Publishing Business Group Telco — Minutes

Date: 2019-12-10

See also the Agenda and the IRC Log

Attendees

Present: Jun’Ichi Yoshii, Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni), Junko Kamata, Murata Makoto, Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平), Liisa McCloy-Kelley, Shinya Takami

Regrets:

Guests:

Chair: Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平)

Scribe(s): Murata Makoto

Content:

Murata Makoto: Hi, Lisa.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): it’s already time to to start bt we’ll wait fora few minutes

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): The agenda is the same as that for the previous European timezone meeting.

1. Epubcheck fundraising

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): epubcheck fundraising. 40000 USD more is needed. APL will pay 10000 USD.
… While I was in Japan last week, I contacted ABPSJ and Digital Comic Association, and also spoke with some Japanese companies.
… Japanese companies are likely to pay some. But not enough.
… Yanni, can TDPF pay?
… Any chance for TDPF?
… also spoke with EBPAJ.

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): I’ll ask the Secretary General of TDPF to see if TDPF can pay.

Junko Kamata: How about comic bookstores?
… Through APL, Japanese publishers already contribute.

Murata Makoto: I would like to point out that APL is also a member of the Japanese DAISY Consortium and thus APL contributes twice.
… Kamata mentioned some other names of comic distributors.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): will approach BookLive and Yahoo.
… Any other possible contributors?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Many people feel that epubcheck is already working and thus do not understand why more fund is needed.
… But maintenance include adjustment to computing environments (including OS upgrade).

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Japanese people often think that epubcheck is working and thus no more fund is needed.

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Apple, and other parties might contribute next year but not this year.
… I am contacting such companies.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): 40,000 USD is still needed. Is this true?
… By February, we need this money.
… Have not spoken with BillK.

Jun’Ichi Yoshii: I will speak with Mobile Book Japan people.
… Is it possible to send a formal request lettter?

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): There is a W3C page about epubcheck fundraising.

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): I had several talks about digital publishing in Taiwan and Macau last months and I have mentioned the EPUBcheck fundraising. I’ll check again if there are any group is willing to pay some.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): A document written in Japanese?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: this is the page in English- https://www.w3.org/publishing/epubcheck_fundraising

Jun’Ichi Yoshii: Not a web page but rather a letter from the PBG chair would work. Both English and Japanese are OK.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Will do.

2. Survey on future needs for publishers

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Liisa, could you give a summary?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: What do need for the future?
… What is not handed well yet?
… BillK, Liisa, and ? are jointly preparing.
… Will get back to the PBG and community group.
… Timeline. Draft by early next year.
… Survey out in January or February.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Reaching ex-IDPF members.
… Is it possible to reach them for requirement gathering?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Survey is not the best mechanism to reach them. Have to contact them directly.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Who is going to take care of the dissemination of the survery? And feedback gathering?
… Some taskforce?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Should be discussed in the steering committee

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): When is the deadline for responding to the survey request?
… TPAC next year in Vancouver.
… By summer, I hope to have some result.

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Early spring, I hope.
… Before the summer

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Let me report more about discussions with Japanese people.
… People think EPUB 3.2 is good enough.
… But they also wonder what will come next.
… I would like to send the survey to EBPAJ and others ASAP.
… Yanni?
… Can you talk now?

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): I can only type on IRC right now

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Fine

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): Can we have a Traditional Chinese version survey page for the people in Taiwan (maybe also Hong Kong and Macau)? I can help with the translation of the survey page and the feedback gathered.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): I will get the English draft of the survey and send it to you.

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Should enumerate all natural languages in which we are willing to receive inputs.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Will take of the translation from JP to EN.

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): And I can touch to the member or TDPF and who on the ex-IDPF list.

Junko Kamata: +1

3. ebook, 20 years later

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Good timing to think about next generation.
… Organizing a workshop?
… What features never made it in the mainstream?

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Liisa, can we share more about the discussions in your team?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: A lot of things we never made.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): At the last PBG meeting, US and European people talked about events about accessibility.

Murata Makoto: Then, I will type.

Murata Makoto: In reply to a Japanese law about accesibility of books, there is an ongoing meeting.
… A series of meeting.
… I believe that EBPAJ is involved.
… ABPSJ is also involved.
… But not APL ;-(
… The series of meeting covers a lot of things, including increasing the number of volunteers.
… But that APL seminar is detached from the government meeting.
… I have a worry.
… Different people will request different specialized solutions.
… Publishers are unable to provide such solutions.
… The whole point of EPUB is to allow born-accessible publications.
… But this is not well recognized.
… Big character books, braille, ….
… Such specialized solutions are nice but will not become the mainstream.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Yanni, are you still there?
… We have to pay more attention accessibility.

dahei: There were some talks in TPAC at Fukuoka.

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Random House. Think about what is easy to accomplish.
… Hard things can come later.
… Low-handing fruits first.
… One publisher really would like to make their books accessible:
… We learned a lot from that experience.
… We are targeting another author.
… To have born-accessible publications, authors have to understand.

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): The accessibility of publishing in not a MUST requirement (for example forced by law) in Taiwan now.

Murata Makoto: The JP government is required to encourage publishers to provide accessible publications.
… I feel that the EBPAJ profile must be revised for accessibility.

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): Yes, same in Taiwan too. TDPF is talking with the government to see if we can provide some funding to encourage the publishers.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): I hear a lot of questions from publishers about accessibility.
… Accessibility is a very important topic for 2020.
… To sell publications in US and Europe, you are required to make them accessible by laws.

Murata Makoto: I think that a joint meeting with ONIX and Publishing@W3C would be very useful.
… I just want to say that more synergy with ONIX would be very useful.

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: Audiobook metadata

Yu-Wei Chang (Yanni): I had some technical and business talks in Taiwan and Macau last month and I briefly introduced the Audiobook-profile and its’ progress to the community. I’m thinking about translation the specs. of Audiobook and LPF into Traditional Chinese with some samples.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): Is this the last PBG meeting this year?

Liisa McCloy-Kelley: No next Tuesday for the European timezone meeting.

Daihei Shiohama (塩濱大平): A calendar for the meeting next year is available.
… Thank you. Adjourned.