Hurix Digital Transforms 250,000 Backlist Books from XML to Modern HTML Format

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – A quarter million books got a second life when Hurix Digital completed an digital rescue mission for a major global publisher. Hurix Digital converted 250,000 backlist titles from aging XML formats into modern HTML. An unprecedented scale of publishing expertise meets smart automation in this project.

Picture the challenge. You’re a publisher sitting on decades of content locked in XML files. Great books, important references, beloved classics. All trapped in a format that modern readers can’t easily access. Meanwhile, your competitors sell everything digitally while your backlist gathers virtual dust. That’s exactly where this publisher found itself before partnering with Hurix Digital.

“Publishers often don’t realize they’re sitting on buried treasure,” explained Gokulnath Balasubramanian, Vice President – Content Transformation, Hurix Digital. “These backlist titles represent years of curation and investment. Our XML conversion reveals that value. In a way, we are like digital archaeologists, carefully extracting content from old formats and presenting it fresh for new readers.”

The publisher’s digital team saw immediate results: “Thanks to Hurix, our platform is now accessible to a wider audience. Their ongoing support has been crucial in maintaining compliance.”

Hurix Digital’s team built something special. In addition to understanding words, Hurix’s workflow understands the relationships between elements in XML as a native language. A medical textbook’s complex chapter structure stays organized. A poetry collection’s unique spacing remains untouched. Academic papers keep their intricate footnote systems working perfectly.

The parsing technology works like a skilled translator who understands context. When it encounters a hyperlink, it knows whether that link connects to another chapter, an external resource, or a bibliographic reference. Metadata gets the white glove treatment, too. The new format supports publication dates, ISBNs, copyright information, and author details.

Smart publishers think beyond today’s needs. That’s why every converted title includes full accessibility features. Screen readers work seamlessly. Keyboard navigation functions properly. Visual impairments don’t block access to great content. These aren’t afterthoughts but core features baked into every file.

The HTML format opens doors that XML slammed shut. Want to add interactive elements next year? Easy. Need to update styling across the entire catalog? Done in hours, not months. Planning to integrate AI-powered features? The foundation already exists. This isn’t just format conversion. It’s future-proofing an entire library.

Talking about revenue and audience reach, those 250,000 titles aren’t gathering dust anymore. They’re generating revenue through digital channels worldwide. Books out of print for 30 years suddenly appear in search results. International readers buy titles they could never access before. Libraries expand their digital collections. Students find obscure references for their research.

The publisher discovered something beautiful: their backlist wasn’t dead weight but dormant assets. Now activated, these titles contribute to quarterly earnings. They strengthen the publisher’s market position. They serve readers who thought these books were gone forever.

Ready to unlock your own content treasures? Discover how Hurix Digital’s digital content transformation services can modernize your publishing catalog by contacting us.

About Hurix Digital

Hurix Digital is transforming how digital content is experienced globally. With 25+ years of experience as an innovator of digital publishing technology, Hurix Digital powers business agility for leading publishers and corporate organizations globally with our mobility and digital content solutions. More than 10 million users across 25+ countries in 20+ languages experience Hurix Digital every day.

Hurix Digital works with customers worldwide to design & develop digital learning & content solutions for the 21st-century learner. An end-to-end digital content solution provider, they create, publish, and distribute engaging digital content across traditional and newer mobile platforms, formats, and devices. They offer a wide range of eLearning services and technology solutions, making them the ideal destination from design to delivery of digital content.