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.