Select and inspect
We choose a suitable source, check its provenance and contributors, and inspect the text for missing material, scanning errors and structural problems.
How we publish
How a source text becomes a Bridges edition.
We begin with a public-domain text, clean and structure it carefully, then produce print and digital editions from a dependable source rather than a pile of one-off files.
The workflow
Clean the text
Typos, OCR mistakes, broken punctuation, inconsistent spacing and damaged chapter divisions are corrected. Footnotes, italics, illustrations and other details are checked rather than discarded during conversion.
Mark up meaning
Structure depends on the work. A novel needs chapters and letters; a play needs speakers and stage directions; poetry needs stanzas and deliberate line breaks. We mark those differences semantically so they survive every format.
Build a sound EPUB
The cleaned text becomes a structured, accessible EPUB. We have learned from the rigorous conventions documented by Standard Ebooks, whose work is an excellent reference for what a well-made ebook should contain.
Produce each edition
Paperbacks, hardcovers and ebooks have different constraints, so they are produced and checked as separate editions. The aim is consistency of text and structure without forcing every format through the same visual mould.
Review the result
Formats are checked separately for page geometry, contents, headings, notes, awkward page breaks, metadata, ISBNs and cover fit. Automation handles repetition; the finished books still receive human review.
Why structure matters
The words are only part of the book.
Good markup records what each part of a work means. That gives reading software better information and gives every later format a stronger foundation.
Fiction
Chapters, letters and scene breaks
Clear hierarchy preserves navigation and prevents ornamental breaks from disappearing into plain paragraphs.
Drama
Speakers and stage directions
Dialogue is represented as dialogue—not a visual approximation held together by spaces and line breaks.
Poetry & notes
Lines, stanzas and references
Deliberate lineation and linked notes remain usable in reflowable ebooks and can be typeset appropriately for print.
Internal production tools
The quiet production work behind a consistent shelf.
Our software handles conversion, typesetting, metadata, edition geometry, covers, QR routing and repeatable validation. The point is not automation for its own sake: it is avoiding a fresh round of copying and formatting errors every time a book is produced in another format.