Book Business Conference‘Strikes Chord’ With Publishing Executives

Not even a George Clooney sighting could disrupt the 2006 Book Business Conference and Expo, which took place March 20-22 at the Hilton New York. The celebrity was filming his latest picture just feet away from the conference’s registration area and—predictably—attracted all sorts of ogling from attendees and passers-by, but it was the conference and expo that were the stars of the week.

Much like the industry it serves, the conference found itself in an unprecedented state of evolution when it kicked off on Monday, March 20. In its 10th year and amid revolutionary changes in the world of book publishing, this year’s conference expanded with the theme “How to Manage the Evolution” to include entire conference tracks addressing book publishing management, and marketing and distribution, in addition to its traditional focus on book manufacturing, workflow and production. The industry took notice, as registered attendance rose 126 percent over the previous year, and sitting in on a number of sessions actually meant standing.

“The outstanding growth in attendance this year demonstrated that the topics and the speakers lined up really struck a chord with our audience,” says Noelle Skodzinski, Book Business editor in chief and director of the conference’s educational program. “We expected a significant increase due to our expanded focus and more in-depth programming, but this surpassed our expectations.”

Publishing executives continually find themselves juggling heavier workloads and toting around lengthier job descriptions, all the while trying to navigate the uncertain future that is the book industry. The 2006 Book Business/BookTech Conference set out to help alleviate this apprehension. Many months of preparation went into lining up speakers from some of the industry’s most successful companies—from representatives at powerhouses like HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster and Random House, to success stories from mid-size publishers such as Quirk Books and Allworth Press. Panelists presented and debated such hot-button topics as new business models, global sourcing, multi-channel marketing, XML and environmental sustainability, among others.