[Tex2002ans]

What you'll want to do is pick one "source format" or "master document" which you derive all others. Which format that is, that's up to you.

I prefer an EPUB-first (or HTML-first) workflow.

Others prefer InDesign-first, and others prefer DOCX-first.

You want the conversion to happen as late as possible, or else the amount of labor needed will multiply dramatically.

Originally Posted by Monaghan

My initial thought for the workflow was to import the original files into InDesign, from which I would output PDFs using InDesign styles using the same names as the existing EPUB CSS styles. Then I would export an EPUB from InDesign and apply the current stylesheet.

It could work, but the InDesign EPUB cleanup would still require manual intervention.

(InDesign usually outputs a lot of iBooks code that doesn't work well on other readers. Or a lot of Print-specific cruft gets carried over.)

Originally Posted by Monaghan

[...] we are aiming to keep the workflow short in order to accommodate updates to the documents down the line.

This throws a huge wrench in your workflow, because it limits which source format you choose to what the AUTHOR knows.

What's the format of the source document? DOCX?

If you choose InDesign as the source, the author will have no idea how to do anything within that program.

If you choose DOCX, you have to make sure the author knows how to properly use and apply Styles.

If you choose HTML/EPUB, the author will have to consistently apply proper/clean HTML+CSS.

Originally Posted by Monaghan

Ideally this workflow would be simple enough that the client could update the book once it's set up. This is asking a lot, I know!

... each conversion is going to require some amount of manual intervention.

You'll want to take care of as much as possible at the source document level, and split into different formats as late as possible.

Example, if you go from InDesign->EPUB:

0. You "finalize" the Print design.

1. Export to EPUB. Complete all your manual adjustments. EPUB "finalized".

(This is what I call the "bifurcation". You're going from 1 type of document to 2.)

2. At some later date, the author finds 25 corrections.

You correct 25 typos in the source file (InDesign).

3. Do you manually duplicate the same 25 fixes in EPUB?

(Along with all that entails: making sure the corrections were the same, don't introduce new typos, retesting, etc.)

Or do you re-export from InDesign, and start your EPUB-specific tweaks all over again? (Back to Step 1.)

The more extensive the corrections are, the more likely it's "easier" to just start the EPUB from scratch again.

And you can see, it's not "just 25 typos" we're correcting now, it's 25 * # of formats.

* * *

DOCX->EPUB, DOCX->InDesign, EPUB->InDesign, [...] each one is going to bring along its own unique challenges.

Trying to allow for author-tweaks beyond this bifurcation point... Each new format will multiply the amount of work needed to update.

Originally Posted by Monaghan

They have asked whether it would be possible to have PDF versions of the documents produced at the same time, from the same source document.

Depends on the extent of the changes you're expecting the author to make.

Print comes along with plenty of its own challenges, and the smallest of changes (like adding a word, deleting a footnote) can cascade into very large reflows of text.

If you rely on more complicated things like referencing Page Numbers, Figures/Charts (floating), Lists, [...], this also throws huge wrenches in each format.

Originally Posted by Monaghan

That is surprisingly effective, thank you. Do you happen to know if there is a way to add custom page sizes and not include the external TOC at the end?

What's the intended use of the PDF?

Is it intended to be an actual Print book? If so, Calibre's PDF output is... abysmal.