UBook is a universal language to help authors, publishers and book designers easily markup and format books. Like markdown it uses simple, semantic tags to create a plain text file that can be transformed into something more complex such as HTML, saving the compiler the job of managing complex code.

It is designed as an intermediary language but it is hoped it can be a publishing language in its own right.

It can handle any type of book, from simple novels to very complex textbooks. Although similar to markdown it has a number of features to cope with the specific demands of book publishing:

1. The table of contents is compiled automatically using a simple, intuitive method;

2. No footnotes or endnotes;

3. Structural components unique to books are included e.g. scene breaks and page breaks;

4. Complex elements are included e.g. tables, links, images and indexes;

5. The final file is just a zip file; the manuscript is a plain text file.

UBook is a not-for-profit, open project designed to solve a problem. It simplifies the production of ebooks, and focuses on a universal method of doing so. It is at a pre-release stage, and I would welcome any insights you have to offer.

If you have an interest in ePublishing, web languages, HTML, markdown etc. please do check it out.