Introduction to Born-Accessible Ebook Production

Creating born-accessible books in-house requires both a commitment to accessibility and an eagerness to learn. This brief introduction covers how to begin strategizing and planning for this goal.

  • Subject(s):

    Ebook Production, Strategic Planning

  • Resource Type(s):

    Foundations and Rationale

  • Audience:

    Introduction

Suggested Prerequisite

Before reading this, you might want to read:

Committing to Accessibility

Creating well-made, accessible ebooks from the get-go (aka “born-accessible ebooks”) rather than retro-fitting them post-production can seem a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before, but if you are committed to accessibility and are even a little bit tech-savvy — or have people on your team who are — it’s easier than you think.

A ton of technical help is available online. Check out our “Next Steps” section, which will guide you through every step of ebook production. Creating born-accessible ebooks requires more than technical knowledge, however; it also requires commitment — and maybe even some excitement.

Building accessibility into your projects as early as possible in the process is key. Identifying those steps in your current workflows will go a long way to easing the transition to accessibility. 

Step-by-Step: Instructions for building an accessible workflow

Did you know?

Accessibility is most successful when everyone in the company is involved. This short overview is intended to serve as a jumping-off point. Explore the information provided throughout this website to see what might work for you and your team, and then don’t be afraid to start asking questions. If you are visiting this site, you are probably already interested in making more accessible books — and that’s an important first step.

Next Steps

1

Preparing a Book for Conversion

Ebook Workflow Guide: In-house Production of Born-Accessible Ebooks

To prepare a book for conversion, with accessibility in mind, the steps covered in Ebook Workflow Guide: In-house Production of Born Accessible Ebooks should be followed (if you use Word and InDesign for your manuscript…

Subject(s): Ebook Production
Resource Type(s): Standards and Best Practices, Step-by-Step
Audience:
Technical
2

Reviewing the Produced Ebook

Introduction to Accessible Ebook Production – Reflowable Ebooks

Reflowable books are the most flexible types of EPUB, and they can incorporate many accessibility features that all readers can benefit from and take advantage of. This brief introduction discusses the benefits of the reflowable…

Subject(s): Ebook Production
Resource Type(s): Foundations and Rationale
Audience:
Introduction
3

Final Quality Assurance (QA) Pass

Quality Assurance of Completed Ebooks

Once your ebook has been created, it is time to do a quality assurance check for accessibility. This resource contains both simplified and advanced checklists to help you review your ebooks.

Subject(s): Ebook Production
Resource Type(s): Checklist
Audience:
Introduction

External Links to More Information

Best practices for accessible workflows: An experimental project

This blog post encourages publishers to start taking steps to publish accessibly. Even small steps and changes to a workflow can have a big impact.

Content source acknowledgement: