During my time at Ooligan, I have been told by multiple people that XML coding is the portion of the Ooligan workflow that they are most unfamiliar with and therefore most anxious about volunteering for. It’s not hard to see why XML seems daunting or confusing: the work is done by the editorial department, but it requires coding tags one would expect to see in the digital department, and the product is used exclusively by the design department. It’s easy to get lost in all of that. If the work requires coding, why isn’t it done in the digital department? If the product is only used by the design department, why don’t they do the work? To help clarify, here’s a crash course in XML.
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Using XML for Book Design
By Michele Ford
Our recent blog post discussed XML, or eXtensible Markup Language, in relation to the editing department. Now, we’ll discuss what happens when the design team gets an XML-tagged manuscript. Recall that XML tagging does not change a manuscript’s appearance; it merely identifies pieces of text that need to be designed. It’s like placing sticky notes […]
Editing and Design: The Start of a Beautiful Partnership
By J. Whitney Edmunds
One of my favorite aspects of being a manager of Ooligan’s editorial department is the short class we hold every Wednesday. We cover various roles that an editor plays and tasks that they may be expected to complete. During one of these classes, a fellow Ooligan student asked me about other classes they should consider taking if they want to pursue a future in editing. My answer was quick and to the point: design.
XML Coding: Bridging the Gap Between Editing and Design
By Amylia Ryan @amylia_ryan
What is XML, anyway? Is it some fancy new coding language I have to learn? Why do we use it? Why is it part of the editing department?
Please, Ma’am, We Want Some More! Seriously. We’re Great Publishing Multitaskers
By Hayley Wilson hayleyotrope
In just a few weeks, Memories Flow in Our Veins has gone from a raw Word document-manuscript to a very real, very happening book-in-progress. In the last few weeks, the team has balanced a number of projects: we’ve pored over the manuscript in editing; helped to develop evocative, on-point titles for the sections of the […]
Oxygen XML Editor: A Review
By Brian Thaden
Almost thirty years have passed since the explosion of desktop publishing. Advances in computing technology constantly change the capacities of desktop publishing programs. Developers release new versions of familiar programs and replace antiquated tools with new and improved incarnations that often barely resemble their predecessors, and publishers must find a forward-thinking way to preserve their […]