Illustration credit: Jason LorimerWe’ve had a number of speakers from startups at past Code Meet Print TO meetups, but we’ve never done a whole show on what it means for publishers to be operating as, through, or for startups. That’s what our May 13th event is all about.
Spotlight: BiblioCommons
The technology behind library ebook distribution can be challenging for librarians and patrons alike.
Beth Jefferson, the co-founder and CEO of library-focused tech startup BiblioCommons, discusses the opportunities and challenges of public library ebook distribution, and suggests ways that libraries can improve user experience, increase discoverability of a wider range of titles, and even—wait for it—sell books to library patrons.
Hey Girl, Learn Sales Analysis
Publishers have access to a huge amount of data about their titles, but knowing how best to use that data to give your business a competitive edge can be tricky.
Erin Creasey is the sales and marketing director for ECW Press, one of Canada’s largest independents, where she has access to data from sources including SalesData, BookScan, and traditional and ebook retailers. “I’m always looking for the story behind the numbers,” she says.
Considering Paywalls
Publishers and retailers are exploring new ways to package and price digital book content and we can learn quite a bit about this by looking to other content industries. We’re talking more frequently about bundling and subscriptions, but there’s a little less chatter about paywalls and I think that’s because the jury is still out on whether it works for our counter parts in newspapers and magazines. But it’s worth examining now to stay on top and ahead of things.
The Canadian Market for E-Singles
Things have come a long way for e-singles over the past year. At last year’s Tech Forum, we heard from Laura Hazard Owen of paidContent about the American market for e-singles and then The Atavist talked about their business model. Since then, more Canadian companies have entered the e-singles fray, all trying different tactics in an effort to explore the possibilities of this growing market.
Global Ebook Domination through Better Metadata
Kobo’s Ashleigh Gardner gave an information-packed workshop at Technology Forum 2013 that covered some important tips and trends for selling ebooks internationally. In this video you’ll learn some pricing basics and how to ensure your ONIX records have all the information necessary to sell your books into as many territories as possible. And you’ll also get country-by-country pricing trends and tax structure tips that will help inform the decisions involved in selling your ebooks worldwide.
The State of E-Lending in Canada
This year, at Technology Forum we spent some time getting to know our librarian partners better. We shared information and found new ways to collaborate. This is why I brought Susan Renouf and Ken Roberts in to give an information session on March 6th about the state of e-lending in Canada.
Future-Proofing Publishing
This year, Technology Forum 2013 closed on a particularly inspiring and energized note with Robert Wheaton’s presentation called “Future-Proofing Publishing: Lightweight Technologies Publishers Should Be Watching Right Now”. Robert is VP of Strategic Digital Business Development at Random House of Canada and the fearless leader of the Hazlitt team. His background in inventory management at Indigo and web development in the arts gives him a unique perspective. He has a vision for publishers and on March 7th, he had attractively packaged it in an Indiana Jones metaphor.
Opportunities in Self-Publishing
Self-publishing has always suffered from PR problems, but its days as the ugly duckling of the publishing world are numbered. Readers are showing a willingness to buy titles from no-name imprints, and it’s becoming more common to hear about traditionally published authors making the choice to go the self-publishing route.
CMPTO Considers Digital Content Options
Last week’s CMPTO meetup was all about going digital, but not in an EPUB sense. As multimedia continues to grow and expand, so do the expectations of the people who consume it. Last Wednesday night we had three fantastic speakers, all of whom were able to shed some light on how publishers might begin to view the new digital landscape and what “going digital” means to each of them.
