IBS Bookmaster Takes on Digital Publishing

This on-going development continues to be well received by our customers, as Warwick Teale, Joint Principal at TL Distribution in Australia, says, "Being able to adapt to the changing landscape of electronic trading and electronically receive orders directly from retailers has been a huge cost saving for us. IBS Bookmaster has provided us with the flexibility to be able to adapt accordingly. This has removed any barriers to trading with our client base, and in some cases created new opportunities."

Understanding the Digital Supply Chain
For hundreds of years the publishing supply chain was clear: author (or content provider), publisher, wholesaler and bookstore. Then the internet came along, shuffled the pack and put the industry through its most dramatic and significant upheavals since the invention of the printing press. The traditional supply chain has gained an unlikely room-mate in what we now refer to as the Digital Supply Chain (DSC).

The DSC is a new media term which encompasses the process of delivering digital media, be it books, music or video, by electronic means, from the point of origin (content provider) to destination (consumer). The role for publishers and wholesalers still exists, but it has to be redefined.

The DSC opens the door to new business models. The significance for Publishers is the ability to release one chapter or many chapters or illustrations from a book independently as viable products. Publishers can combine segments from different books or journals to create targeted commercial offerings and provide accessibility to backlist and out of print titles in the absence of tradition print, inventory and distribution costs.

The Power of Integration
The integration of both new and traditional business channels is critical to the success of the digital supply chain. Whilst Publishers and Book Distributors venture out into this new landscape IBS Bookmaster appreciates it is vital to maintain transparency and a seamless flow of information throughout. Publishers should tread with caution and avoid the temptation to simply 'bolt on' quick fix solutions which can be disruptive to proven and successful channels already in place. The DSC should work with and compliment well-established publishing and book distribution processes.