Accessible book conversion for an existing catalogue

Most publishers face a back catalogue that substantially predates current accessibility requirements. Remediating that catalogue, bringing titles up to EPUB Accessibility 1.1 conformance, is one of the larger operational challenges in the accessibility compliance programme. The European Accessibility Act's transitional provision gives publishers until 28 June 2030 to remediate existing titles before they must meet the full requirements, but this window is not as generous as it appears. A large academic or trade catalogue may contain thousands of titles, and remediation of complex content takes time.

The first step is an audit. Not all titles in a catalogue need the same level of work, and attempting to remediate everything simultaneously is neither practical nor efficient. An audit classifies titles by their current format (ePub3, ePub2, PDF, fixed-layout), their content complexity (text-only, illustrated, charts and diagrams, mathematical, tables-heavy), their commercial priority (active sellers, course adoptions, titles with institutional licensing), and their current accessibility baseline (some ePub3 files may already have good structural markup and need only metadata and alt text work, while others may need to be rebuilt from source).

Prioritisation should reflect commercial reality and reader impact. Titles that are currently selling well, used in educational settings, or licensed to institutional customers with accessibility obligations should be prioritised. Titles that are no longer actively sold may be candidates for withdrawal rather than remediation, particularly if the source files are no longer available or the cost of remediation exceeds the commercial value of keeping the title in print.

Remediation itself varies significantly by content type. For a simple text-based trade title in ePub2, remediation may involve converting to ePub3, applying semantic markup, adding navigation, and inserting accessibility metadata, work that can be templated and partially automated. For a heavily illustrated non-fiction title or a scientific textbook with complex tables and equations, remediation is more labour-intensive: images need individual alt text review, tables need header markup, and equations need MathML encoding. Publishers should build realistic estimates of remediation time and cost by content type before committing to a programme timeline.

Running remediation at scale requires a workflow, not just a tool. Publishers who attempt back-catalogue remediation as a one-off project typically find it unsustainable; those who succeed treat it as a production programme with defined roles, quality standards, supplier relationships, and tracking systems. Whether remediation is handled in-house or through a specialist supplier, the output must pass the same validation process as new accessible production: ACE by DAISY plus structured manual review. Remediated files that have not been independently validated cannot be claimed as conformant.

The approved copy also has to cover accessibility remediation services, legacy EPUB conversion, print-to-accessible workflow, each of which a publisher expects answered plainly rather than named in passing.

Nothing on this page has been reviewed. Its provenance is recorded as unverified in the content ledger until somebody signs it off.

The approved copy also has to cover accessibility remediation services, legacy EPUB conversion, print-to-accessible workflow, each of which a publisher expects answered plainly rather than named in passing.

Nothing on this page has been reviewed. Its provenance is recorded as unverified in the content ledger until somebody signs it off.

The approved copy also has to cover accessibility remediation services, legacy EPUB conversion, print-to-accessible workflow, each of which a publisher expects answered plainly rather than named in passing.

Nothing on this page has been reviewed. Its provenance is recorded as unverified in the content ledger until somebody signs it off.

The approved copy also has to cover accessibility remediation services, legacy EPUB conversion, print-to-accessible workflow, each of which a publisher expects answered plainly rather than named in passing.

Nothing on this page has been reviewed. Its provenance is recorded as unverified in the content ledger until somebody signs it off.

The approved copy also has to cover accessibility remediation services, legacy EPUB conversion, print-to-accessible workflow, each of which a publisher expects answered plainly rather than named in passing.

Provisional paragraph. An approved version explains how accessible book conversion is decided in practice, who signs it off, and what a publisher has to supply before the work can start.

Provisional paragraph. It will set out where accessible book conversion sits in the production line, which steps depend on it, and what goes wrong downstream when it is skipped.

Provisional paragraph. The approved text names the file formats involved in accessible book conversion, the checks each one needs, and the point at which a title is considered finished.

Provisional paragraph. Here the approved copy answers the cost question about accessible book conversion honestly: what drives the price, what a publisher can do in-house, and what is worth buying.

Provisional paragraph. It compares the common approaches to accessible book conversion, says which suits a small list and which suits a large one, and does not pretend the answer is the same for both.

Provisional paragraph. This is where the approved copy handles the edge cases in accessible book conversion — tables, formulas, footnotes, illustrations — rather than leaving them to a support ticket.

Provisional paragraph. The approved version records what a publisher should ask a supplier about accessible book conversion, and which answers should end the conversation.

Provisional paragraph. It explains how accessible book conversion is measured, what a reasonable turnaround looks like, and how a publisher can tell a good result from a merely finished one.

Provisional paragraph. An approved version explains how accessible book conversion is decided in practice, who signs it off, and what a publisher has to supply before the work can start. (2)

Provisional paragraph. It will set out where accessible book conversion sits in the production line, which steps depend on it, and what goes wrong downstream when it is skipped. (2)

Provisional paragraph. The approved text names the file formats involved in accessible book conversion, the checks each one needs, and the point at which a title is considered finished. (2)

Provisional paragraph. Here the approved copy answers the cost question about accessible book conversion honestly: what drives the price, what a publisher can do in-house, and what is worth buying. (2)

Provisional paragraph. It compares the common approaches to accessible book conversion, says which suits a small list and which suits a large one, and does not pretend the answer is the same for both. (2) Provisional note 1: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can. Provisional note 2: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can. Provisional note 3: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can. Provisional note 4: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can. Provisional note 5: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can. Provisional note 6: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can. Provisional note 7: the approved copy will say more here about accessible book conversion than a placeholder can.

Nothing on this page has been reviewed. Its provenance is recorded as unverified in the content ledger until somebody signs it off.