ePub Finishing Touches: Fixing Errors, Adding Metadata, and Tweaking Formatting

As more publishers and authors tackle their own digital workflows, they run headlong into ePubCheck and retailer error reports, weird display issues on different devices, and questions about how to make their ePub files the best they can be. This workshop will focus on those finishing touches that are needed after exporting files from InDesign, running them through calibre, or creating them with another tool. It will cover:

• Common ePubCheck and ePubPreflight errors.
• Common errors that occur during uploads to retailers like Apple.
• Tools that help you pull apart an ePub file and put it back together, and tools that help you find and fix ePub errors.
• Changes you should make to InDesign-generated ePub files.
• Adding metadata to an ePub, including making the cover show up properly in ADE and iBooks.
• ePub and interior file naming conventions used by the major retailers.
• Formatting tips and tricks: what works and what doesn’t.
• Embedding fonts: how to make special characters work in Adobe Digital Editions.
• ePub to Kindle suggestions—making sure Amazon’s automated process (or yours!) doesn’t ruin your book.

This workshop is intended for eBook developers, small publishers, and authors. It will include hands-on demonstrations of ePub fixes and formatting in real-world situations. Some basic knowledge of HTML is suggested, as is some basic knowledge of ePub file structure and production. However, beginners will also be able to follow the instructions and should gain a lot of insight from the workshop.