ECPA

Emerging Technology & Systems: Track 5

Track Manager:

Colin Blackett, Application Programmer Analyst, Multnomah Publishers

Sessions:

A	Data Technology – Effective Information Sharing with Customers Michael Healy, Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group, Inc. What initiatives support the communication of information between publishers, distributors, stores, and consumers? The ways in which a company handles their supply chain, especially in a digital world, can often make or break their success. Companies that have adopted standardized ways to communicate with their trading partners are reporting high efficiencies. During this session, Book Industry Study Group, Inc. Executive Director Michael Healy will share insight into the standards and best practices used by many members of the supply chain to increase profitability and productivity. Topics will include product identification – ISBN-13 and beyond, data quality, EDI, shipping labels and other savvy ways of lowering your costs while still growing your business. After all, it’s of little consequence how brilliant your books may be if potential customers can’t find them in the supply chain. The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the book industry’s leading trade association for policy, standards, and research. The mission of BISG is to provide a more informed, empowered and efficient book industry supply chain.
B	Publishing Technology – Innovations for Turning Content into Products John Edwards, President, Edwards Brothers The current industry paradigm of price-point to retail and "just-in-case" inventory neglects to address TOTAL COST of manufacturing, including transaction costs, inventory carrying costs and obsolescence. By understanding the total cost a publisher can make more intelligent quantity decisions and ultimately lower costs without adding unnecessary risk. Part of this discussion will include utilizing offset and digital book manufacturing platforms as well as custom "in house" solutions.
C	Consumer Technology – Current Consumer Trends & Popular Technology Mark Hunt, Executive Vice President & Publisher, New Media, Zondervan and Chris Wall, Director of Research, Zondervan Publishing is mutating into new forms that are driven by changes in technology as well as changes in the experience of consumers. This session looks at research about the new consumer, how they changing and the technologies they are embracing. We will explore some of the technologies that are driving change including Web 2.0, RSS, podcasting, and digital downloads, in order to develop a basic understanding of these terms and show examples of how they are being used in ways that touch the process of publishing. The presentation will conclude with a consideration of strategies publishers might choose to pursue in response to this changing environment.
D	Workflow Technology – Managing and Streamlining the Publishing Process Jason Sele, Chief Business Strategist, Prodigious Technologies Using the proper technology can streamline your publishing process. This session is a case study in how Multnomah Publishers uses technology to streamline its book lifecycle. We will examine tasks, resources and data that make up the components of the book production process. Should you develop your own tools, buy commercial publishing software or use off-the-shelf project management software to track this information? Ever wonder how to keep your book spec information current with vendors? What size cover images should your designers create to send to Amazon or place on your web page? Do you know what tools to use to share manuscripts with your authors? There is not a single answer for many of these questions but we will look at the way in which it has been done for one publisher.