Accessible EPUB Services for Publishers: 12 Questions to Ask Before Outsourcing

Accessible EPUB Services for Publishers: 12 Questions

Choosing an accessible EPUB vendor is not only a conversion decision.

It is also a decision about quality, accessibility, production risk, and long-term workload.

A technically valid EPUB can still create problems for readers. Common issues include poor navigation, incorrect reading order, weak alt text, broken footnotes, and difficult tables.

These risks become more serious when publishers manage hundreds or thousands of titles.

Before outsourcing, publishers should test the vendor, define clear QA rules, and agree on acceptance criteria.

Here are 12 important questions to ask before choosing an accessible EPUB service provider.

1. Which accessibility standards will the vendor follow?

Start by asking which accessibility standards the vendor uses.

Avoid vague answers such as:

“We create accessible EPUBs.”

The vendor should explain how it handles:

• EPUB 3
• EPUB Accessibility requirements
• WCAG
• semantic structure
• reading order
• navigation
• accessibility metadata
• alt text
• tables
• links

The publisher should also define its own acceptance rules.

A useful question is:

What exact requirements must each EPUB pass before delivery?

Clear rules make production easier to manage.

They also reduce disagreement during QA.

2. Does the vendor use automated and human QA?

Automated testing is important.

However, software cannot check every accessibility issue.

Tools such as EPUBCheck and Ace by DAISY can identify many technical problems. They can also detect several accessibility issues.

But tools cannot always judge whether:

• alt text is useful
• reading order makes sense
• a table is easy to understand
• headings are logical
• footnotes work smoothly
• navigation is easy to use

A stronger workflow combines:

• automated validation
• manual accessibility review
• screen-reader testing
• content checks
• correction and retesting

Publishers should ask which checks are automated and which are completed by people.

3. Who performs screen-reader testing?

Do not accept the phrase “screen-reader tested” without more detail.

Ask the vendor how the testing is performed.

Important questions include:

• Which screen readers are used?
• Which sections are tested?
• Who performs the testing?
• How are problems recorded?
• Are corrected files tested again?

Screen-reader QA should cover common reading tasks.

Heading navigation

Readers should be able to move through sections in a logical order.

Links

The purpose of each link should be clear.

Tables

Rows, columns, and headers should make sense when read aloud.

Images

Alt text should explain the meaning of important images.

Reading order

Content should be announced in the correct sequence.

Footnotes

Readers should be able to open a note and return to the original reading position.

Table of contents

The TOC should work correctly and help readers move through the book.

Gentize supports human-led accessibility QA with 50+ accessibility testers with visual impairments.

Human testing can identify usability issues that automated tools may miss.

4. Can the vendor handle complex tables and STEM content?

A simple text-only book is not enough to test a production vendor.

Publishers should use content that reflects their real workload.

Academic, STM, educational, and professional publications may contain:

• complex tables
• equations
• charts
• diagrams
• scientific symbols
• references
• footnotes
• mathematical content
• multilingual text

Ask how the vendor will convert and test these elements.

For example:

How will a complex table work for a screen-reader user?

Another useful question is:

How will mathematical or scientific content be represented and reviewed?

A vendor may perform well on simple books but struggle with complex academic content.

That is why the sample should reflect real production difficulty.

5. Who creates and approves alt text?

Alt text can become a production delay when responsibilities are unclear.

Before the project starts, define who will:

• identify images that need descriptions
• write the alt text
• review the wording
• approve technical terms
• handle charts and diagrams
• identify decorative images

This becomes especially important for STEM publishing.

A description may sound clear but still be technically incorrect.

Complex images may require subject-matter review.

Publishers should therefore decide where vendor responsibility ends and editorial approval begins.

A clear alt-text workflow prevents delays later.

6. How does the vendor handle footnotes and endnotes?

Footnotes often create problems during EPUB conversion.

A superscript number may look correct visually.

However, that does not mean the note is easy to use with assistive technology.

A reader should be able to:

1. Find the note reference.
2. Open the note.
3. Read the note.
4. Return to the correct place in the main text.

Ask the vendor how it handles:

• note links
• backlinks
• repeated notes
• endnotes
• citations
• notes with images
• notes with tables

Footnote navigation should always be tested.

It should never be assumed to work because the EPUB passed technical validation.

7. How will the vendor assess a large backlist?

A large backlist should not be treated as one type of work.

Different titles may require very different levels of effort.

The first step should be to group titles by source quality and complexity.

Type A: Clean source files

Examples include clean Word or InDesign files.

These titles may need structured EPUB conversion with standard accessibility QA.

Type B: Existing EPUB files

These books may already be digital but contain accessibility defects.

The work may involve auditing, remediation, and validation.

Type C: Searchable PDFs

These files may need structure rebuilding before accessible EPUB production.

The vendor may also need to repair headings, reading order, links, and navigation.

Type D: Scanned PDFs

These titles may require:

• OCR
• text correction
• image cleanup
• structure rebuilding
• EPUB conversion
• accessibility QA

Type E: Complex or STEM titles

These books may contain equations, complex tables, charts, or scientific content.

They usually require more detailed production and QA.

Grouping titles this way helps publishers plan:

• cost
• effort
• production schedule
• staffing
• QA requirements

It also helps the vendor provide a more realistic quote.

8. What happens when source files are poor?

Backlist projects often include weak or incomplete source files.

Common problems include:

• missing fonts
• low-quality images
• broken links
• OCR errors
• image-only PDFs
• missing source files
• inconsistent styles
• incomplete metadata

The vendor should have a clear process for these situations.

Ask:

1. How will the issue be reported?
2. Who approves the solution?
3. Can production continue?
4. Will the decision be recorded?
5. Will the same rule apply to similar titles?

A clear exception process helps keep production consistent.

Without one, different operators may solve the same problem in different ways.

That can create quality issues across the batch.

9. What should an accessible EPUB pilot include?

A pilot should test the vendor's real production ability.

Do not choose the easiest title.

Choose a representative title that contains the same challenges found in the wider catalogue.

A useful pilot may include:

• headings
• tables
• images
• alt text
• footnotes
• links
• metadata
• TOC
• page navigation
• complex content

Before the pilot begins, create an acceptance checklist.

The checklist can cover:

• EPUB validation
• accessibility validation
• heading structure
• reading order
• navigation
• tables
• images
• metadata
• screen-reader QA
• content completeness

The publisher should review the corrected pilot before approving large-scale production.

This helps confirm that the vendor understands both the requirements and the feedback process.

10. Can the vendor maintain quality at high volume?

Producing five titles is different from producing five hundred.

The key question is not:

How many books can you process?

The better question is:

How will you maintain quality when production volume increases?

Publishers should check whether the vendor uses:

• documented production rules
• independent QA
• defect tracking
• escalation procedures
• batch checks
• version control
• correction workflows

Gentize processes up to 1,000 books per day at production scale.

However, scale is useful only when quality controls are built into the workflow.

High volume without strong QA can create a larger remediation problem later.

11. What should the vendor deliver with each EPUB?

The final EPUB file should not always be the only deliverable.

Depending on the project, publishers may also request:

• EPUBCheck results
• Ace results
• manual QA reports
• screen-reader findings
• correction logs
• metadata confirmation
• exception reports
• version information

These records make the production process easier to review.

They also help when corrections are needed later.

A good delivery should answer three questions:

What was tested?

What passed?

What still needs review?

12. How are corrections handled after delivery?

Accessibility work may continue after the first delivery.

Publishers may later receive:

• internal QA feedback
• retailer feedback
• reader feedback
• revised source files
• updated accessibility requirements

The vendor should have a clear correction process.

Ask how it handles:

• defect severity
• corrections
• revalidation
• repeated errors
• version replacement
• root-cause analysis
• batch-wide rechecks

If the same issue appears across many titles, fixing only one book is not enough.

The vendor should check whether the same problem exists elsewhere in the batch.

What should publishers compare before choosing an accessible EPUB vendor?

Publishers should compare vendors using consistent criteria.

Accessibility standards

Can the vendor clearly explain the standards and requirements it follows?

Complex content

Can the team handle academic, STEM, and image-heavy content?

Automated QA

Are validation tools included in the production workflow?

Human QA

Does the vendor include manual accessibility review?

Screen-reader testing

Is assistive-technology testing part of the QA process?

Alt-text workflow

Are writing, review, and approval responsibilities clearly defined?

Backlist assessment

Does the vendor classify titles by source quality and complexity?

Production scale

Can the vendor maintain quality when volume increases?

Reporting

Does the vendor provide clear QA and validation records?

Correction process

Is there a defined process for fixing and rechecking defects?

The cheapest quote is not always the lowest-cost option.

Poor QA can create more review work, more corrections, and more production cost later.

What should publishers send when requesting a quote?

The quality of a quote depends on the information given to the vendor.

Publishers should provide:

• sample source files
• total title count
• title complexity
• expected monthly volume
• required EPUB version
• accessibility requirements
• target markets
• alt-text requirements
• metadata requirements
• QA expectations
• packaging rules
• delivery dates

Good project information leads to a better production estimate.

It also reduces surprises after work begins.

When does accessible EPUB outsourcing make sense?

Outsourcing can help when an internal team does not have enough time, capacity, or specialist accessibility resources.

It may be useful when a publisher has:

• a growing accessibility backlog
• a large backlist
• complex academic content
• limited QA capacity
• tight production deadlines
• temporary volume increases
• a need for a second production partner
• white-label production requirements

The goal is not to replace internal publishing knowledge.

The goal is to add controlled production capacity where it is needed most.

How Gentize supports accessible EPUB production

Gentize Innovations supports:

• EPUB 2
• EPUB 3
• reflowable EPUB
• fixed-layout EPUB
• accessible EPUB
• complex tables
• images
• math and STEM content
• navigation
• metadata
• validation
• accessibility QA

Gentize also has 50+ accessibility testers with visual impairments supporting human-led accessibility QA.

For large backlists, a practical first step is to begin with a representative sample.

That sample can help both sides agree on:

• content structure
• accessibility rules
• QA requirements
• title complexity
• acceptance criteria
• reporting
• correction rules

Once these rules are approved, the same process can be applied across larger batches.

Need help with an accessible EPUB backlog?

If your publishing team has an EPUB accessibility backlog or needs additional production capacity, Gentize can review a representative title or batch.

The first step is to understand:

• source quality
• content complexity
• accessibility requirements
• QA expectations
• production volume

This makes it easier to create the right workflow before scaling production.