You Can't Compete With the World Series ...

... but you can capture an outstanding program on the Common Core and publishing just before the Red Sox clinch game six at Fenway.

Turnout was small last night, but honestly, anyone who chickened out can be forgiven. President Obama was at Faneuil Hall, Drake was at the Boston Garden, and an audience of about fifteen at Pearson watched and listened to a fantastic panel discussion on the Common Core and its effect on publishing. And, oh yeah: 37,000 people watched the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, with the first pitch thrown minutes after our panel ended. Drake got a poor review, but I think the rest of us did pretty well!

Our panelists and moderator are shown at left: Amy Pattee from Simmons College, Roger Sutton from Horn Book, Stephen Pekich from Victory Productions, and moderator Christopher Kenneally from Copyright Clearance Center. The evening's sponsor was Edwards Brothers Malloy.

There is no easy way to summarize a Common Core discussion, since there are so many facets to the topic. The biggest takeaway for me was that the Common Core aims to diminish the potential of "teaching to the test" by emphasizing skills such as critical thinking over memorization. As such, it will be challenging to assess results of the Common Core, and much is in flux.

A question on "Common Core Plus" from HMH.

For a more detailed observations, take a look at some of the live tweets from this event (thank you, Kate Elwell and others). Or, better yet, listen to the panel and Q&A on SoundCloud. David Stirling made these recordings and did a great job without ideal technology available. You will need to use earbuds and turn the sound up, but after my mumbly introduction you will be able to hear well. Please listen and send us your feedback.

SoundCloud Audio Links
Part 1: 40 minutes, panel
Part 2: 20 minutes, Q&A

Friendly panelists at the conclusion of our program.

Change Comes to Publishing

When writing up industry events for the blog, I try to summon the standout themes: the recurring emphasis. I’m happy to start this post about “Making Information Pay” with an observation made by my colleague: “From what I have seen today, publishing is hiring.” 



Fran Toolan and Andrew Savikas (?) (center, back)

At least three conversations we had at breakfast involved people who have been with their present employers for one month or less. And that’s not even counting me! So, we start with some optimism about the state of the industry.

Another common theme among speakers was the need for new systems (shared databases) and standards (such as EPUB and ONIX). The importance of electronic content means that it can no longer be produced in a separate workflow, as an afterthought to print. Data is of increasing importance, and there is a frustration with the workflow silos that impede access to information across various publishing departments. It feels like a bit of a tipping point for old-guard publishing culture, and everyone understands the challenges of this change.

Executive sponsorship of change is critical, according to Andrew Savikas of Safari Books Online and O’Reilly Media, especially since some necessary transitions will not yield impressive ROI in the short term. Several speakers also advocated a period of experimentation with various approaches as opposed to a wholesale overhaul. As such, the present environment is not for leaders faint of heart—commitment, belief, and persistence are essential.

The stakes, however, are becoming too high to ignore. There is a growing market for “chunked” content (as opposed to whole books or even chapters), and book publishers are often not in a position to exploit this potential revenue stream. Increasingly, said David Marlin from MetaComet Systems, rights management (“content curation”) at a granular level is critical to the longevity of a publisher’s brand and its author relations.

Director of the BISG (Book Industry Study Group), Scott Lubeck, ended with the group's vision statement, which seems both current and apt. In part, the group seeks to help "build and support a new industry network enabling new opportunities for profitable growth." There was a sense that Thursday's attendees were eager to rise and transform: it is an exciting time to be in publishing.