We're SO meta ...

The final fall workshop for Bookbuilders of Boston was on the topic of metadata, and we were lucky to welcome four respected professionals on our expert panel.

At right are Rich Kobel (Scope eKnowledge Center), David Rech (Scribe Inc.), Anna Pollock-Nelson (MIT Press), and Fran Toolan (Firebrand Technologies). Their panel discussion was recorded by David Stirling, and the recording is available here. Anna Pollock-Nelson begins the discussion and gives a nice introduction for those unfamiliar with the various functions of metadata in our industry.

Attendance at this educational session was the highest of all of this fall's offerings from Bookbuilders. (The picture at left was taken before the event started, and many others joined us at Pearson.)

The attendance came as somewhat of a surprise to me ... I learned the word "metadata" six years ago, and although it has been important in my day-to-day work since then, until now I haven't come across many Bookbuilders members with an interest in the topic. So ... good timing. Many attendees came from Houghton Mifflin-Harcourt in particular, and I'm glad we could support this learning need in their profession.

Top-Quality Educational Offerings: All Free of Charge

I want to encourage members and nonmembers alike to attend our upcoming educational workshops--the topics are timely, and several of the speakers are NEW to Bookbuilders education.

July Casual Networking
On Boston Common.

Roger Sutton from Horn Book is new this coming Wednesday (October 30), speaking on the topic of Common Core. Whether you deal with the US Common Core on a daily basis or not, rest assured that it affects the work we do in Boston educational and children's trade publishing. In November, we welcome companies who help publishers manage their metadata, with Scope eKnowledge Center sending a speaker from New York. 

Venue for October casual networking:
Park in Harvard Square.

Again, whether you think this topic affects your career or not, it absolutely does. We have entered a new age in all sectors of book-buying--there are fewer bookstores in which to browse, and more format options, even for students buying required textbooks. The increased choice and unmediated access to books mean that publishers need to supply reliable, timely information on their complete title list. Without good data, the potential for lost sales is extremely high.

Winners Circle speakers From
Harvard University Press and Chelsea Green.

All of this is not to say that this season's first educational offering was lacking in any way: for the first time, we held a New England Book Show Winners Circle to showcase some winning covers and interiors. As a non-designer, this discussion is really necessary for me to understand trends, considerations, and processes in the variety of industry environments we have in Boston. I am grateful to the members and others who participated in this discussion for so freely sharing their thoughts.

Register now to attend upcoming educational sessions, and remember to bring a photo ID for the security desk at Pearson (501 Boylston Street, 6:00 pm start). On October 30, I recommend the commuter rail to avoid Fenway Park traffic. We WILL announce the score during the break on Wednesday, and we'll also forgive you for checking your phone!

New Cambridge Venue for Bookbuilders Casual Networking

This past week's casual networking event was held at UpStairs on the Square in Cambridge.

We had a warm welcome and a good turnout. Excellent drink service. And what a cute logo!

There were about 25 people gathered, and -sniff- I think I was the oldest among them. For a fresh perspective, I'll quote from one of our new prospective members, who sent me this after the event:
 

I walked away from the event with a MUCH better sense of what the publishing world is looking for in terms of qualifications, skills, etc. and where I may fit in. I also picked up on some key terms and the language of the industry.

 

I made a couple of good contacts ... and look forward to connecting and continuing my exploration.

 

We also have an unrelated DEAL to share in this post. Last week I received an email advertisement of a course being held by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) in New York. The event caught my attention because of the title: Book Metadata & ONIX: Practical Guidance and Best Practice. Since working for a book wholesaler and attending subsquent conferences, I came to feel that the importance of metadata has been understated in the Boston publishing community. The topic may have a different impact on textbooks, which have their own means of discoverability, but on the whole, metadata is critical for sales.

 

I am pleased to say that BISG will extend its member discount to all Bookbuilders members for this course (members: $449; nonmembers: $799). Please request a coupon code from info@bisg.org for this offer, and be sure to mention your membership in Bookbuilders of Boston. The original March 4 date is sold out, but there are still seats available for March 5. The course takes place at Random House in New York. Check it out--your career will thank you.

Digital Rights Management and E-Piracy Panel Discussion

On Thursday, March 29, Bookbuilders and the Emerson College Publishing Club present a free panel discussion on Digital Rights Management and E-Piracy.

The forum takes place at the Emerson College Bordy Theater, 216 Tremont Street in Boston, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. We are excited to announce our three speakers, representing a diverse collection of publishing industry perspectives.

• Jake Furbush, Digital Publishing Manager at the MIT Press, is tasked with overseeing the production and distribution of digital content, as well as the maintenance of in-house initiatives like CISnet—an online collection of titles in the information and computer sciences—and the Press’s own ebook program. Jake began his career as a member of the sales department at Harvard University Press and is happy to be back in academic publishing. 
• Adam Witwer, Director of Content and Publishing Operations at O'Reilly Media, oversees the company's Publishing Services division. He manages print, ebook/digital development, video production, and manufacturing. Adam managed the O’Reilly production department’s transition to an XML-based workflow. In the process, he became an expert in the challenges of publishing to multiple sources and formats from a single source. He now focuses on ebook development at O'Reilly and thinking about the next generation of books.
• Skott Klebe, Information Security Manager at Copyright Clearance Center, has worked in copyright and licensing technology for more than fifteen years, leading the development of some of the largest licensing systems in the world. Skott was the architect of RightsLink, Copyright Clearance Center’s point-of-content licensing system, and is the inventor on several patents in the fields of content and licensing. He speaks regularly at publishing industry events on topics including copyright, technology, and disruption in the ebook marketplace.

The forum will include a robust Q&A session. We ask that you register in advance to attend at www.bbboston.org, and we look forward to seeing you!

Bookbuilders of Boston continued its 2011 Fall Workshops on Wednesday evening at Pearson Education’s offices.

Cate Barr, Senior Art Director at Cengage Learning, shared that she enjoys in her role the opportunity to become actively involved with editors and authors. During a question and answer session, she offered suggestions on what a designer needs to show when interviewing. It is important to show not just a strong portfolio but also that one can be actively involved in problem solving, take direction well, and be a team member.

Erin Hasley, Senior Designer at MIT Press, expressed that pride can sometimes be an issue. As a designer, one has to learn to accept criticism that can sometimes be unabashed and unrelenting. Erin offered that sometimes if a design is just not working, she takes a break from it, and then comes back to it at a later time. This can help one to rejuvenate and refresh.

George Restrepo, of Rest-Design, offered his insights for working as a freelancer. He shared the importance of nurturing successful client-based relations. If a designer values those relations, things will progress from there. He explained one of the challenges of being a designer is how to weed out different types of feedback. He told the group that a lot of people do not know what they want until they see it. One solution is to show a few variations on a particular design and see where the feedback goes.

Questions involved whether or not one should create portfolios geared toward print or digital design. All of the designers agreed that there is no magic answer to putting together a portfolio, but it is important when putting one together to focus on showing the fundamentals.

EBooks and XML typesetting were discussed as well. EBooks are generally pdf files of the printed book, so there are usually no extra elements involved. The speakers agreed that designing across platforms would technically become easier in the future.

Thank you to Lehigh Phoenix for sponsoring this workshop.

October 2011 Events

October is always a busy month for Bookbuilders. Our monthly casual networking event takes place this coming Wednesday (October 12) at OM Restaurant in Harvard Square. Also, we have a full slate of Back to Basics workshops beginning this Thursday.

The first workshop (10/13)  focuses on editorial, rights, and acquisitions processes. Speakers are Jennifer Urban-Brown, editor at Shambhala Publications; Becky Hemperly, Vice President of Contracts, Rights, and Royalties at Candlewick Press; and Joanne Wyckoff, a literary agent with the Carol Mann Agency. For complete speaker details and to register, see the Bookbuilders website. The sponsor for this workshop is the Maple-Vail book manufacturing group.

  

Next in the workshop series is Design, scheduled for Wednesday, October 19. Speakers are Erin Hasley, Senior Designer, The MIT Press; George Restrepo, Designer, Rest Design; and Cate Rickard Barr, Senior Art Director, Cengage Learning. Erin designs books and book covers, George is on the board of directors at AIGA Boston, and Cate has designed for academic, college, and professional lists. Lehigh Phoenix sponsors this workshop.

All workshops are held at Pearson, 501 Boylston Street, Boston (9th Floor Cafeteria). The time for all workshops is from 6:00 - 8:00, and refreshments are often provided.

Note that the workshops are free, but registration on the Bookbuilders website is required. There is security at the venue, and attendees names must appear on the reservation list. Photo ID is also required.