eBook Format Conversion

Purpose: This announcement is a Request for Information (RFI) only and does not obligate the US GPO in any way. This is not a request for proposal and the GPO will not pay for any information submitted or for any expenses associated with providing information. Responses are due no later than 3:00 p.m. (EST) April 16, 2010. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary. Material submitted will be deemed proprietary to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations if so marked by the respondent. Background: The United States Government Printing Office (GPO) is the Federal government's primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, and preserving published U.S. Government information in all its forms. Since its inception, under the authority of Title 44 of the U.S. Code, GPO has offered Congress, the courts, and government agencies a set of centralized services that enables them to easily and cost effectively produce printed documents. In addition, GPO has offered these publications for sale to the general public through the GPO Sales Program, and has made them available for no fee public access through the Federal Depository Library Program. GPO's Sales Program currently carries approximately 2,400 publication titles in inventory, and also manages approximately 150 subscription products. GPO markets to a diverse network of customers. Consistent purchasers of government publications have been the public, as well as academic, law, special, school, and government agency libraries. GPO has developed business relationships with a number of resellers. It also sells directly to private citizens via the U.S. Government Online Bookstore bookstore.gpo.gov, Military history publications, national park books and health care publications are among those that appeal to the retail market. Requested Information: GPO currently is starting a pilot program to convert Federal publications to various eBook formats for its Publications and Information Sales (P&IS) program. The process will include, but is not limited to, converting files currently in PDF, XML or In Design format to eBook-compatible formats such as ePub, Mobi, and Adobe Digital Editions PDF. Expansion of GPO's existing sales channels to include eBook channels also is a goal, so converted files must be made available in sales-channel compatible formats. GPO is requesting capability statements from the vendor community detailing experiences with publication-to-eBook conversion, and with providing eBook materials to leading sales channels. Vendors are hereby requested to submit a capability statement (20 pages or less and no marketing material) that addresses their ability to convert Federal content into formats compatible with eReaders, the iPad, mobile devices, etc. The questions below can be answered as part of this statement, or can be answered separately. Please also list company points of contact and GSA Schedule number (if applicable). To the extent that you have a published price list, the statement should include pricing informationThe following questions should be answered to the best of your firm's ability. Given that some questions may not be applicable to the submitting vendor, please note "not applicable" next to any question not relevant to the firm's experience: 1. Input Sources Please summarize your organization's experience and capabilities regarding ingestion of content in paper, PDF, XML, HTML, or InDesign formats. a. Do you prefer one format over another? Why? b. Do any of these formats present particular difficulties? c. Are there any other formats you have used or that you recommend as starting points for file conversion? d. How often do you scan printed publications as part of your input process? e. Who normally is responsible for delivering content and metadata for eBook conversion? f. What type of involvement is required of content creators in defining product-specific eBook instructions? 2. File Maintainence How do you acquire, store, and maintain digital files? Would you maintain a digital archive of content you convert? Would you expect GPO to maintain one? If you do maintain a digital archive, how many files do you (or can you) archive? 3. Formats Used What percentage of the eBook content you create is in each of the following formats? a. Adobe Digital Editions PDF b. ePub c. Mobi d. eReader.pdb e. Other Why? What formats do you see as being dominant in the near future? What process does your organization follow to adapt to new formats? 4. Reader Compatibility On a percentage basis, what readers are most often used to view the publications you convert? a. Kindle b. SONY Reader c. Barnes & Noble Nook d. Desktop or laptop computers (PCs or Macs) e. Mobile devices (iPhone, Palm, cell phones, BlackBerry, etc.) 5. Conversion Quality When working with your clients, who defines eBook quality and certification criteria? What types of criteria normally are used? 6. Markets served On a percentage basis, to whom do you normally supply your eBook files? a. Amazon b. Barnes & Noble c. Apple d. Publishers e. Wholesalers f. eRetailers not mentioned above g. Public libraries/library consortia h. Academic libraries/library consortia i. Government agencies j. Businesses not mentioned above k. Other How do you manage the relationships with various distribution channels? What partnerships or alliances do you currently have in place? 7. Will it sell? What types of services or advice do you provide to clients to help them gauge the salability of their content? What channels do customers normally use to discover eBook content? 8. Cost To the extent that you have published/publically available pricing information that addresses any of the following, please include it. How does your pricing structure work? What do you normally charge per page? Do you charge extra to convert: a. Tables? b. Graphs? c. Photos? d. Other? How does your pricing work for these types of extra charges? Note: All of the content GPO sells is in the public domain, and does not involve royalty payments Who owns the derivative products produced from the eBook conversion process? 9. Retail Pricing What do you think would be a reasonable price point for Federal government eBook content such as a 300-page military history book? Should it be priced at, below, or above current market prices for trade books ($9.99 - $12.99)? 10. Digital Rights Management For public domain content being sold to distributors, retailers, public libraries, academic libraries, and directly to the public, what type of digital rights management could/should be applied? Why? 11. Reporting What types of reports do you normally generate for your clients? All responses should be sent via e-mail to the Contracting Officer, Herbert Jackson, Jr. at hjackson@gpo.gov or by mail to: Herbert H. Jackson, Jr., Chief Acquisition Officer, U.S. Government Printing Office, 732 North Capitol Street, NW, Room A340, Washington, DC 20401 Mail Stop: AS. PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.