp/seminar/ ); 2000 Y fee will be donated in entirety to Tohoku devastated area relief.

IDPF Workshop on Advanced Adaptive Layout for High-Design Publications - July 20, 2011

June 29, 2011
The IDPF will hold a Workshop on Advanced Adaptive Layout for High-Design Publication on July 20 from 9:00am Pacific until 2:00pm, at the Google campus in Mountain View, CA and via Web meeting. The meeting facilitator will Markus Gylling, Chair, EPUB 3 Working Group. IDPF members, EPUB 3 Working Group participants, and other interested parties are invited to participate.

IDPF at e-Book Expo Tokyo (July 7, 2011)

June 21, 2011

On July 7, 2011, IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy will participate with industry leaders in a panel discussion on international digital publishing issues during e-Book Expo Tokyo , billed as the world's largest trade show for eBook devices, content, and technology.

IDPF at 4th Chinese Digital Publishing Exposition (Beijing, July 5-8 2011)

June 21, 2011

IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy will present on IDPF, EPUB, and the current situation and trends for global digital publishing during the Fourth Chinese Digital Publishing Exposition in Beijing (taking place July 5-9). More information: http://china-media-news.org/2011/05/16/chinas-4th-digital-publishing-exp...http://www.chuban.cc/ggl/201103/t20110309_84837.html [in Chinese].

EPUB 3 Proposed Specification Released

May 23, 2011
New York, NY, May 23, 2011 - (PRESS RELEASE) The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced that EPUB® 3 is now a Proposed Specification for final member and public review. EPUB, an XML and Web Standards based format developed by the IDPF, has become a key global standard in the rapidly developing digital publishing industry, enabling digital books and publications to be portable across devices and reading systems. EPUB 3 is a major revision of the standard that aligns EPUB with HTML5 and adds support for key emerging requirements including video, audio, interactivity, vertical writing and other global language capabilities, improved accessibility, MathML, and styling and layout enhancements.

Open Meeting on E-Book Digital Rights Management at BEA, hosted by BISG and IDPF

May 11, 2011
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) invite members and other interested parties to an open, informal Digital Rights Management discussion during BookExpo America. During this 1-hour session, BISG and IDPF will work with attendees to explore options for improving consumer experience with multi-channel acquisition and cross-device consumption of eBooks and other commercial digital publications. Wednesday, May 25 4:00pm-5:00pm; Terrace 4A, Javits Center.

EPUB 3 Webinar - May 12

May 9, 2011

Aptara is sponsoring a complementary webinar Thurs May 12, 11:00am EDT (4:00pm GMT)  -  EPUB 3, an Insider's Look - which will feature IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy, Aptara Solutions Architect & EPUB Working Group member Eric Freese, and  Libre Digital VP of Publisher Services Tyler Ruse.

Second Public Draft of EPUB 3 Specifications Published

May 6, 2011

The IDPF EPUB Working Group today published a second Public Draft of specifications for EPUB 3. This work-in-progress revision reflects feedback received during the Public and Member comment period that commenced with the publication of the first Public Draft on Feb 15, 2011, as well as other Working Group decisions, review and editorial improvements.

Three New Sponsors Commit to IDPF Digital Book 2011

May 3, 2011
Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc, Copia and Bluefire Productions all sign on as sponsors as registration numbers climb for Digital Book 2011.

IDPF Announces Speakers for Digital Book 2011, May 23-24th NYC

April 27, 2011
Special keynote from multiple Hugo and Nebula award-winning best-selling science-fiction authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear, creators of the ground-breaking project, The Mongoliad

Book Business signs on as sponsor for IDPF Digital Book 2011

April 27, 2011
Book Business magazine and IDPF partner to provide their members and readers incredible value!

Special IDPF Member Discount Offer for BISG's Making Information Pay 2011 Conference

April 20, 2011
IDPF members can now take advantage of a special member discount for BISG's Making Information Pay conference, to be held on May 5th in New York Ciry.

Adobe renews commitment as Gold Sponsor for IDPF Digital Book 2011

April 18, 2011
As BEA approaches and seats are quickly selling, more sponsors commit to Digital Book 2011.

Baker & Taylor, Inc. Renews Commitment as Gold Sponsor for IDPF Digital Book 2011

April 12, 2011
As London Book Fair winds down, more and more sponsors line up for a chance to support the IDPF Digital Book 2011 at BEA.

IDPF at London Book Fair

April 9, 2011
IDPF Executive Director Bill McCoy and key IDPF EPUB Working Group members will be speaking about EPUB and standards at a number of events and meetings at London Book Fair this week. Events open to all LBF attendees include an EPUB 3 Overview presentation by McCoy in the LBF Digital Zone Theatre on Monday, April 11 9:30am, and a panel seminar EPUB 3.0: Opportunities for Publishers from the New Standard led by Bob Kasher, BookMasters Group, on Tuesday April 12 at 17:30pm in the Cromwell Room, Earls Court 1, that will also include McCoy, and Bill Kasdorf, Apex Covantage.

SPi Global Renews Commitment as Gold Sponsor for IDPF Digital Book 2011

April 4, 2011
Limited sponsorship opportunities remain as more and more companies renew commitments following sold-out success of IDPF Digital Book 2010.

IDPF Unveils Program for Digital Book 2011 at BEA

March 30, 2011
Highly Anticipated Conference will be May 23-24 2011, NYC – Platinum Sponsors to include Ingram, OverDrive

Epubcheck 1.2 Released

March 25, 2011
New version includes enhanced validation error messages.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Crisis

March 15, 2011
Our thoughts are with IDPF members and colleagues in Japan (to donate to relief: 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami)

Review Period for EPUB 3 Public Draft Ends March 15

March 14, 2011
Member and public comments solicited on major revision to open standard

IDPF Digital Book 2011 at BEA Announces Early Bird Registration

February 23, 2011
Conference highlights evolving eBook industry, EPUB® adoption and new reading devices

EPUB 3 Specification Public Draft Released

February 15, 2011
HTML5-based revision supports rich media & interactivity, layout improvements, global languages, accessibility

Ebook Lab Italia March 3-5 2011

February 13, 2011
IDPF leadership presenting at digital publishing conference

New IDPF Website Launched

February 13, 2011
Improved accessibility and information design

EPUBcheck 1.1 Released

January 11, 2011
Open source tool for EPUB validation improved

Bill McCoy Announced as New IDPF Executive Director

December 14, 2010
Industry veteran has actively contributed to development of EPUB 3

U.S. eBook Sales Grow by 112%

November 17, 2010
The Association of American Publishers reports $119.7 million in U.S. trade wholesale electronic book sales during Q3 2010

IDPF Launches EPUB Standards Maintenance Working Group

August 15, 2009

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the standards and trade association for digital publishing, announced that the maintenance activities associated with the EPUB standards will start this month. The DAISY Consortium has stepped forward to provide leadership and resources to assist in the maintenance for the EPUB standards. The working group charter was unanimously approved by the IDPF membership.

International Adoption of EPUB eBook Standard to be presented at Frankfurt Book Fair

October 6, 2008

Booksellers and publishers attending the Frankfurt Book Fair are invited to attend an open conference session to hear from representatives from the International Digital Publishing Forum, Random House UK, OverDrive, Inc., and Sony Reader on recent milestones for the eBook market and adoption of the EPUB format standard in US and EU book markets.

IDPF Digital Book 2008 to Present eBook Standards and Global Markets

March 24, 2008

The emerging global eBook market and the adoption of the EPUB digital publication standard will top the agenda at the IDPF Digital Book 2008 Conference on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. The conference will be held at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium in New York City, the one-day conference is part of the International Digital Publishing Forum's acclaimed spring educational series. In prior years the event has been consistently sold-out as it provides opportunities for attendees to network with global publishing and technology leaders focused on eBook market growth.

International Digital Publishing Forum Names New Executive Director

October 20, 2007

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the international trade and standards association for the eBook and digital publishing industry has named Michael Smith its new executive director. As executive director Michael Smith is responsible for leading the operational and strategic efforts of the IDPF and reports to its nine member Board of Directors. The IDPF (www.IDPF.org) is comprised of approximately 100 leading publishing, technology, and non-profit companies and organizations.

Digital Book 2007 to Present Ground-Breaking Electronic Reading Technologies

February 27, 2007

New digital book search technologies, rollable-screens, e-ink displays, and innovative publishing business models are quickly transforming the landscape of the book world. On Wednesday, May 9th, 2007, at the Digital Book 2007 Conference, leading book publishers, software and device manufacturers, plus industry experts will demonstrate new technologies that are shaping the future of consumer options for enjoying digital book content. The one-day event at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium in New York City is part of the International Digital Publishing Forum's acclaimed educational event series.

New Digital Book Standard Released

October 29, 2006

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the standards and trade association for digital publishing, announced today the release of a new technical standard to facilitate digital content creation, distribution and use by consumers. In addition to the Open eBook Publication Structure (OEBPS), an XML standard for authoring digital books, the IDPF has now released a new standard for packaging a digital publication, including the contents of the publication, metadata, signatures, encryption, rights and other information into one standard file.

Industry Adopts eBook Standards

June 20, 2006

Major software companies and device manufacturers have announced plans to support new electronic book standards developed within the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). The companies will support these standards in their next generation software and devices, alleviating many of the previous file interoperability and production issues affecting the eBook industry and its customers.

NYC Conference to Report on Digitizing Millions of Books

May 17, 2006

Digital technology leaders that scan, search, narrate, link and electronically deliver millions of books will be addressing publishers and technologists on Wednesday, May 24th, 2006 at the International Digital Publishing Forum's Connected & Mobile 2006 Conference. IDPF is hosting this one-day event at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium in New York City as part of its acclaimed educational event series. Information and registration for the conference is available at www.idpf.org/mobile.

Mobile and Connected Conference Brings Together Digital Book and Online Market Leaders

March 21, 2006

As Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Amazon race to digitize the books of the world, a similar race is underway by wireless device, reading technology and publishing software companies. With billions of publishing dollars at stake, which mobile devices, business models and technologies will emerge to create the platform of choice for the digital book generation? At the International Digital Publishing Forum's Connected & Mobile 2006 Conference on Wednesday, May 24th, 2006 in New York City, dozens of presenters and hands-on demonstrations will seek to provide the formula for success.

Publishers Report Increases in eBook Revenue and Units Sold in Q2 ’05

March 3, 2006

eBook publishers reported increases in revenue and unit sales over the same quarter the previous year (Q2 2004) with a 36% increase in eBook units sold and a 69% increase in eBook revenues. Also, publishers reported a 24% increase in titles published over Q2 2004.

Publishers reported 484,933 eBook units sold and $3,182,499 in revenues for the second quarter of 2005. They also reported 1024 eBooks published during this time.

International Digital Publishing Forum Announces 2006 eBook Initiatives

January 17, 2006

Will 2006 be the year of the eBook? Based on the explosion of online users, growing popularity of downloadable media, and advances in mobile reading devices the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) is announcing several changes to its organizational structure as well as the election of a new Board of Directors.

Star Wars: Episode III Leads 2005 eBook Bestseller List

January 4, 2006

The International Digital Publishing Forum released its annual industry list of top selling eBooks today. The list reflects the great diversity of eBook titles reaching the reading public. Dan Brown dominated the list with The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and Digital Fortress in the top 5. The honors for bestselling eBook of 2005, however, went to George Lucas' screenplay for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Michael Crichton's State of Fear rounded out the top 5 best selling digital books.

Conference Keynote to Report on the Demise of the Textbook

March 28, 2005

The keynote address at the eBooks in Education Conference on Thursday, April 14, 2005 in New York City will be presented by Craig D. Swenson, Ph.D., the Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs at the University of Phoenix. Conference information is available at www.openebook.org/education. Dr. Swenson will present "How Professionals Learn Today—Intentional Learning and the Irrelevance of Textbooks".

Digital Textbooks in the Classroom Conference Announced

February 28, 2005

Will digital textbooks replace print? Do eBooks offer improvements in learning? These questions and presentations on the advantages of using digital media to deliver educational content will be center stage at the eBooks in Education Conference, Thursday, April 14th, 2005 at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium in midtown Manhattan.

Top Selling eBooks of 2004 Announced

January 12, 2005

The Open eBook Forum (www.openebook.org) released its annual list of Top Selling eBooks today. Dan Brown dominated the 2004 list with The Da Vinci Code topping the list and Brown's Angels & Demons and Deception Point rounding out the top three. At the same time, the industry reported continued growth, with eBook revenues for the third quarter of 2004 up 25% and eBook units sold up 11% over the same quarter in 2003.

Record eBook Retail Sales Set in Q1 2004

June 4, 2004

Among the 2,000 exhibitors at Book Expo America in Chicago this week, publishers, retailers and technologists are celebrating a new quarterly record for eBook retail sales. eBook units sold for the first quarter 2004 were up 46% and eBook revenues were up 28% over the same quarter in 2003. These and other figures charting the eBook industry are reported in the quarterly Open eBook Forum (OeBF) eBook Statistics Report.

Library Conference to Examine How eBooks Expand Patron Services

February 24, 2004

"Your eBook is overdue" is a phrase you are not likely to hear from the librarians attending the eBooks in the Public Library Conference on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 in New York City. This one day conference brings together hundreds of leading public librarians, publishers, and technology vendors to exchange experiences and challenges as eBooks become available for library systems and their patrons.

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