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+#+TITLE: exepub: A Flexible Emacs-Based Publication Workflow  
+#+AUTHOR: Emmanuele Somma  
+#+DATE: 2025-07-10  
+#+DESCRIPTION: A complete introduction to the design, concepts and usage  
+  of the exepub package for Emacs, supporting academic-quality article  
+  production, embargo management and multi-channel dissemination.
+
+* Purpose  
+exepub was conceived to bridge the gap between rigorous academic writing  
+and modern multi-platform publication.  It provides Emacs users with a  
+coherent set of commands and directory conventions to author, track,  
+export and disseminate digital assets—be they full-length articles,  
+short essays or multimedia derivatives—while preserving bibliographic  
+references, embargo rules and distribution metadata in a single Org-mode  
+workflow.
+
+* Core Concepts  
+At its heart exepub treats every piece of writing as an “asset” that  
+passes through well-defined stages: draft, dissemination (archive) and  
+manifestation.  A draft lives in a dedicated directory, named with a  
+timestamp, a sanitized slug and a set of keywords.  When it is ready  
+for delivery to a publisher or platform, the `exepub/disseminate`  
+command moves it into an archive folder organized by year and updates  
+its `#+PUBLISHED:` date and `#+STATUS:`.  Downstream, each format-and-channel  
+combination is a “manifestation” housed in its own subdirectory, allowing  
+HTML, PDF, audio or video versions to coexist alongside the original  
+Org source.
+
+* Directory Layout  
+Upon initialization exepub creates a base container with seven subdirectories  
+named by keyword:  
+:base     holds overall configuration  
+:drafts   contains in-progress assets  
+:archive  stores finalized assets, year-by-year  
+:attic    archives abandoned drafts  
+:template keeps reusable snippets and option templates  
+:logs     publishes a machine-readable log of each dissemination event  
+:trash    receives permanently deleted items  
+
+This structure ensures that every file lives in its assigned place, enabling  
+simple Dired navigation via `exepub/open-drafts`, `exepub/open-archive` and so on.
+
+* Authoring Workflow  
+Writing begins with `exepub/article-create`, which prompts for a slug and  
+keywords, generates a new `draft.org` prefilled with default headers  
+(`#+TITLE:`, `#+CREATED:`, `#+STATUS: draft`, `#+SLUG:` and `#+KEYWORDS:`)  
+and imports shared `#+OPTIONS:` from a template.  Authors then compose  
+in Org mode, inserting headings, citations and figures in the usual way.
+
+When the manuscript is mature, `exepub/disseminate` atomically renames and  
+moves the draft into the archive, updating its slug, setting `#+STATUS: ready`  
+or `manifestation`, stamping the publication date and moving the folder  
+under `archive/<year>/`.  This operation can be rolled back automatically  
+if any step fails, preserving data integrity.
+
+* Generating Manifestations  
+Each dissemination may require multiple exported formats.  The  
+`exepub/export-to` command creates a `manifestation/<format>-<channel>/`  
+folder, copies the Org source (stripped of noexport sections), disables  
+the inline title, sets `#+STATUS: manifestation` and appends a license footer.  
+Supported formats include HTML, Markdown and LaTeX/PDF; unsupported formats  
+produce a placeholder file.  Metadata such as `DELIVERED`, `EMBARGO` and  
+custom properties defined under a top-level `* Manifestations :noexport:`  
+section are read and updated automatically.
+
+* Customization and Extensions  
+All directory paths live in the `exepub--dirs` alist and can be re-initialized  
+via `exepub--dirs-setup` using `exepub/home-directory`.  Default header values  
+(`CREATED`, `STATUS`, `PUBLISHED`, `KEYWORDS` etc.) are exposed as Emacs  
+custom variables.  Export options (`#+OPTIONS:`) are injected by advice on  
+`org-export-insert-default-template` from a customizable alist.  Hooks on  
+`before-save` regenerate slugs and rename directories, while export filters  
+and custom CSS allow fine-tuning of HTML output.
+
+* Getting Started  
+To begin using exepub, add its directory to your `load-path`, require it in  
+your init file and set `exepub/home-directory` to your container path.  
+Evaluate `(exepub--dirs-setup exepub/home-directory)` and ensure your  
+`template/options.org` defines any shared `#+OPTIONS:`.  You are then ready  
+to create your first draft with `M-x exepub/article-create`.
+
+* Conclusion  
+exepub unifies rigorous academic workflows with the flexibility of Org mode and  
+Emacs Lisp.  By encoding every step—drafting, embargo management, multi-format  
+export and channel-specific dissemination—into a programmable structure, it  
+empowers authors to focus on content while the system manages metadata,  
+versioning and delivery.  Whether you publish in peer-reviewed journals, blogs,  
+social networks or private logs, exepub provides a single, extensible pipeline  
+from idea to audience.
+::contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}