Hybrid publishing resources

streamlining conversions

This same approach for converting between markups using Pandoc can be automated.

Since computers are good at doing repetitive and boring tasks, we can take advantage from it.

We can store commands in scripts and have them perform the same task on multiple source files, producing multiple outputs (E.G. EPUB, ICML, HTML).

Overview

In this process, from several .docx files we'll try to create two outputs:

• an ICML file for inDesign
• an EPUB

And we'll also try to keep a connection between the source and its outcomes.

Makefile

My proposal involves using a Makefile to automate the conversions between markups.

They are like recipe book, with instructions of how to process stuff and generate other stuff from it.

Read more about Makefiles in the context of hybrid publishing:

• blog post Make Book by Michael Murtaugh
• Report on the Don Marti's presentation at SCALE
• GNU Make official site

Recipe Preparation

clone Hybrid Publishing Resources

• Download the zip from Hybrid Publishing Resources code repository to your computer.
• Move the downloaded .zip to a dedicated folder.
• Unzip
• In terminal change directory cd to the unzip folder

Start Cooking

0. Folder structure

To create folder structure, which will be understood by the scripts from this repository, you need to run:

./scripts/create_folders.sh

This script will generate the following folder structure, which you'll use to store the files essentially for the creation of the EPUB.

├── docx 
├── epub 
├── icml 
├── md 
│   └── imgs 
└── scripts

1. Manuscript: .docx

This is a preparatory stage. Yet it is important for the series of conversions that will lead to the different publication's outputs.

You need to edit the manuscript, handed by the author, using paragraph styles in MS Word/Libre Office/Open Office

2. Source: converting the manuscript files to Markdown files

Run: make markdowns to start this stage.

This command will convert all the .docx files inside the docx/folder into corresponding markdown files inside md/ folder.

The resulting markdown files are the source files, from which all of the publication's outputs will be generated.

2.1 Images in Markdown

At this stage you should insert the images onto the texts, now in markdown format.

First of all, you need to save all the images included in the essays in the folder md/imgs/ Then place the images on the markdown document: ![My image caption](imgs/myImage.jpg)

Don't forget to include captions, if the image has them. Markdown captions will become visible, and associated to the image in the EPUB output.

3. make icmls - ICML files for inDesign

Run: make icmls to start this stage.

The individual Markdown source files, stored in md/, can be converted into ICML files which can be imported into inDesign.

Read more on ICML files and inDesign in #working_with_ICML_files section

4. make book.epub

4.0 make book.md

This step is essential to the creation of the EPUB. It generates a single Markdown file book.md and save it it inside the md/ folder. However, you don't have to perform this step, as the makefile does it for you.

book.md consists of the content from all the individual Markdow files inside the md/ folder, in alphabetical order (00 to ZZ). If you want to change the order the publication, you can change the filenames in order to do so.

Note: the Markdown filenames should NOT contain spaces or dots, except for the extension .md

To generate this single book.md, run: make book.md .

4.1 make book.epub (EPUB)

To obtain the epub file book.epub run: make book.epub to start this stage.

4.1.1 Essential files for EPUB

To produce an EPUB a few resources (files) are needed, namely the cover image, metadata, stylesheet, and fonts.

These files will strongly influence the EPUB's outcome, and consequently should be edited for each publication or series of publication

• epub/metadata.xml - EPUB metadata
• epub/styles.epub.css - EPUB css style-sheet MUST BE EDITED
• epub/cover.jpg - EPUB cover MUST BE CHANGED

4.1.2 Fonts (optional) for EPUB

lib/ is folder for storing custom fonts, that will be used in the EPUB

Note on the use of custom fonts: If you choose to use fonts, make sure to change the makefile to include the use of fonts in the makefile epub rule, such as in the rule bellow, where --epub-embed-font=lib/UbuntuMono-B.ttf \ was added to allow for the use of the Ubuntu Mono font. Also include the font on th EPUB style-sheet with @font-face rule

4.1.3 EPUB check

The health of the created EPUB can be checked with http://validator.idpf.org/

4.1.5 make book.epub : An iterative process

This work is in many way as an iterative process.

You work in circles: changing the source files (markdown files, the EPUB's stylesheet, the EPUB's metadata) and seeing the results of those changes in Calibre (or other ebook-viwerer)

ICML files

ICML files are useful, since they ensure that the structural information of the Markdown source files is also present in the inDesign projects, which use them.

Another point in favor of ICML is the possibility of updating the content and structure of the inDesign projects, by updating the Markdown source files, converting the once more to ICML. For this to happens is however necessary that inDesign remains linked to its source, and that the designers works with paragraph and chapter styles, instead of directly into the text.

Note: malformatted links in the markdown files will create problems when imported into inDesign.

Place ICMLs

Open inDesign and ...

Place your output.icml in a inDesign project.

The Place function is in: File > Place (shortcut: Apple+D)

Design with Styles

Style the content using paragraph and character styles.

Paragraph/Characters styles are in: Type > Paragraph/Character Styles

ICML Content updates

Using Sublime Text, edit one ICML file adding some text to it.

See the content being updated in inDesign.

Hands off content

In in inDesgin content shall remain untouched until the last moment

If you change the content of the articles inDesign, the link between the inDesign content and its source ICML file will be lost, and it no longer be able to be updated.

This "disconnection" should only be the last step to be done on your design workflow.