RR Donnelley

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HarperCollins Publishers and RR Donnelley (Nasdaq:RRD) today announced their intent to enter into a breakthrough global supply chain agreement. The agreement is the first of its kind for a major general trade publisher.

I think we can all agree that ebooks are part of our present and future, right? Obvious, right? Of course, there are all those open questions about format and timing and volume and functionality, and what print will be like, etc., etc. But the basics are in place, aren't they?

As demonstrated by the winners of this year's Gold Ink Awards, pride in book production is alive and well in 2010.

Digital book printing overall is experiencing double-digital growth. The recession, although unwelcome in all quarters, has provided a boost to digital book manufacturing as publishers take a harder look at their processes and cut back on inventory and waste. Since digital printing market- and technology-research firm INTERQUEST's last major survey of the market, conducted in late 2007, the industry has seen widening adoption of digital book printing for short-run inventory management, and a growing interest in distribute-and-print to defray shipping costs and cut time to market—as shown in INTERQUEST's recent report, "Digital Book Printing: Market Analysis & Forecast (2010-2015)." A new generation of high-speed inkjet presses is also coming onto the market, promising lower cost, faster production speeds and higher print quality—all of which open the door a bit wider to digital book printing.

Self-publishing and online services, e-books, and digital demand printing are joined into a new and powerful sector that is transforming the industry. For industry professionals whose career satisfactions and livelihoods are bonded to the future of the book, this new sector offers a wild ride and a venturesome future.

Whether it says more about recent positive trends or just how awful 2009 was, one thing every printer seems to agree on is that things are looking up in book manufacturing. This, at least, is the consensus among executives interviewed by Book Business as part of its annual assessment of the state of book manufacturing, which includes our list of top North American book printers ranked by book revenue.

The creditors of Quebecor World announced in a court filing this week the names of the company's new independent directors. Former RR Donnelley CEO Mark Angelson will be chairman. He will be joined by Tom Ryder, former chairman and CEO of Reader's Digest, and Jack Kliger, former president and CEO of Hachette Filipacchi. Ryder and Kliger are past chairmen of the Magazine Publishers Association. Ryder also sits on the boards of Amazon.com, Virgin Mobile and Starwood Hotels.

Quebecor World has announced its new board of directors.

Quebecor World has announced its new board of directors.