Firebrand Technologies has had a private beta period of a new ebook assurance tool that helps authors and publishers guarantee the readability and therefore marketability of their ePUB titles. This tool, FlightDeck, is now out of private beta and open for rights holders to use.

Firebrand Technologies, a leading publishing industry technology services company, announced today that FlightDeck, the new EPUB quality assurance tool from Firebrand’s eBook Architects team, has been officially launched out of Beta testing. FlightDeck gives publishers and authors clear and actionable information on the quality and salability of their EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files.

The FlightDeck web app extensively tests EPUB files, going beyond standard EPUBCheck errors with deeper validation and best practices clearly explained.

FlightDeck’s unique Retailer Acceptance Grid tells users whether their EPUB files will be accepted by eBook partners, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, Kobo, and NetGalley. The Grid, developed with direct input from retailers, includes the same validation checks performed by their ingestion systems and will bring potential problems to the forefront before files are uploaded for sale.

FlightDeck also allows users to edit their EPUB metadata, and gives valuable stats and information to production departments about the contents of EPUB files. The FlightDeck Handbook, available to everyone on the website, includes helpful tips and example code for common issues found in EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files.

During an open Beta period over the last two months FlightDeck has been used extensively across the publishing industry, including individual authors, small and large publishers, freelance eBook developers, and large overseas conversion houses.

Joshua Tallent, Firebrand’s Chief eBook Architect, said, “Our Beta test was an unqualified success, with over 850 users registered and 7,500 EPUB files tested, and we are excited to be able to officially launch FlightDeck. We know that EPUB quality is important to publishers, authors, and retailers, and FlightDeck is the most robust EPUB quality assurance tool available. We look forward to increasing the quality of EPUB files across the industry, creating better reading experiences and minimizing development frustrations.”