Workflow

Hands On
June 28, 2001

From its inception, BookTech West has been designed for attendees by industry experts, editors and inventive coordinators. This year, Conference Coordinator Rebecca Churilla invites participants to e-mail questions to her prior to the show to be included in "On the Cutting Edge" sessions listed below. According to Churilla, "BookTech West is founded on the ideal that one-to-one communication is a good business practice. That's why I'm inviting curious professionals to send their questions to me even before the show begins." Churilla explains that by opening up dialogue before the show begins, she'll compile and present the inquiries to each speaker to consider. "If the

A Customized Achievement
May 1, 2001

When Junior Achieve-ment hosted its 1999 annual golf tournament in sunny California, participants walked away with more than just a sunburn and a pleasant memory. Instead of the status quo (and often forgettable) t-shirts, key chains and mugs, personalized books were given as tee prizes to commemorate the event. The Golf Gods Are Laughing: The Confessions, Obsessions and Insights of a Golf Addict by Robert Bruce Woodcut was the chosen book, and De-Hart's Printing Services was the chosen maufacturer. Woodcox's book was originally published by Seven Locks Press in Santa Ana, CA, a small publisher and distributor of approximately 38 titles a year.

The Seven Essentials
May 1, 2001

Publishers are indeed facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles to remain profitable in financially unstable times. Added pressures of evolving technology both hinder and help growth. Recently, VISTA International unveiled the results of several years of intensive studies on traditional publishing operations. VISTA Internationaldoesn't simply challenge publishers to "harness new skills to market new products through new channels," in the study, it offers seven essential strategies for ensuring success. No. 1 Information. Many publishers suffer from inefficient and insufficient exchange of information across department boundaries. Even though numerous disciplines within the corporation require access to common information, often that information is created and recreated numerous

Waiting for Darwin
April 30, 2001

In many ways, a marketplace is like a population of living organisms. With pressure, it evolves, and behavior changes. We've seen advances in communication technologies combine with a dynamic economy to alter consumer expectations. Services like on-demand, just-in-time and digital printing evolved to fill the niche provided by consumers' new-found need for speed. Players in the book space have been slow to adopt Internet print procurement solutions, but e-commerce companies are hopeful that the climate will change. E-procurement, in short, involves securing print services over the Internet via auction or other Web-enabled methodology. Companies like 58k.com focus almost exclusively on online auctioning. Others,

Stow It
January 1, 2001

What to consider when shopping for a digital achive system Special to BookTech by Danny O. Snow Today's publishers need effective solutions for securely and efficiently storing the digital assets. Of course, there are many important factors to consider when selecting a digital asset management (DAM) system: cost, ease of use, security, scalability, available features and online capabilities. In addition, a DAM solution's ability to enhance cross-media publishing; provide both in-house and vendor access to the digital assets; and interpreting legacy files can play an important role in a publisher's success. Finally, a publisher must weigh in-house asset management against the out-sourcing alternative.

Meet Production Deadlines
November 1, 2000

Tips on Negotiating a Schedule That Works By Michael Washburn Your publishing house just signed a contract for the next book of pictures by a famous photojournalist. The publicity department wants to set up signings in bookstores in several cities, and requests for advance copies are already coming through the fax machine. As the production manager for this book, you hate to think of what will happen if any snags derail the project and set back the release date by days or weeks. You must make the job go smoothly. In order to do that, you need to be hyper-aware of the lurking

CTP for Four-Color
November 1, 2000

A review of the technology today, and a preview of trends for tomorrow By Danny O. Snow This article: * reviews computer-to-plate (CTP) technology; * discusses its use in four-color printing; * offers tips on how to get the best results using CTP; and * previews future developments. The methods printers use to put words and four-color images on paper have changed dramatically in the past few years. New digital methods have largely replaced traditional processes that involved art boards, cameras and film. Computer-to-plate (CTP) technology allows the transfer of digital files from computers directly to printing plates. Most CTP systems

Their Winning Ways
March 1, 2000

by Tatyana Sinioukov University of California Press book producers achieve success by attending to the nuances of design and production Since its inception in 1893, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, has become one of the largest university publishers in the nation, earning recognition for its diverse titles and creative approach to book design. Originally established to distribute the faculty research papers by exchanging them, for free, for papers from other universities, the University of California Press today serves as the university's non- profit publishing arm, creating titles from special editions of the classics to fine art books to historical studies to volumes of

Serious about CTP
December 1, 1999

Contemplating a move to CTP? Here's a quick list of key issues to consider, prepared with the input of managers like you Just how do you begin to hammer out your own plan for computer-to-plate (CTP) printing? One first step is asking your suppliers about their capabilities, so you can see how they might mesh with your own organization's capabilities and goals. To provide our readers with some practical, hands-on advice, we checked with three managers experienced in overseeing CTP work, and compiled their advice into this list of key questions. Special thanks to our field advisors John Calvano, editorial operations director, Time Inc.

Not Just Kids Stuff
July 1, 1999

Not Just Kids' Stuff Q&A Linda Palladino by Rose Blessing Now vice president of production, juvenile books, William Morrow & Company, Linda Palladino has been working in her field for 22 years and still finds it exciting. "The day you think you know everything in book production, you might as well retire," she says. What keeps life interesting for Linda Palladino? Many things, she explains: the fast pace of technological change, the many wonderful people she has had a chance to meet, including the authors, editors and illustrators of the books she works on as well as members of book production industry organizations