Still on the fence about coming to Tech Forum & ebookcraft 2019 in Toronto this March? Well good news and bad news. The good news is that we've extended our early-bird registration deadline so you still have some time to get the best possible deal. The bad news is that you've only got until Jan. 31 to take advantage of this offer. Then the prices go up. So you can't sit on that fence forever.
Perhaps we can help convince you. Check out the speakers and sessions that we've announced. We're going to have something for everyone at this conference — publishers (sales, marketing, editorial), retailers, librarians, and anyone else associated with books or the publishing industry will find something of interest.
On that note, let's tell you about some more speakers and sessions that we're announcing today for the very first time!
ebookcraft 2019 sessions and speakers
Introduction to Audiobook Production for #eprdctn People
Kate Schefer, Digital Products Coordinator, Lerner Publishing Group, and Kris Tomes, Associate Digital Product Manager, Lerner Publishing Group
#eprdctn people get a reputation for being tech-savvy – and rightfully so! But as print people lump all digital products together, ebook developers asked to make audiobooks may have no idea where to start. And that’s where we were three years ago! Through research, trial and error, and tests with distributors, we created a process of turning raw audio into finished audiobooks that worked for us. This workshop includes hands-on training in assembling audiobooks from sample audio, QAing tablemates’ audio, and understanding required metadata. We’ll also touch on why your press should consider creating audiobooks, choosing the right books for your market, and collaborating with audio houses. We hope that by sharing our experience, we can encourage others, especially small presses, to dive into the audiobook market with confidence.
Be an Ally to a11y: An Accessibility Workshop with DAISY Consortium
Marisa DeMeglio, Software Developer, DAISY Consortium, and Romain Deltour, Software Developer, DAISY Consortium
From the definition of accessibility requirements, to the actual production, to testing and metadata editing, accessibility needs to be taken into account through the entire production workflow. The DAISY Consortium, uniquely positioned at the intersection of the specialized and mainstream publishing ecosystems, will try to share some tips and best practices to make born-accessible publications a reality. They will notably demonstrate how to use Ace by DAISY, the automated accessibility checker, and SMART, the simplified manual accessibility reporting tool.
Remediating Backlist ebooks with Accessibility in Mind
Laura Brady, Manager, Cross-Media, House of Anansi Press
What does it take to level up an ebook’s accessibility? What if it’s an EPUB 2 made with the best intentions five, six, or 10 years ago? Bring your oldest, dirtiest EPUBs to this workshop to learn how to fix your backlist bestsellers, to shine them up to a newer EPUB specification and ready for the diverse needs of a broad spectrum of readers.
Tech Forum 2019 sessions and speakers
Best Practices for Equity-Driven Acquisitions: Shifting from Gatekeeping to Spacemaking
Annie Gibson, Publisher, Playwrights Canada Press, Scaachi Koul, Senior Writer, Buzzfeed, and Bhavna Chauhan, Senior Editor, Doubleday Canada and Appetite
The “gatekeeping” framework of our industry is a major structural hurdle to diversity and inclusion in publishing. It is not enough to recognize our biases and stop doing harm (though that’s a key first step). We need to brainstorm ways to repair the historical damage done to our cultural institutions and artists. How do we shift from “gatekeeping” and towards what attendees of SFU’s 2018 Publishing Unbound conference called “spacemaking”: a process that solicits, supports, and develops the work of marginalized writers and professionals? In this dynamic, action-focused session, a team of industry professionals will lead attendees in a collaborative, generative process to develop “Best Practices” guidelines for industry adoption.
Live Podcast Recording: Minorities in Publishing
Jael Richardson, Artistic Director, Festival of Literary Diversity, and Jennifer Baker, Creator / Host, Minorities in Publishing podcast
Jennifer Baker of the Minorities in Publishing podcast will conduct a live interview with author, columnist, and founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) Jael Richardson on craft, publishing, and formulating equity within the literary community.
Data-Driven Collections & Patron Management: The New Library Science
Michelle Sawh, Manager, Service Delivery, Markham Public Library (and see the previously announced panelists at the link)
It's 2019. Do you know what your local library is doing with data? Panelists from major Canadian library systems will share their latest data-driven initiatives that are revolutionizing collections and patron management to increase efficiencies, insights, and opportunities. BookNet's Monique Mongeon will speak to the role BNC LibraryData will play in the aggregation and analysis of nation-wide library collections data.
#standardsgoals for 2019: Standards & Certification Roundup
Tom Richardson, Bibliographic Manager, BookNet Canada
Bibliographic standards are always changing to keep up with the ever-evolving realities of the book industry and it’s in the best interest of your business to keep up, too. Should you be using BISAC or Thema subject codes (or both)? Which version of ONIX are your business partners using? What improvements to your metadata should you prioritize for 2019? In this session, Bibliographic Manager Tom Richardson will answer your pressing questions and show you what’s new, what’s important, and what’s coming up in standards.
New from BookNet Canada: BNC CataList
Carol Gordon, Project Manager, BookNet Canada
BNC CataList rolled out some major and eagerly anticipated developments this past year, including overhauled PDF export capabilities, to help the industry market, sell, and order books more quickly and easily. Project Manager Carol Gordon will provide a first-hand look at the latest upgrades to the system and share some of the new developments we have planned for 2019.
New from BookNet Canada: Loan Stars & Loan Stars Jr.
Elizabeth Barker, Project Coordinator, BookNet Canada
The Loan Stars readers’ advisory program had a big year in 2018, from welcoming hundreds of new library staff from across Canada to launching Loan Stars Jr., a new bi-monthly list of Juvenile and Young Adult titles that will debut in March 2019. Find out what else we’ve been up to the past year, how all those Loan Stars picks are being celebrated by the larger literary community, and how you can get involved in 2019.
