Bookbuilders of Boston is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing together people involved in book publishing and manufacturing throughout New England. Our blog describes industry events that we sponsor or attend.

Monday, January 21, 2013

4th Annual Digital Book World in NYC

It is always useful to recap developments in the industry, especially when the landscape is changing as quickly as it has been over the past several years. Featured here are some of the topics and insights from this year's Digital Book World conference.
On the topic of ...

DISCOVERABILITY
"Closing the New Book Discovery Gap": Angela Tribelli (HarperCollins Publishers) is second from left, and Matt Baldacci (St. Martin's Press) is second from right.
This continues to surface as the holy grail with bookstores on the decline and old-fashioned "hand-selling" nearly impossible. Notable observations:
  • Trends and publishing company leadership lean toward audience-specific marketing, enabled by social media. Audiences are more narrowly defined than they were in years past. 
  • There is a need for publishers to engage “authentically” in social media. (Angela Tribelli, Chief Marketing Officer, HarperCollins Publishers)
  • Matt Baldacci (Vice President and Associate Publisher, St. Martin’s Press): Publishing needs more influential reviewers. Reviews were not supported by advertising in the past.
“Recommendations from friends make the sale.” (Jim Hilt, Vice President, eBooks, Barnes & Noble) 
Based on Jim Hilt's comment, publishers aim to simulate the endorsement of a friend by appealing to consumers directly and through natural, informal channels. Continue reading now, or subscribe (top left) to receive this blog via email.