XML

Eugene G. Schwartz is editor at large for ForeWord Reviews, an industry observer and an occasional columnist for Book Business magazine. In an earlier career, he was in the printing business and held production management positions at Random House, Prentice-Hall/Goodyear and CRM Books/Psychology Today. A former PMA (IBPA) board member, he has headed his own publishing consultancy, Consortium House. He is also Co-Founder of Worthy Shorts Inc., a development stage online private press and publication service for professionals as well as an online back office publication service for publishers and associations. He is on the Publishing Business Conference and Expo Advisory Board.

A few years back, I was giving a presentation about all the wonderful things our company was going to be able to do with XML, and that we should get to it.  Only thing was, our company was in the midst of being acquired by a major Dutch company that had a pretty strong reputation in their handling of XML (names have been omitted to protect the innocent).

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There are a host of practical tips for managing print production in the digital age—many are highlighted in this issue of Book Business. While working on a list of such tips—from effectively positioning outsource partners to support your supply chain goals to building content workflow around an XML-based strategy—I was diverted by a conversation with Howard Goldstein, vice president for strategic sourcing at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). Goldstein was recently relocated from Boston to Orlando to help oversee HMH’s major transition to outsourced manufacturing management and offshore manufacturing.

Like many parents of elementary-school-age children, I spend a fair amount of time around trains. Steam, cog or narrow-gauge, I am no stranger to the iron horse. Perhaps that explains the frequency of my use of railroad metaphors. This column is no exception. To realize the full potential of digital technology in product development and marketing, content organizations will continue to evolve over a long period of time. This journey can be represented as a railroad track with parallel rails. These rails are necessary to move forward and stay on course. But unfamiliarity with the track can have deadly consequences. The First Rail:

Indiana University Press (IUP) launched INscribe, an electronic publishing platform, in January. Starting with its journals, the press dipped its feet into providing content digitally, with the plan to delve into book content—it produces 150 new titles each year—once the project was up and running. Kathryn Caras, director of electronic and serials publishing, talks to Book Business Extra about why digital delivery could be the answer to the challenges university presses face today. Book Business Extra: Why was it important for a university press to get involved in digital distribution now? Kathryn Caras: It speaks well to the mission of the press, which is to disseminate

Quark Inc. announced last Wednesday that Raymond Schiavone, a veteran software company CEO and former GE executive, has joined the company as president and CEO. “Quark remains the best-of-breed choice for the creative professional, as demonstrated by our recent QuarkXPress 7 release,” said Schiavone. “Over the coming years, our customers will see us not only growing our product line, but also providing additional value through expanded strategic partnerships and focus on customer service and support. We will continue to lead the industry by bringing innovative solutions to market and providing state-of-the-art tools for creative professionals.” Acting president Linda Chase will remain with the company in

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