Accessible Ebook Publishing: An Author’s EPUB Checklist

Design for tasks a reader actually performs

A reader may enlarge text, use a screen reader, change the background or navigate directly to a chapter. Accessibility asks whether the book continues to work during those tasks. It starts with content decisions, including how you write headings and explain images, before the final export exists.

For a text-led book, discuss whether a reflowable EPUB will serve the reader better than a fixed page. A complex illustrated work may need another approach. The choice should reflect the material and the reading experience, not simply which export button is easiest to use.

Use the W3C EPUB Accessibility specification as a reference when agreeing requirements with a production specialist. State the standard and version being assessed rather than relying on an undefined promise that a file is “accessible.”

Make the manuscript easier to convert well

• Use actual heading styles in a logical hierarchy.
• Give chapters meaningful names that make sense in a contents list.
• Keep tables simple and identify the purpose of their headers.
• Write link text that explains the destination.
• Explain important information conveyed by charts or diagrams.
• Keep captions and illustrations clearly associated in the source.
• Identify the book’s language and passages in other languages where relevant.

Do not use a picture of text when ordinary text can do the job. An image of a quotation may look attractive, but it introduces another object to describe and can prevent a reader from adjusting the text in the usual way.

A good production brief identifies exceptions. A poetry collection with spatial arrangements, a cookbook with multi-column instructions and a memoir with scanned letters need specific decisions about reading order and alternatives.

Describe what an image contributes

Alternative text should communicate useful meaning, not merely confirm that a picture exists. Ask what a reader would miss without seeing the image. A decorative flourish may add no information; a chart that supports an argument may require a fuller explanation.

Consider an invented family-history example. “Old photo” is unhelpful. “The family bakery team outside the shop after its 1965 renovation” connects the image to the story. If the adjacent caption already communicates that information, discuss a treatment that avoids unnecessary repetition for someone listening to the book.

For a diagram comparing two workflows, a short label may not explain the sequence. Put the essential explanation in the text or a clearly associated description. This often improves the book for everyone, including a reader using a small screen.

Test the finished file, not just the manuscript

Use automated validation as one part of the process. It can identify certain technical issues, but it cannot judge whether your image explanation is meaningful or whether a complicated table is understandable. The W3C techniques document connects implementation details with accessibility requirements.

Keep a test log naming the file version, reading system, task, problem and resolution. Where possible, involve someone who uses the relevant assistive technology. Record remaining limitations honestly instead of making a broad compliance claim after one successful check.

Ask precise questions before approving production

Ask who will prepare descriptions, build navigation, validate the EPUB and test reading order. Confirm which reading systems are included and how discovered issues will be corrected. If you need a particular accessibility target, put it in the proposal rather than assuming it is included in basic conversion.

Greenfield can discuss publishing and formatting requirements for your editions. Contact us for a scoped quote, and use our formatting checklist to coordinate print and ebook approvals.