Two important pillars of contemporary content are interactivity and accessibility.

Here’s a simple example. Studies indicate that the use of Augmented Reality enables children to absorb chemistry concepts like the Periodic Table much more easily.

Publishers of K12 content are looking for ways to make their existing chemistry content much more interactive. 

One of the easiest ways to make content interactive is to convert to ePUB3, which allows interactive multimedia content to be easily embedded. The ePUB3 format also enables content to be made accessible.

For instance, the content can be published in multiple languages.

However, it is not merely educational publishers who can benefit by using the convert to ePUB3 opportunity. All brands producing content can tap this opportunity to engage consumers and other stakeholders connected to their business. 

In this blog, we do a deep dive into the benefits of the ePUB3 format and how businesses can easily convert to ePUB3 using a digital publishing platform. 

The Opportunity  

A staggering amount of content that has already been created continues to be relevant to newer generations of consumers. This includes eTextbooks, journals, white papers, presentations, and popular fiction and non-fiction books. 

Publishers and businesses with legacy content are grappling with ways to upgrade it securely and seamlessly while infusing interactivity and accessibility. Others have yet to conceive of this possibility due to the massive technological challenges.

With the arrival of the ePUB or electronic publication file format, publishers can benefit by making ePUB a part of their growth strategy. Its latest version ePUB3 offers even more benefits. 

While many publishers have started creating and publishing content in the ePUB3 format, there is a bigger opportunity to repurpose their existing content. They can convert to the ePUB3 format, republish, and securely distribute content using a cost-effective digital publishing platform.  

Advantages of ePUB3 file

Here is a snapshot of ePUB3 benefits: 

• ePUB3 enables reflowable text where the content automatically adapts across a wide range of devices, unlike a PDF file. However, it also allows for a fixed format, where the creators can opt for infographics and texts to remain unaltered. 
• ePUB3 files are much lighter than PDF and other file formats, thus consuming less bandwidth on devices and clouds. 
• ePUB3 enables the easy embedding of videos, audio, and other interactive multimedia elements, thus making content more engaging. It also enables the embedding of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to build an immersive experience. 
• Consumers have more power over the way they consume ePUB3 content. For instance, they can choose the font and text style with a single touch instead of accepting the default setting.  
• ePUB3 makes content more accessible. For example, earlier file formats struggled to power languages like Arabic, which are written from right to left. ePUB3 is a game changer, enabling publishers to capture global audiences through seamless publication in languages like Urdu and Hebrew. 
• Publishers of eTextbooks and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) journals have also struggled due to poor quality of Mathematical notations such as formulae. However, the ePUB3 format enables the direct embedding of the XML-based Mathematical Markup Language, an XML-based language. 

Process of Converting to ePUB3 

Today, content creators and publishers can use several tools to convert to ePUB3. However, choosing the right tool is extremely important for several reasons. 

For instance, the security of original content is a major concern in a world where content is continuously plagiarised and duplicated. 

Professional publishers are advised to work with digital publishing software, where content security is prioritized. Digital publishing software is essential, a single, Unified platform that enables publishers to create, publish and distribute content securely. 

Such software supports the ePUB3 format, both for fresh works and content that needs to be converted to ePUB3. 

This is how it works:

• Publishers can convert content in the form of PDFs, MS Word documents, XML, hard copies, manuscripts, and scanned copies into ePUB3 files. 
• Users can select the files to be converted to ePUB3 formats and use the edit button to make changes. 
• They can add the following interactive elements: Read aloud, video and audio, HTML5 interactivities and games, and external links.
• Once completed, users can use the preview button to check the final output and make changes if desired. 
• Once satisfied with the result, they can publish the content.
• The last step is to distribute the content to the relevant audiences. 

Benefits of Conversion with A Digital Publishing Suite 

There are several ways to convert to ePUB3 formats. However, using the conversion services of a digital publishing suite comes with several advantages, as follows: 

• Publishers have access to superior data analytics and insights that can help them shape their business strategies going forward. 
• They can exercise digital rights management tools that give access to consumers with authorized access, thus bringing security to distribution and preventing revenue losses. 
• The usage of such a tech-enabled solution offers a streamlined publishing and distribution process. Several manual processes are automated, thus saving time, effort, and labor costs. 

The Takeaway 

A 2013 study indicated that accessibility would increasingly become an influencing factor concerning publishers of content to increase reach. Ten years later, we are seeing this transition playing out in online content, and innovations such as ePUB3 will play a major role in this journey. 

Businesses that engage extensively through content must consider making investments in software that enables the revamp of content to make it interactive and accessible. 

It is advisable to partner with a digital specialist who can understand your needs and customize solutions to help convert to ePUB3 seamlessly at scale. 

Early investments can help businesses increase market share by reaching a wider audience. They can appeal to newer generations of consumers and smash other existing access barriers. 

If your business is looking to convert to raise the interactivity and accessibility of your content, check out Hurix Digital. Our platform is geared to support you in meeting all your company’s content reimagination needs.

Our state-of-the-art digital publishing platform is available as a licensed version (one-time buy) and via a subscription model.

Get in touch with us to start a conversation.