Sourcebooks Inc.

idpf's Digital Book 2012 Monday Recap: DRM, Digital Revenue and Data (oh, my!)
June 5, 2012

One of the concurrent conferences under the BookExpo America umbrella, the International Digital Publishing Forum's (idpf) Digital Book 2012 has, for the last two days, tackled the digital reading from a multitude of angles, and with specific emphasis on Business & Marketing, Technology & Production, and Education & Professional.

As we eagerly anticipate Book Business blogger extraordinaire and general man-on-the-scene Eugene G. Schwartz to weigh in with his detailed conference recap and analysis, we'll provide some quick takes from the two-day conference.

Conference Recap: Taming the Giant—BISG Takes On Big Data
May 11, 2012

At the BISG ninth annual Making Information Pay Conference, held at the McGraw Hill auditorium on May 3, seven expert presenters took the assembled 200 industry professionals through a fast-paced three-and-a-half-hour session slicing Big Data down to manageable bites.

Not for the faint of heart, the event was focused on the message that Angela Bole, BISG Deputy Executive Director opened with. Citing a McKinsey Institute study’s warning of a critical shortage of expert analytical information workers she said that “It’s our belief that, as an industry, we need to harness the awesomeness of ‘deep analytical expertise’ in order to create the kind of book industry that’s truly capable of the innovation necessary to stay relevant over the coming years.”

Big Data, she said, “refers to the act of ‘taming’ the volume, variety and velocity of massive datasets.” It is what takes us to a place where we’re now able to develop holistic approaches to full-scale strategies that are analytical in the deepest sense of the term.”

IDPF Unveils Program, Speakers for Digital Book 2012 at BEA
April 10, 2012

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) announced today the preliminary program and speakers for Digital Book 2012 at BEA (idpf.org/db12). The conference, held in partnership with BookExpo America (BEA), will be held June 4-5, 2012, in New York City's Javits Center, and is expected to draw global leaders in the publishing industry, including technologists, marketers, retailers, solution providers, publishers, authors, and agents.

Featured speakers at Digital Book 2012 will include best-selling authors Seth Godin and Bella Andre, as well as publishing CEOs and senior executives including Jane Friedman (Open Road Media), Madeline McIntosh (Random House), Otis Chandler (Goodreads) and more.

Sex, Love and Romance, $9.99 a Month
April 9, 2012

In a move to build community and learn more about its customers, mid-sized publisher Sourcebooks is launching a romance e-book club that gives members e-books, discounts and access to online parties and live events for $9.99 per month.


The club, Discover a New Love, lets members choose one DRM-free e-book from a selection of four each month. (Right now, a 6-month prepaid membership for $9.99 per month is available.) Those who want to buy additional e-books can do so at a discount.

It’s Half Time in Publishing and We’re Changing Forward Fast: Notes on the 6th Annual Tools of Change Conference (Part 1 of 2)
February 21, 2012

Where does a publisher go for the latest in process, for a view of the future and to map a path for getting there? This year’s three day 6th annual TOC conference provided an immersive opportunity to do so. It was at once a celebration of the traditions of storytelling and an exploration of new developments and business frameworks for their presentation and distribution. The theme was "Change/Forward/Fast and Start Again."

Working the Floor: Digital Book World Hits Its Stride
January 30, 2012

Book Business' own Eugene G. Schwartz was on the scene at the third annual Digital Book World Conference. He filed this comprehensive report from the proceedings.

Attendees at the third annual Digital Book World Conference heard reports that while publishers are in fact healthy and thriving in the new digital age, a lot more work is needed to let go of the habits of the past and live in the new interactive, multi-platform and vertically patterned business world of the future.

The cohort of newly minted consultants in attendance—emerging out of downsizing and transformation—are witness to their price as well as their opportunities.

Digital Book World: Consumers, Data and Analytics in the Digital Book Era
January 25, 2012

There are more electronic reading devices, some 60 million e-readers and tablets, in the hands of consumers and there are more ways to buy books, read them and talk about them than ever before. “Books today are elastic and dynamic,” said Hyperion president Ellen Archer on the CEO panel at Digital Book World Tuesday morning. “No more just hardcover and softcover,” she said, “there are new ways to enhance books.”

Indeed the industry has more data, more “analytics” about reading and buying books, and the need for transparency and the need to share that information in order to grow the entire

Sourcebooks Launches Agile Publishing Model
January 24, 2012

Sourcebooks launches today an Agile Publishing Model (APM) that will allow for the rapid and interactive development of books, ebooks, videos, and other materials by its authors, where the content evolves through a partnership between the author and their community. This framework allows for a more iterative publishing process -- making content available faster, getting real-time customer feedback, and shaping the final product based on the collaboration between the author and reader.

Scribe’s Well-Formed Document Workflow Is Adopted by Random House, Inc.
January 10, 2012

Scribe’s Well-Formed Document Workflow (WFDW) has been adopted by Random House, Inc., in an effort to refine its publishing methodology and connect print and electronic publications.

The WFDW combines methodology and technology to enable publishers to produce print and electronic publications efficiently and cost-effectively. Scribe’s workflow functions within the normal editorial and production processes and does not require an investment in expensive new software or hardware.

Sourcebooks Announces New Education Division
September 26, 2011

Sourcebooks is taking its commitment to the college audience a step further in creating an education division responsible for managing the company’s biggest existing initiatives, including the leading college-bound publishing program, a Naked Roommate first year experience program, and MyMaxScore.com, an online SAT/ACT test prep solution. Going forward, this group will serve as a platform to launch a host of new innovations that have been in development.