Developed as a critical element in the cross-industry initiative, the EPUB 3 Implementation Project White Paper is now available online in MS Word format, in HTML format and EPUB format.


The Project is a partnership between publishers, retailers, digital content distributors, device makers, reading systems providers, assistive technology experts and standards organizations, with the support and engagement of leading advocates for people with disabilities. Its goal is to rapidly advance implementation of the EPUB 3 standard in the marketplace.

What follows is a summary of the White Paper’s outcomes:

  • Examination of the current state of the EPUB 3 standard and its features among publishers and reading systems
  • The top 10 priority features for implementation of EPUB 3 by reading systems developers and publishers. The identification of these key items by the diverse group was defined as a critical goal of the project
  • The 13 top best practice tips for publishers in the creation of accessible EPUB 3 publications

Read the National Federation of the Blind blog on the EPUB 3 Implementation Project.

More than 80 people have come together to advance the project including the White Paper. Its goals have been to identify key features for the implementation of EPUB 3 by reading systems and best practices for the creation of EPUBs by publishers, with a special emphasis on enabling accessibility. This step is critical since many publishers plan to distribute large numbers of EPUB 3 files in first quarter 2014 and are seeking consistent technical standards in the ecosystem.