Dear IDPF Members,
Please accept this letter as my formal request to be considered for the
open IDPF Board position.
Gone are the days when a book was simply a physical assembly of folded
and gathered pages, bound as a series of chapters in a case bound or
paperback book. Gone are the days when the only formats publishers had
to concern themselves with were hard cover, trade paperback or mass
market paperback. In today’s world a book can be in a variety of
formats; it can be content tethered to an application; a dynamic mashup
of chapters, or selections of content from separate works, published by
separate houses. A book can be something rendered on a reading device,
shared across a social network, displayed on a mobile phone or listened
to on an MP3 player. Through a myriad of new and evolving platforms,
formats and devices the book is being redefined. So too is the business
of publishing.
There are new pressures to reach an audience quickly and in ways that
meet specific needs for the end-user. This is being driven in part by
the promise of instant delivery and personalization, via traditional
print, the web, email and wireless media. Coupled with this creative,
editorial and production budgets have been challenged under increasing
pressure to do more with less much quicker.
One key concept behind the dynamics of today’s information market, is
that content be reusable and readily rendered either in print or
electronic formats as demand dictates. Reusable content, in this case,
ensures that the information is captured (or available) in a form that
makes it interoperable with the hardware/software context native to the
end-user.
Over the next few years, virtually every major application developed
will either be completely XML dependant, or at a minimum have links to
an XML back end. Even traditional composition systems geared for a
print-centric world are now developed to embrace XML at the beginning of
the workflow, thus driving more automation capabilities for streamlined
workflows.
As the technology director for codeMantra, I am responsible for
educating, training, and helping to transform the way our publishing
partners manage, convert, and deliver their content to the market. This
is achieved either through revised authoring and production workflows,
technology solutions, or a combination of both. I have extensive
experience in partnering with all of the major distribution channels in
the marketplace and extensive knowledge of how to meet their specific
needs. I believe my knowledge and experience will be of significant
benefit to the IDPF, as it governs and controls the evolution of the
EPUB specification.
With more than 25 years in the publishing industry, working for
publishers such as Pearson, John Wiley and Sons and Cengage Learning –
in every facet of the production and technology workflow – I have a
firm grounding in the traditional production and publishing processes.
Having successfully implemented and managed numerous digital workflows
for traditional print output as well as electronic output, I know the
issues, challenges and objectives that persist in trade, education and
professional publishing enterprises.
It would be my goal to see that the IDPF continues to be the
recognized board for establishing standards across the publishing
industry. As the EPUB format continues to gain recognition and
acceptance in the marketplace, it is important that this standard
address the influences and impact of ever-evolving technologies, many of
which have little regard for publisher’s objectives, but could greatly
affect how content is delivered.
I would welcome the opportunity to be considered for board membership
and would be honored to have your vote.
Sincerely,
Scott Cook
Director of Technology
codeMantra, LLC.
