Distribution Goes Digital
In fact, Shatzkin observes, the increasing need to be certain that accurate metadata about book titles, publishers and authors accompanies content will doubtless generate MUMs (“managers of unlimited metadata—to work with the DADs to round out the solution,” he says).
The solution to digital asset distribution is orderly definition, structuring and aggregating of technologies, functions and services that will characterize the digital supply chain. It is the new definition of DADs that provides the key supply chain linkages for this new industry workflow and value-added channel. (You can see how the digital asset distribution supply chain works in the chart below.)
- Companies:
- Amazon.com
- Books24x7 Inc.
- codeMantra
- Consortium
- Ebrary Inc.
- HarperCollins
- Independent Publishers Group
- Ingram Digital
- Klopotek
- Libre Digital
- Lightning Source Inc.
- Lightspeed LLC
- Macmillan Publishing Solutions
- Mobipocket
- NetLibrary
- NewsStand Inc.
- Overdrive Inc.
- PMA
- Publishing Dimensions
- Random House Inc.
- The Book Industry Study Group
- Universal
- Yahoo
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.