Product Types

Product types define what kind of content a product represents and what capabilities are available.

Available Types

Legacy-only types (Video Course, Audiobook) have distributable assets that cannot currently be assembled from Content Lake documents. Content Lake-only types (Interactive) exist only as assembled experiences. Book, Course, and Certification support both models.

Version Pinning

When attaching a Content Lake document to a product, the attachment includes a version specifier:

• version=latest — the product tracks the latest Content Lake version. When the Content Lake document is updated, the product automatically reflects the new content.
• version=<id> — the product is pinned to a specific Content Lake version. Updates to the source document are ignored until someone explicitly re-pins.

The product-level concurrent flag controls the default:

• concurrent=true — new attachments default to version=latest.
• concurrent=false — new attachments require an explicit version ID.

graph LR
    subgraph "Product: Go Microservices"
        A["Ch 1 — Doc A v3 (pinned)"]
        B["Ch 2 — Doc B v7 (pinned)"]
        C["Ch 3 — Doc C latest (override)"]
    end

A single product can mix pinned and latest-tracking documents. This is useful when most chapters are stable but one chapter covers a rapidly evolving topic.

Re-pinning

Re-pinning updates a document attachment from one version to another. This emits a packt.products.content.v1.updated event so downstream consumers know the product's content has changed.

Product Lifecycle

DRAFT ──────▶ REVIEW ──────▶ APPROVED ──────▶ PUBLISHED
  │                             │                  │
  │                             │                  ▼
  │                             │              RETIRED
  │                             │
  ▼                             ▼
                WITHDRAWN

RETIRED and WITHDRAWN are terminal states. All state transitions emit lifecycle events on the products EventBridge bus.

Product Metadata

Identifiers

Each product has a platform-generated ID (UUIDv7). Products that are distributed externally also carry ISBNs — one per format. ISBNs are assigned during the lifecycle, not at creation.

Core Fields

Pricing

Pricing is defined per product with a base price and optional territory overrides.

Territory prices are independent — each territory specifies its own amount and currency. There is no automatic currency conversion.

Available Formats

For Content Lake-backed products, formats are determined by product type. For legacy products, the format is whatever was uploaded.

Formats are configurable — each format carries a configuration object that controls how the output is produced. Two products using the same format can produce very different outputs depending on their configuration.

Digital Format Configuration

Digital formats (PDF, ePub) support DRM configuration:

A product can offer the same format both with and without DRM — for example, a DRM-free PDF for direct sales and a DRM-protected PDF for third-party distribution.

Print Configuration

Print formats (PDF or InDesign) require detailed physical specifications. The print configuration controls how the book is manufactured.

Trim Size

The trim size is the final dimensions of the printed book after pages are cut. Common sizes:

Binding

Paperback books require a minimum of 32 interior pages. Hardcover books require a minimum of 24 interior pages. Coil-bound and saddle-stitch books do not require spine calculations.

Interior

Standard black and white on uncoated paper suits text-heavy books (novels, technical references). Premium colour on coated white paper is appropriate for photo books, visual guides, and full-bleed designs.

Bleed and Margins

Books with graphics or colour that extend to the page edge require full bleed. The bleed area is printed oversized and then trimmed to the final size. Books with distinct white margins around the body do not need bleed.

Gutter size depends on page count — thicker books need wider gutters so content near the spine remains readable.

Cover

Spine width is calculated from the page count and paper stock. Paperback spine width follows the formula: (pages / 17.48) + 1.524 mm. Hardcover spine widths are looked up from a reference table.

Roadmap

Formats

• More book formats (ePub 2)