Book Summit 2007, NYC

2007 Book Summit Agenda

2007-08-15T10:04:00.000-04:00

1. AGENDA. This year the Book Summit will focus on two specific areas.
The Internet: its impact on publishers and
The Internet: its impact on marketing/distribution.
One is scheduled for the morning and the other will be addressed in the afternoon.

A. The impact of the Internet on Publishers.
Chaired by Bill Frank.

· How electronic media is best being used to promote books.
o eGallies, video book trailers, virtual book tours, blogs, ezines, and listservs.
o Social networks, wikis, user-generated content
· The impact of Web 2.0 technologies
o “Conversations evaporate.” How does a publisher keep the conversation alive about a book in a Web 2.0 world?
· The affect of digital printing, ebooks, audio books and audio downloads?
o Disney & Scholastic are launching an ebook test for young children.
· The future of non-fiction in the face of Online Search Engine growth?
· The future of fiction in the face of online entertainment.
o How to make fiction compete with the various other forms of entertainment available to readers
o Why are comic book sales and anime growing despite free video content available on the web?
· What impact is there on the industry when online book reviewers charge to review a book?
· And more

"I think in general, these publishers are resistant to change and resistant to innovation. Our advice to publishers would be to digitize everything they have. It's the new independent publishers who are going to exploit this opportunity."
—Steve Riggio, CEO, Barnes & Noble,
at ePubExpo, November 2000.

B. Impact of the Internet on Distribution, Sales & Marketing.
Chaired by Eric Kampmann

· How are distributors maximizing the Internet.
o Tapping into Internet revenue & capturing more sales in the long tail
· Web-based booksellers versus bricks & mortar outlets
o Amazon’s 10-15 marketing programs available, 1-click ordering on purchases, etc.
o Compare in-store promotion models versus online promotion strategies.
· And more

2. BRIAN JUD INTRODUCES BOOK CENTRAL STATION with listings of more than 3000 publishing suppliers in 23 categories including designers, editors, distributors, printers, publicists, reviewers – rated and reviewed by previous clients. You can also download special reports, booklets and eBooklets with thousands of tips on marketing strategy, planning, pricing, distribution and publicity. Plus there are links to TV and radio shows, bookstores, libraries, associations, trade shows and special-sales leads.

This is a paid subscription service but you can try it at no charge for two weeks. See http://www.bookcentralstation.com/trial.asp. For more information go to www.bookcentralstation.com or contact Brian Jud, P O Box 715, Avon, CT, 06001- 0715; Phone (800) 562 - 4357 or email BrianJud@bookcentralstation.com
Brian Jud is a member of your Book Summit team.

3. BOOK PUBLISHING NEWSFEED. Get the latest in publishing news throughout the day—as it happens. The news comes to you. Subscribe to Greenleaf Book Group’s Big Bad Book Blog RSS Feed.
See
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BigBadBookBlog

4. BOOK SUMMIT TEAM HIGHLIGHT. One member of our team is:
Eric Kampmann entered book publishing through an entry level sales position at the Viking Press in 1970. He was promoted to Assistant Sales Manager and then in 1974 moved on to St. Martin’s Press as Director of Sales. In 1977 Eric moved to Simon & Schuster as National Sales Manager where he focused his energy on building a sales organization that could deal with the significant sales growth at S & S. In 1980, he was promoted to the position of Vice President, Director of Sales.

Eric has worked with independent publishers since 1981, first as the President of Kampmann & Company, then as one of the architects who engineered National Book Network’s growth in the early 1990’s. Eric is currently the President of Midpoint Trade Books, Inc., a sales and distribution company for independent publishers, which was founded in 1996 by Eric and his two Partners.

Eric is the author of The Book Publishers Handbook: The 7 Keys to Publishing Success to be published for the book trade by Beaufort Books, Inc. in May 2007. Eric has also taught book publishing courses at Harvard, Columbia, Hofstra and New York University. He has also served on panels at PMA University, SPAN, and other venues.

5. BOOK SUMMIT WEB SITE UPDATED. Even more changes due soon. See
http://www.booksummit.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Third Annual Book Summit: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at the NYCIP (same venue) in New York.

See photos on past Summits as well as information on the next one. http://www.BookSummit.com

Book Summit Team
Dan Poynter, DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
Bill Frank, wafj@pacbell.net
Brian Jud, BrianJud@bookmarketing.com
Eric Kampmann, eric@midpointtrade.com
John Harnish, enjoyoften@comcast.net
Marianne Bohr, mbohr@nbnbooks.com
Penny Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com
Tom Gregory, HYPERBIZ@aol.com

Agenda for the Book Summit, Sept 26, NYC

2007-08-15T09:57:00.000-04:00

1. AGENDA. This year the Book Summit will focus on two specific areas.
The Internet: its impact on publishers, and
The Internet: its impact on marketing/distribution.
One is scheduled for the morning and the other will be addressed in the afternoon.

A. The impact of the Internet on Publishers.
Chaired by Bill Frank.

· How electronic media is best being used to promote books.
o eGallies, video book trailers, virtual book tours, blogs, ezines, and listservs.
o Social networks, wikis, user-generated content
· The impact of Web 2.0 technologies
o “Conversations evaporate.” How does a publisher keep the conversation alive about a book in a Web 2.0 world?
· The affect of digital printing, ebooks, audio books and audio downloads?
o Disney & Scholastic are launching an ebook test for young children.
· The future of non-fiction in the face of Online Search Engine growth?
· The future of fiction in the face of online entertainment.
o How to make fiction compete with the various other forms of entertainment available to readers
o Why are comic book sales and anime growing despite free video content available on the web?
· What impact is there on the industry when online book reviewers charge to review a book?
· And more

"I think in general, these publishers are resistant to change and resistant to innovation. Our advice to publishers would be to digitize everything they have. It's the new independent publishers who are going to exploit this opportunity."
—Steve Riggio, CEO, Barnes & Noble,
at ePubExpo, November 2000.

B. Impact of the Internet on Distribution, Sales & Marketing.
Chaired by Eric Kampmann

· How are distributors maximizing the Internet.
o Tapping into Internet revenue & capturing more sales in the long tail
· Web-based booksellers versus bricks & mortar outlets
o Amazon’s 10-15 marketing programs available, 1-click ordering on purchases, etc.
o Compare in-store promotion models versus online promotion strategies.
· And more

2. BRIAN JUD INTRODUCES BOOK CENTRAL STATION with listings of more than 3000 publishing suppliers in 23 categories including designers, editors, distributors, printers, publicists, reviewers – rated and reviewed by previous clients. You can also download special reports, booklets and eBooklets with thousands of tips on marketing strategy, planning, pricing, distribution and publicity. Plus there are links to TV and radio shows, bookstores, libraries, associations, trade shows and special-sales leads.

This is a paid subscription service but you can try it at no charge for two weeks. See http://www.bookcentralstation.com/trial.asp. For more information go to www.bookcentralstation.com or contact Brian Jud, P O Box 715, Avon, CT, 06001- 0715; Phone (800) 562 - 4357 or email BrianJud@bookcentralstation.com
Brian Jud is a member of your Book Summit team.

3. BOOK PUBLISHING NEWSFEED. Get the latest in publishing news throughout the day—as it happens. The news comes to you. Subscribe to Greenleaf Book Group’s Big Bad Book Blog RSS Feed.
See
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BigBadBookBlog

4. BOOK SUMMIT TEAM HIGHLIGHT. One member of our team is:
Eric Kampmann entered book publishing through an entry level sales position at the Viking Press in 1970. He was promoted to Assistant Sales Manager and then in 1974 moved on to St. Martin’s Press as Director of Sales. In 1977 Eric moved to Simon & Schuster as National Sales Manager where he focused his energy on building a sales organization that could deal with the significant sales growth at S & S. In 1980, he was promoted to the position of Vice President, Director of Sales.

Eric has worked with independent publishers since 1981, first as the President of Kampmann & Company, then as one of the architects who engineered National Book Network’s growth in the early 1990’s. Eric is currently the President of Midpoint Trade Books, Inc., a sales and distribution company for independent publishers, which was founded in 1996 by Eric and his two Partners.

Eric is the author of The Book Publishers Handbook: The 7 Keys to Publishing Success to be published for the book trade by Beaufort Books, Inc. in May 2007. Eric has also taught book publishing courses at Harvard, Columbia, Hofstra and New York University. He has also served on panels at PMA University, SPAN, and other venues.

5. BOOK SUMMIT WEB SITE UPDATED. Even more changes due soon. See
http://www.booksummit.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Third Annual Book Summit: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at the NYCIP (same venue) in New York.

See photos on past Summits as well as information on the next one. http://www.BookSummit.com

Book Summit Team
Dan Poynter, DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
Bill Frank, wafj@pacbell.net
Brian Jud, BrianJud@msn.com
Eric Kampmann, eric@midpointtrade.com
John Harnish, enjoyoften@comcast.net
Marianne Bohr, mbohr@nbnbooks.com
Penny Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com
Tom Gregory, HYPERBIZ@aol.com

Book Summit NewsBrief – July, 2007

2007-07-23T17:31:00.000-04:00

1. BOOK SUMMIT: SAME PLACE, DIFFERENT NAME. On May 31, 2007, the Small Press Center officially became The New York Center for Independent Publishing, launching with a cocktail reception at the century old landmark building of The General Society, at 20 West 44th Street, in midtown Manhattan. The NYCIP is the venue for the September Book Summit.

2. BOOK SUMMIT TEAM HIGHLIGHT. One member of our team is Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert.

Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Penny is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller which has been called the "road map to publishing success."

AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with message boards, blogs, ezines, and relevant sites to push an author’s message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market.

To discover more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@amarketingexpert.com

3. BOOK SUMMIT WEB SITE UPDATED. Even more changes due soon. See
http://www.booksummit.com/

Third Annual Book Summit: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at the NYCIP (same venue) in New York.

See photos on past Summits as well as information on the next one. http://www.BookSummit.com

Book Summit Team
Dan Poynter, DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
Bill Frank, wafj@pacbell.net
Brian Jud, BrianJud@bookmarketing.com
Eric Kampmann, eric@midpointtrade.com
John Harnish, enjoyoften@comcast.net
Marianne Bohr, mbohr@nbnbooks.com
Penny Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com
Tom Gregory, HYPERBIZ@aol.com

Preparations Continue for the 2007 Book Summit

2007-07-12T17:23:00.000-04:00

Preparations for Book Summit 2007 are well under way - we will be posting the new schedule very soon, please check www.booksummit.com for a complete schedule. In the meantime, take a peak at last year's Book Summit 2006 schedule (http://www.booksummit.com/schedule.php) for a glance at what's in store this coming year. You may also want to view a slide show from last year’s Book Summit at http://www.booksummit.com/images/06_slide.pps. Meet the 2007 Book Summit Team at http://www.booksummit.com/team.php, too. We look forward to seeing you on September 26 at Book Summit 2007 in New York City.

Industry Leaders Predict The Future Of The Book

2007-05-14T08:57:00.001-04:00

The internet has changed everything from how we sell books, how we read books, to how we publish them. “Amazon and the other on-line book retailers proved the Internet’s power to change retailing,” says Dan Poynter, Director of the Book Summit. “On the other side of this, marketing a book has become even more challenging especially with book review sections minimizing their coverage and sometimes shutting down all together. Our goal is to come together to offer solutions and find ways to work in this new paradigm. And also discuss the future of the long tail”

The third annual Book Summit on September 26, 2007 in New York City will bring together key industry leaders to focus on the Internet—how to harness it and to use it to dig into overlooked sales areas.

The event will be held at the Center for Independent Publishing (formerly the Small Press Center). The day long round table will host senior managers from publishing houses, digital printers, small publishers, reviewers, distributors and associations sharing their views on where the Internet is leading the industry and what they are doing to keep ahead of the seismic changes. The first two Book Summits in 2005 and 2006 were enormously successful in defining the new opportunities and challenges of internet and demand publishing, and in facilitating discussion, ideas, and solutions about the new technologies and business models that are changing the dynamic of publishing.

As in the past, the Summit will be divided into two segments, a gallery for spectators and a round table for the discussion group. There will be no speeches, classes or exhibits. This is a meeting of industry leaders, to discuss the future of publishing and promotion on the Net. Invitations have also been extended to the media.

For information and applications to attend, see www.booksummit.com

Book Summit NewsBrief – Vol. 2, No. 4 -- May, 2007

2007-05-09T16:33:00.000-04:00

1. BOOK EXPO BLOG. Bloging with BEA Event Director, Lance Fensterman.
A unique perspective on the book world from the bookseller come BEA leader.
Blackberry in hand, expect dispatches from around the world. See:
http://www.bookexpo-lance.blogspot.com/.

2. YOUR BOOK SUMMIT TEAM--WORKING THE BEA BOOK FAIR.
Contact them via their mobile numbers:
Brian Jud: +1-860-985-5908
Penny Sansevieri: +1-619-808-2665
John Harnish: +1-610-626-2436
Eric Kampmann: +1-203-253-4522 (and at the Midpoint Trade booth).

3. BOOK SUMMIT BLOG.
For a running account of the issues facing the industry, see
http://www.BookSummit.com/

4. BOOK CHANNEL BOUND FOR INTERNET.
CBS's Simon & Schuster to Launch Author Videos Via YouTube, Other Sites. See
http://setup1.wsj.com/article/SB117859315428995461.html?mod=us_business_whats_news

5. WHAT DOES YOUR BOOK SUMMIT TEAM DO?
They meet every two weeks via conference calls to plan, organize and execute a unique event.

The Book Summit does not involve speeches, classes or exhibits.
It is a gathering of book industry leaders who are on the cutting edge of the business.
They meet around a table to discuss what is happening and what is coming.

Bill Frank is the moderator.
See http://www.BookSummit.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third Annual Book Summit: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at the Small Press Center (same venue) in New York.

See photos on past Summits as well as information on the next one. http://www.BookSummit.com

Book Summit Team
Dan Poynter, DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
Bill Frank, wafj@pacbell.net
Brian Jud, BrianJud@bookmarketing.com
Eric Kampmann, eric@midpointtrade.com
John Harnish, enjoyoften@comcast.net
Penny Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com
Tom Gregory, HYPERBIZ@aol.com

Send NewsBrief submissions to DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com

Learn how the Internet has Changed Publishing (and how you can proft from it)

2007-04-27T09:26:00.000-04:00

The Internet has changed everything from how books are published, sold and read. It is disrupting traditional distribution channels and rearranging the book publishing value chain. Publishing industry leaders are meeting on September 26, 2007 in New York City. The focus of the day long session will be the Internet—how to maximize it, harness it and use it to dig into overlooked sales areas.

“Amazon and the other on-line book retailers proved the Internet’s power to change retailing,” says Dan Poynter, Director of the Book Summit. “On the other side of this, marketing a book has become even more challenging especially with book review sections minimizing their coverage and sometimes shutting down all together. Our goal is to come together to offer solutions and find ways to work in this new paradigm. And also discuss the future of the long tail”

The 2007 Book Summit will host CEOs from publishing houses, digital printers, small publishers, reviewers, distributors and associations sharing their views on where the Internet is leading the industry and what they are doing to keep ahead of the seismic changes.

The first two Book Summits in 2005 and 2006 were enormously successful, bringing together leaders in the industry to discuss and begin to resolve issues that are changing the dynamic of publishing. Industry experts displayed increased optimism about the industry and found that short-run printing and the Internet are benefits rather than detriments to the future of publishing.

Learn more about the 2007 Book Summit: www.booksummit.com

Book Summit NewsBrief, by Dan Poynter

2007-02-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

1. BOOK SUMMIT WEB SITE UPDATED FOR 2007. More changes due soon. See

http://www.booksummit.com/

2. WHO IS ON THE BOOK SUMMIT TEAM?
Brian Jud is an author, book-marketing consultant, seminar leader, television host and president of Book Marketing Works, LLC.

Brian is active in special-sales marketing. He conducts the Masters of Book Marketing seminars and the Book Marketing Monthly teleseminars. He is the author of Beyond the Bookstore (a Publishers Weekly book) and The Marketing Planning CD-ROM describing new ways to sell more books profitably to special-sales buyers. Brian is also the editor of the Book Marketing Matters newsletter on special sales topics. With Netsuite, he developed and introduced the Special-Sales Profit Center, the web-based, targeted-marketing system that helps deliver incremental sales and profits.

Brian has also written and self-published five books on career transition that are distributed internationally. He is a prolific writer of articles about book publishing and marketing. He is a syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to the PMA Newsletter, SPAN Newsletter and Book Marketing Update.

Brian is the host of the television series The Book Authority and has aired six hundred and fifty shows. In addition, he is the author, narrator and producer of the media-training video program You're On The Air. He also wrote and published the books It’s Show Time and Perpetual Promotion. These describe techniques for authors to get on and perform on television and radio shows.

Brian is an adjunct lecturer of sales and marketing courses for graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Hartford and the University of Connecticut. Brian is a regular speaker on marketing topics at PMA-University and for publishing groups around the country. And he is the founder and president of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association.

3. WHEN THE BOOK REPLACED THE SCROLL. Great video. See
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Third Annual Book Summit: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at the Small Press Center (same venue) in New York.

See photos on past Summits as well as information on the next one. http://www.BookSummit.com

Book Summit Team
Dan Poynter, DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
Bill Frank, wafj@pacbell.net
Brian Jud, BrianJud@msn.com
Eric Kampmann, eric@midpointtrade.com
John Harnish, enjoyoften@comcast.net
Penny Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com
Tom Gregory, HYPERBIZ@aol.com

2007 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World

2007-02-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

Leaders of the publishing industry are coming together on September 26 in New York City to discuss the challenges publishing faces today for the second annual Book Summit. A seismic shift is going on in the publishing business, digital printing is shifting the paradigm for all publishers and the Internet is disrupting traditional distribution channels. The role of publishers and authors is changing on almost a daily basis and retailers are quickly becoming their own “publishers.”

“The advent and continued growth of print-on-demand, a shrinking review window, limited bookstore shelf space, a staggering amount of books printed vs. the limited readership, and increased off-shoring of printing are changing the face of publishing,” says Dan Poynter, Director of the Book Summit. “Our goal is to come together to offer solutions and find ways to work in this new paradigm.”

The first Book Summit, held in Valley Forge, PA in 2005 was an enormous success, bringing together leaders in the industry to discuss and begin to resolve issues that are changing the dynamic of publishing. Industry experts showed increased optimism about the industry and found that short-run printing is a benefit rather than a detriment to the future of publishing.

The 2007 Book Summit : Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World will be held on September 26 in New York City. CEOs from POD publishing houses, digital printers, small publishers, reviewers, and associations are being asked to share their views on where the industry is headed. The Summit is by invitation only.

ABOUT THE BOOK SUMMIT : Date: September 26 in New York, New York.

What: 2007 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World URL: www.booksummit.com

Do It Yourself Audio Books

2006-07-05T18:33:00.000-04:00

The New York Times reports on a new phenomenon--do-it-yourself audio books.

Google and Yahoo and MSN, Oh My!

2006-07-04T17:36:00.000-04:00

The June 15 issue of American Way magazine features an article By Tracy about the digitization of publishing and the possible ramifications on writers. The article is titled "(Copy)Right and Wrong" and examines what Google, its library partners, and the Open Content Alliance (which includes Yahoo, Adobe, MSN, and others) are saying about digitizing books.

Meet Me at the Fair--eBook Fair, That Is

2006-06-12T18:58:00.000-04:00

You've heard of the Frankfurt Book Fair, London Book Fair, and Book Expo America. Now Project Gutenberg and the World eBook Library Consortia are putting together the World eBook Fair July 4-August 4, 2006, to allow people to download as many as 333,000 eBooks at no charge. The organizers say the fair soon will be "the largest showcase for eBooks, eBook publishers, editors and others working in the new world of eBooks."

The Printed Page: RIP?

2006-04-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

No way, says Dan Poynter, Director of the Book Summit:

We will always have the printed page.

Early adopters purchase the hardcover; most people buy the softcover (it takes a while to hear about the book); the budget-minded wait for the mass-market paperback; the vision-impaired and the reading-challenged prefer the LARGE print edition; the commuter, sales rep and long-haul trucker listen to audiobooks; and airline passengers often read eBooks.

Television did not replace radio, but radio did change. Sitcoms moved to TV and radio expanded with music, news, and sports. eBooks won’t replace pBooks (printed) but the law of economics will prevail. It does not pay to cut down trees, make paper, print books, ship them all over—only to have many come back as returns.

We will always have printed books but the additional editions will make the work available to more people.

POS versus POD

2006-04-01T21:47:00.000-05:00

Dan Poynter, Director of the Book Summit, recently shared his thoughts on "print on spec" versus "print on demand:

“On Spec” can be defined as short for "speculation." Work done "on spec" is done for no guaranteed remuneration, in hope of winning the job, campaign or account in question.

Detroit builds cars on spec, some builders construct houses on spec, and traditional publishing produces books on spec.

When cars or houses don’t sell, the price is lowered. When books don’t sell, they are shipped back to be remaindered or pulped. Unsold books have to be eaten; a waste of time, energy and resources.

An alternative is POD (Print On Demand) where books are purchased before they are manufactured. This is the business model pioneered so successfully by Dell Computer. Dell gets paid for a computer before it even buys the parts to make it.

Printing books on spec makes sense when there are many pre-production orders and a realistic anticipation of a large demand. Printing is a quantity game; the more you print, the less the per-unit cost. But returns raise the per-unit cost.

The choice is between POS and POD: print on spec and print on demand.

Alternatives to the Printed Word

2006-04-01T21:27:00.000-05:00

Here's what Book Summit Director Dan Poynter had to say recently about what people will be talking about at this year's event:

While the Book Summit discussion is participant-driven, it appears the major issue this year could be the creation and dissemination of printed-book alternatives. Alternatives involve the writing, producing, converting, inventorying, shipping, selling and reading of both eBooks (electronic) and aBooks (audio). Either edition may be placed on a CD or downloaded.

Why? With printing in China, publishers cannot respond to, and take advantage of, a sudden bestseller demand. Sony has debuted a new eBook reader. Sony has clout and a good track record. Infinity and Lulu are producing audio products
on demand now. This may be the year of the printed-book alternative.

Many of my books are in both eBook and aBook format, and I consume a lot of both in my travels. I’ve been experimenting with alternatives to the printed book for some time.

About E-Books

2006-04-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

Here's what Bill Frank, Book Summit moderator and publishing consultant, has to say about e-books:

The importance of e-books cannot be overlooked. In their latest book, Five Regions of the Future, Joel A. Barker and Scott Erickson describe the e-book as a '"universal technology," one that will be used by many diverse groups.
In their vision, the e-book is an electronic device that displays text and pictures on a lightweight, illuminated thin screen.

E-books can carry and access enormous amounts of information easily. They replace paper books and save precious resources while providing access to information and entertainment. E-books make it easier for authors to be "published." And e-books allow inexpensive and easy access to the wisdom of all civilizations.

Book Summit 2006: What You Need to Know

2006-04-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK, NY – Leaders of the publishing industry are coming together on September 27 in New York City to discuss the challenges publishing faces today for the second annual Book Summit. A seismic shift is going on in the publishing business, digital printing is shifting the paradigm for all publishers and the Internet is disrupting traditional distribution channels. The role of publishers and authors is changing on almost a daily basis and retailers are quickly becoming their own “publishers.”
“The advent and continued growth of print-on-demand, a shrinking review window, limited bookstore shelf space, a staggering amount of books printed vs. the limited readership, and increased off-shoring of printing are changing the face of publishing,” says Dan Poynter, Director of the Book Summit. “Our goal is to come together to offer solutions and find ways to work in this new paradigm.”
The first Book Summit, held in Valley Forge, PA in 2005 was an enormous success, bringing together leaders in the industry to discuss and begin to resolve issues that are changing the dynamic of publishing. Industry experts showed increased optimism about the industry and found that short-run printing is a benefit rather than a detriment to the future of publishing.
The 2006 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World will be held on September 27 in New York City. CEOs from POD publishing houses, digital printers, small publishers, reviewers, and associations are being asked to share their views on where the industry is headed. The Summit is by invitation only.

The Book Summit's media contact is Penny C. Sansevieri , who may be reached at penny(at)amarketingexpert.com.

Mark Your Calendar for Book Summit 2006 on September 27

2006-01-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

Book Summit 2005 was such a success that we're doing it again!

The 2006 summit is slated for September 27 at the Small Press Center at 20 West 44th Street in New York City. Once again, participants will discuss the future of the publishing world and the convergence of authorship, distributing, printing and marketing roles. Watch this space for details!

The View From ForeWord Magazine

2005-09-18T16:46:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views. Book Summit checked in with the editors of ForeWord Magazine.

1. What characteristics must a digitally printed book have to entice a reviewer to review it?
The digital book must have the same characteristics as the print galley submitted: top-notch writing, a good story or nonfiction topic that is timely and not overdone, and an author who has some credentials and can speak well to the subject matter.

2. What impact does distribution of a digitally produced book have in the decision to review it?
Our mission at ForeWord Magazine and ForeWordreviews.com is to help great books that might be overlooked get the recognition they deserve with a review
--print or digital form. Typically, in the magazine, we try to help our readership of booksellers and librarians by giving them access to books through review that have ease of access or distribution setup. As more and more libraries get involved in digital lending, these obstacles will diminish.

We see the trade community still having issues with e-book/POD distribution because it does not fit with the current distribution flow (returnable). This only fits with our goal to help small presses and self-publishers overcome those challenges with tools that can help them sell. We also feel POD publishers need to spend more time in the editing and design of exterior and interiors. Books are selected for review independently of distribution channels.

3. With more content being produced, what factors will reviewers look for in a book to review?
"Good books, independently published" is the motto for the magazine. The quality standards remain the same for digital or print books. ForeWord Magazine makes category choices based on the output of the small press community: 85 percent nonfiction and 15 percent fiction/poetry. With regard to the fee-for-reviews service, the five-star rating system gives users a chance to gauge our judgment based on excellence from one to five, one being the lowest recommendation. Factors of distinctiveness in content and treatment do not change.

4. Are online reviewers complementing or replacing traditional magazine reviewers?
Complementing, not replacing. A review has to resonate with the reader whether it is from the New York Times Book Review, blog, or recognized trade journal like ForeWord. Amazon.com reviewers and other online reviewers are not held to qualification standards that print journals like ForeWord are recognized for, but they do provide the buyer with information that appears useful in a consumer purchasing decision. Our reviews are licensed to the three largest online distribution companies in the trade market space--where most ordering for the library market takes place. We hope to expand on this coverage with future partnerships with Google, Amazon, and other broad-reach book sales organizations that need content to help sell books.

Andrew Roskill's View

2005-09-08T19:25:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views. Book Summit checked in with Andrew Roskill, director of BookSurge, the print-on-demand company acquired by Amazon.com in April 2005.

What would it take to get digitally printed books into the mainstream distribution channels?
If by mainstream distribution channels you mean brick-and-mortar bookstores, we make them available through both traditional distributors such as Baker & Taylor and our own wholesale ordering system BookSurgeDirect.com. However, with more and more consumers using online channels such as Amazon.com to purchase books and with new, user-friendly features such as Search Inside the Book (SITB), we believe the future of book buying is online.

What do you see as the future direction for print-on-demand publishing companies?
Print-on-demand is the future. It has leveled the playing field for publishers and authors, reduced risk associated with distributing high volume print runs, and is driving industry disintermediation. As digital technology continues to improve and costs continue to be driven down, POD will become more widely accepted and the preferred method of book order fulfillment, particularly for lower velocity titles that have demand across multiple geographies.

With more books from which to choose to sell, what factors will drive the decision to stock and sell a digitally printed book?
Bookstore shelf space is obviously limited. One goal of Amazon is to improve the customer experience by broadening the tail of selection. We want to use POD “virtual inventory” to accomplish this. It’s one of the many beauties of POD--you don’t need to stock books because all of our Amazon.com orders are produced and shipped within 24 hours.

How do publishers find and target micro-niches of readers?
The Internet has truly revolutionized the way publishers find and target these groups. There are so many forums and communities for people with all types of interests out there; it takes patience to find them and sometimes creativity to reach them effectively, but they are there and the internet makes reaching them possible. We are also evaluating a number of services where publishers could get empirical data (sell through, page views, etc.) that could help them make good business decisions on where to invest their value-added services: identifying, refining and marketing great books.

Dan Poynter's View

2005-09-03T13:21:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views. Dan Poynter, the country's leading expert on independent and self-publishing, is one of the summit organizers. Dan's thoughts on the future of book publishing follow.

Black and white printing is moving offshore; mostly to China. Offshoring will appeal to the large publishers who are trying to cut costs and have the luxury of an 18-month production cycle. Local digital printing will be used for smaller runs and where quicker turnaround is required. To better understand what is happening, read The World Is Flat by Thomas
L. Friedman.

One-third of the world's books are sold in the United States. Last year, 195,000 titles were published, an increase of about 10% over 2003. The increase in title output will continue. See parapub.com/statistics/.

Another interesting trend is the number of editions books are appearing in: hardcover, softcover, large PRINT, eBooks, audiobooks, etc. For example, see Stephen King's book Dreamcatcher at Amazon.com. It is available in nine editions. King wrote it once and it is being sold/consumed nine different ways.

Since 1998, I have promoted The New Book Model or Simultaneous Publishing. It advocates a digitally printed initial run of about 500. See parapub.com/getpage.cfm?file=newbook.html.

The greatest challenge for print-on-demand publishers and digitally printed books is packaging. All books need good design, professional editing and jazzy covers to attract attention and to describe the contents. If you want your book to sell like a book, it has to look like a book. Authors and publishers must invest in the wrapper if they want people to consume the contents.

The View From AuthorHouse

2005-08-31T19:49:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views. Book Summit checked in with AuthorHouse President-CEO Bryan S. Smith and Vice President W. Herbert Senft II. AuthorHouse bills itself as the world's largest self-publishing house, having published more than 27,000 titles.

1. What are the implications to the industry with more books being sold beyond the bookstore?

As the book-buying public continues to become more oriented toward Internet-based shopping and purchasing, and as authors and publishers become more adept at internet marketing, there will be a decreased dependence on established books sellers as the primary sales channel.

Relying on print-on-demand for distribution also allows for books with small but targeted audiences to be produced in a cost effective way. These books will also rely on sales channels other than the bookstore, thereby making the traditional bookstore increasingly less important in the larger book marketplace.

2. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing distribution of digitally printed books?

There is an automatic assumption from the established players in the book trade that digitally printed books are of lesser quality than traditionally created and printed books. As a greater range of authors turn to leveraging print-on-demand, traditional book publishers and sellers will increasingly risk missing great opportunities because of this viewpoint.

The cost of printing is still a disadvantage for digitally printed books, forcing some of these books to have a higher price point than would be ideal for their target markets. Additional work with the technology needs to be made to continue to reduce the costs to bring them more in line with traditional print runs.

3. What would it take to get digitally printed books into the mainstream distribution channel?

The book trade will need to adapt its thinking and start to look at the marketability of individual books on their own merits as opposed to automatically grouping all digitally printed books together as inferior.

Success with various titles outside of the bookstore will also lead bookstores to seek out these individual titles and have to adapt their policies to take advantage of the individual opportunities that exist. As authors of digitally printed books have success with alternative sales channels, bookstores will either need to take notice or lose out.

4. What do you see as the future direction for print-on-demand publishing companies?

Print-on-demand vendors will need to continue to focus on improving and adapting the technology to increase the options available to their customers. Additional trim sizes, a cost-effective four-color option, and overall printing costs that approximate traditional print runs are just some of the issues that need to be addressed.

Danny O. Snow's View

2005-08-31T19:19:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views. Book Summit checked in with Danny O. Snow, owner of Unlimited Publishing. UP's goal is to achieve the best of both worlds: the speed and economy of print on demand, and the kind of quality and public exposure of books more typical of larger, mainstream publishers.

1. What are the implications to the industry with more books being sold beyond the bookstore ?
Look at the music industry: independent distribution (legal and otherwise) via Web sites like Napster and iTunes stunned the major record labels. And it's not just online: Bands like Pearl Jam now record a new CD at every concert, and sell it at the door the same night. More independent marketing methods arise almost daily. The established leaders (both music labels and retailers) must now play catch-up, and adjust their methods to keep pace, in order to remain competitive.

In 1997, I met with a VP of Warner-Electra-Atlantic Records and cautioned her to pay close attention to the (at the time) "new" phenomenon of music downloading. My concerns were dismissed, and by 2003 the company had lost nearly a third of its sales. I would raise the same concerns today to movie studios and major book publishing concerns. We will soon see a pattern in the film industry that is similar to music, as broadband matures and it becomes routine to download large files. If Hollywood has been paying attention to the music industry, they'll anticipate the trend toward alternative marketing and distribution vehicles. Companies like Netflix are already forcing traditional "video" stores like Blockbuster to update their business models, and more will follow when high-speed Internet connections are the norm.

Book publishers, wholesalers and retailers are fortunate to have music and movies as precedents to help them avoid getting left behind. In a 1996 study, the Book Industry Study Group estimated that there are nearly TEN TIMES more outlets for books than bookstores per se. I believe that a very large number of sales are already being made through these channels by independents, but they are largely unreported.

My colleague Dan Poynter points out that the growth in nontraditional marketing and distribution includes a trend toward "disintermediation," read: bypassing middlemen. I believe that many sales of POD books go directly from the author to local retailers, to audiences at live events, to readers from the author's Web site, etc.

More recently, there has been even more disintermediation; my company, Unlimited Publishing, now routinely has books shipped directly from one of our POD printers to a nontraditional buyer, even in small quantities. Soon, we expect to see SINGLE copies shipping directly from a printer to an individual consumer... Lightning Source already handles many Amazon orders this way, but of course there are big discounts and pay is slow. Soon, we expect to see singles moving directly from printer to reader without the kind of discounts typical of trade sales, and without returns. UP still wants trade distribution... in spite of the big discounts, returns and slow pay... but I think that major publishers, wholesaler distributors and retailers (especially chain stores) would be wise to look closely at the music and film industries to remain competitive in the years ahead. They will soon face the challenges that music labels and record stores started seeing five years ago, and I hope they fare better.

2. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing distribution (returnability) of digitally printed books?
Many feel that returnability is anathema to POD, but POD books CAN be returnable, when there is proven demand. UP has more than 50 titles that are available on a fully returnable basis through one of our POD printers/distributors.

Having said this, the higher per-unit cost of POD printing makes returns especially punishing, so DO THE MATH before you agree to buy back unsold books: can you afford to sell at 50 percent below cover price, deduct high print costs AND absorb returns of 20 percent or more?

Aside from chain stores, my impression is that retailers are usually more interested in discounts than returnability. Chains may accept orders for single copies, but rarely if ever stock nonreturnable titles. If your book isn't fully returnable, you probably won't find it on the shelves at chain stores.

3. What would it take to get digitally printed books into the mainstream distribution channels?
Better content: too many POD books are released without editing or professional quality layout and design. Some form of vetting process is needed -- yet writing and book design are largely subjective. One objective "litmus test" might be whether a publisher is willing to accept returns,
demonstrating confidence in the product... but again, many feel that returnability is contrary to the spirit of POD, an artifact of the past that should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

Sadly, the term "POD" has become nearly synonymous with vanity publishing, though I can personally document scores of POD books that are competitive with those of major traditional publishers, or in fact FROM leading publishers! Nevertheless, the stigma lingers, and some form of quality control would help dispel it.

4. What do you see as the future direction for print-on-demand publishing companies?
Ignoring the challenges (and they are serious challenges) of improving content and presentation, I see a growing trend toward disintermediation, (bypassing middlemen) with more and more books moving directly from author to printer to reader. I predict that the concept of the "out-of-print"
book will soon fade away... to the true benefit of readers, writers and publishers. In time, I see a world where every single copy of a book can be unique, customized for the specific needs of any individual reader. There will be hurdles to clear along the way, but my conviction is that we WILL clear them, and realize the full promise of on-demand publishing in our time.

Michael Cairns' View

2005-08-31T18:27:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views of the future. Book Summit checked in with Michael Cairns, president of R.R. Bowker. Bowker is North America’s leading provider of bibliographic information, and is also the official ISBN agency for the United States and Puerto Rico. Its flagship product is Books In Print.

1. What would it take to get digitally printed books into the mainstream distribution channel?

There are already many digitally printed books in the supply chain and, in some cases, I would guess that purchasers (bookstores/consumers) may not know they are receiving product that was not produced "traditionally." In operations where the interrelationship between traditional fulfillment and "on-demand" printing and fulfillment is very close, the operations run very well and are increasing in volume and numbers of titles. There definitely needs to be a level of trust between publishers, on-demand printers and distributors that builds via experience. Publishers are finding success in marginal or low-volume titles and titles that have been out of print for years. To get this accepted into the mainstream distribution channels, the participants (publishers and printers) need to sell the concept to the large publishing players. This has been done in the UK and the business is growing significantly.

2. How do publishers find and target micro-niches of readers?
Distribution into nontraditional retail channels is still a growth area for publishers. Putting titles applicable to a store's profile is a natural extension of the stores product mix, and publishers have seen high growth here. Additionally, selling via direct mail, magazines, associations and webinar/seminar/QVC are also proving successful. Publishers need to have a very aggressive research program to identify trends and themes in the wider world in order to tailor product development to these subjects before they become mainstream and titles ubiquitous.

3. With more books from which to choose to sell, what factors will drive the decision to stock and sell a digitally printed book?
Whether the buyer thinks someone will buy it.

4. What steps could be taken to ensure that book buyers come to a bookstore to buy digitally printed books rather than buying them online?
People have to shop for many other items in addition to books, and placing books in nonbookstores (Costco) enables more people to have the opportunity to purchase books. In my experience, people continue to do both in-store and online purchase. The decision to do one or the other is complicated. Online purchases, for example, may be gifts that can be packaged and mailed with no complications for the purchaser. They can also be selection-driven, both within titles and due to the ability to combine types of products. Traditional stores will continue to be important if the stores have what the purchasers wants, provide assistance with purchases and provide a pleasant environment in which to do this.

Denny Hatch's View

2005-08-27T17:39:00.000-04:00

Participants in the 2005 Book Summit: Industry Leaders Discussing the Future of Publishing in a Flat World are being asked for their views of the future.

Book Summit checked in with Denny Hatch, who has wide experience as a marketer (including stints as book club director for Grolier, Macmillan and Meredith), agency writer and account executive (the Weintz Agency), and freelance writer/designer (25 years). In 1984, he founded the definitive direct mail newsletter and archive service, Who’s Mailing What! (now titled InsideDirectMail), In 1992, the newsletter was acquired by North American Publishing Company in Philadelphia where Hatch ran the newsletter as well as heading the editorial team of Target Marketing magazine which—after five-plus years under his guidance—is once again profitable. Denny is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars.

1. How do publishers find and target micro-niches of readers?
I can only speak from personal experience. In the 1969, I wrote a comic novel called Cedarhurst Alley about a guy who inherited a house under
the main landing pattern at Kennedy airport. The noise turned his little daughter autistic. When he tried to sell the house, he found the value had been more than halved. In protest, he sent up a WWII barrage balloon into the main landing pattern. The novel got good reviews. Sold respectably. Over the years it was optioned for a film probably eight times. No movie was ever made. I am republishing it via iUniverse for four reasons:

* I have an e-mail newsletter (www.businesscommonsense.com) that goes to 30,000 subscribers. In other words, I have a "platform." You may want to check out a 3/28/05 Wall Street Journal article by Jeffrey Trachtenberg titled, "Tip for Authors in a Sales Bind: Get a 'Platform.' "

* The book appeals to people who live near airports and hate the noise. When first published in 1969 (and I have always had a full-time job, and so could not spend many hours on promotion), the Internet did not exist. It was impossible to find the names and addresses of groups around airports that were dealing with noise. Now, with the Internet, these groups--and the people who make them up--are a mouse click away. I am assembling them now--the groups, their leaders and their e-mail and actual addresses. In addition, a number of them list their advisers and board members. These are names I am researching via white pages Web sites--name by name. Tough, slogging work. But some of these groups have hundreds of members. If I can get one or more of them to buy the book--and they like it--they could tell their fellow members. This is so-called "viral marketing."

* The book is very visual--the hero being a giant yellow barrage balloon decorated with Christmas tree lights flying in the night sky with a huge brawling party going on below. It would make a dandy film. In 1969, the videocassette and DVD and made for TV films were not around. That has changed. With the book back in print (rather than hidden in Alibris) a film producer has a chance of seeing it.

* Finally, if all else fails, it will make a fun gift to business clients of myself and my wife.

2. What do you see as the future direction of book printing/production?
Print on demand. The beauty of self-publishing is that a tide of 10,000 books will not be moving from warehouse to store to warehouse to remainder table. Wanna buy my book? Sure. Here's a copy produced just for you. Enjoy. Incidentally, I believe hardcover books are awful. I have arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. I cannot hold giant hardcover books. Hardcover books are a pain to travel with. They are designed so that publishers can cream the upscale market--high-rolling consumers and libraries--and then offer the paperback version to the rest of us. I love paperback books. All books should be paperbacks and if libraries want hardcover versions, they can have them rebound.

3. What are the implications to the industry with more books being sold beyond the bookstore ?
Print on demand means a 7-Eleven store in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, can have a book printing machine. A vacationer or resident can read a book review, go down the the 7-Eleven and give store owner a credit card. The store owner can contact the publisher, get an electronic file sent to him, load it into his print-on-demand machine and fifteen minutes later, the customer can walk out of the store with a book--nicely bound with a full color soft cover. Clean deal. No returns. The current bookstore model, based on returns is antediliuvian. When I published Cedarhurst Alley in 1969, only 15,000 new titles were published that year. Today, the number is something like 195,000. In those days, it was possible for a publisher to make a profit selling 2,000 or 3,000 of an edition. Today, that number is 20,000 or more. The big publishers are like giant legacy airlines--Delta, Northwest, American, etc.--mired down in a 19th century business model. Thanks to the Internet and print on demand, individual readers can be found for individual titles. You gotta love it!
P.S. My first job after the Army in 1960 was with a hard-drinking, hard-driving publisher named Franklin Watts. Every year on his birthhday he would walk into the office and snarl, "Do not wish me many happy returns. There is no such thing as happy returns."