Spring 2012 Bookbuilders Events

The 55^th Annual New England Book Show will be held on May 2, 2012, and we encourage members and nonmembers to attend. Join us at Boston Symphony Hall for this signature Bookbuilders event—free viewing of award winners from 4:00-5:30, followed by a dinner and celebration from 6:00-9:00 with networking and edibles. Members: be sure to take advantage of the early-bird member discount, which ends tomorrow, April 25^th ($55 versus $65 after the deadline). This promises to be an elegant and memorable show.

If you missed the March 29^th forum on DRM and e-piracy, we’re happy to pass along some of the Internet buzz that followed. From Chirpstory, read notes taken live as the presentation unfolded. From Appazoogle, read one audience member’s thoughtful take on this exciting topic.  Join us again for educational events in the fall, when basic seminars resume. These are all free events—open to the public and sure to inform!

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!

February CNE at OM Restaurant and Lounge

Being young in the ways of publishing and networking, I find that I get butterflies in my stomach before I go to an event, interview or any other semi-professional environment. It's a brand new chapter in life and I am only a couple pages in, but the Bookbuilder events have made the jump fun and comfortable.

Conversation is made easy by such a friendly and engaging atmosphere. Whether you are interested in editorial, production, design,  freelancing, copyright, or something else there is sure to be someone to talk to and learn from. And making new connections is as easy as turning to the person next to you.


So, whether you want to meet people, find a job, or just talk shop in a friendly atmosphere, the event is perfect. Who knew that casual and networking were such a perfect fit? They go together like peanut butter and jelly - you could have them separately but it's so much better when they're together.

I have a friend who says that I remind her of Jackie O, because I work in publishing. 

Jackie worked at Viking and Doubleday, but the connection is still a HUGE reach. I allow my friend to maintain this glamorous fiction, however, because I like to think that if Jackie O worked in Boston publishing today, she would attend our networking events. (Plus, I do have a pair of oversized sunglasses.)

My husband, on the other hand, imagines that the networking events resemble the scenes in Moneyball when player trades are discussed: I have two freelance recommendations and some information about ePub in exchange for your full-timer referral. This is also a reach, but local professionals looking for work or services know that CNEs are the place to be. The discussions are not always so serious or direct (no player recommendations from Jonah Hill), but they are meaningful.

We welcome you to attend the next CNE event on Weds., February 8, at OM Restaurant in Cambridge. It would be hard to find a more supportive and friendly group, and it's important to engage no matter what the stage of your career. Visit http://bbboston.org/ to register ... see you soon!

 

Four Webinars from Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)

CCC is a new Bookbuilders of Boston member. To learn about this copyright resource on the North Shore, why not check out one of their upcoming webinars for rightsholders? The hosts are my colleagues, so please be sure to let them know where you learned about these events.

Automate Your Online Permissions, Reprints and Author Programs

• 2/21/2012, 11:00am – 12:00pm ET:  Hosted by Chuck Hemenway https://copyright.webex.com/copyright/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=657167090
• 4/10/2012, 11:00am – 12:00pm ET:  Hosted by Dave Daniels  https://copyright.webex.com/copyright/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=655243576

Monetizing Content in a Sophisticated Digital World

• 3/13/2012, 11:00am – 12:00pm ET: Hosted by Matt Pedersen https://copyright.webex.com/copyright/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=659635492
• 5/8/2012, 10:00am – 11:00am ET: Hosted by Gail Chaplick https://copyright.webex.com/copyright/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=658497541

Follow the links for more information on each presentation, or simply comment on this blog post.

Sales, Publicity, and Marketing Rounds Out Workshop Series

Friesens was the sponsor for the last workshop in Bookbuilders' fall session, and about thirty people attended. Speakers were Gina Choe from Charlesbridge, Beth Ineson from Houghton Mifflin-Harcourt, and Roxanne McCarley from Pearson Educational.

The speakers provided a well-rounded view of the sales landscape across different segments of the industry. While trade publishers judge the impact of Borders store closings, higher ed companies increasingly rely on reps' relationships with professors and bookstore managers.

Gina Choe represented the special sales area, where printed catalogs and bound books are still necessary to make the sale. On the flip side, Roxanne McCarley discussed enhanced features of e-textbooks, including videos, apps, assessment, and course management systems. Many such add-ons are more suited to the iPad (tablets) as opposed to e-readers. Competition among the reader devices is closely watched by Beth Ineson, director of field sales and distribution clients at HMH.

One of the more timely questions from the audience had to do with direct-to-consumer sales. Direct engagement with customers (readers) is a buzzworthy topic at industry events: while some publishers consider it a growth area, the need to tread lightly and nurture reseller relationships is still strong.

Production, Manufacturing, and Inventory Workshop Confronts Smaller Print Runs and New Formats

Sean Stanford, Wednesday night's second speaker, spoke about the promise of ink-jet web technology to advance goals in short-run color printing. P.J. Tierney later described a need to continue with offset printing for casebound books because of a lack of on-demand hardcover options.

The big news, though, is that print probably isn't going anywhere just yet. Larry Mallach discussed a strategy to support print costs with e-book sales, ensuring that print copies are available for the markets that need them.

Not that publishers want to take on inventory for any length of time, however ... some may be printing for as little as two months' worth of sales. Returns are still a factor in inventory models, though smaller up-front orders from customers like Amazon are changing the return cycle.

Beacon Press, according to P.J. Tierney, publishes e-books simultaneously with print. In academic markets, this may not yet be the case. In trade calculations, while e-sales eat into print sales, the result is not a zero-sum game. More copies are being sold overall.

Thank you to Quad Graphics, sponsor of this workshop.

Be sure to join us this week for the final Bookbuilders workshop of the season: Sales, Marketing, and Publicity, sponsored by Friesens. Advance registration is required.