New Report Uncovers Digital Realities of Book Publishers' Operations
(Press Release) Falls Church, VA, November 4, 2010—A new report by the The Gilbane Group, and sponsored by Aptara, entitled "A Blueprint for Book Publishing Transformation: Seven Essential Processes to Re-Invent Publishing," explores the book publishing industry to reveal how leading publishers are modifying their business to adjust to the realities of today's digital and mobile-centric society.
The Gilbane Group's latest research set-out to uncover the reality behind the theory that electronic, digital content offers publishers greater interoperability, improved efficiencies, expanded product lines and lower costs than print. Through interviewing and surveying executives from leading consumer, professional and education publishers, the report assesses to what extent a print-intensive industry has modified its operations to support a consumer-choice driven market heavily influenced by online and mobile content.
"Our Blueprint study is the first in-depth look into eBook-related issues from the publishers' perspective," says David R. Guenette, report lead for The Gilbane Group (a division of Outsell, Inc.). "Book publishers are embracing eBooks. But retrofitting decades old, and in some cases centuries old, print production processes for digital scalability requires wide-spread operational change, beyond merely technological. The goal of this report is to offer guidance through input from their industry peers."
From contracts, rights, royalties, production technologies and processes, distribution, channels, marketing, and vendor relationships, what is digital's impact? The "Blueprint" study is a repository of the opportunities and challenges afforded by the digital revolution, with an inside look into book publishers' practices and processes.
Insights from Random House, McGraw-Hill, Hachette, Wiley, Wolters Kluwer, and Oxford University Press, detail how publishers are practically solving the same business problems and what innovations are adding significant value.
"eBooks are booming, thanks to the iPad, Kindle and other eReaders, said Dev Ganensan, President and CEO of Aptara. "But they are just a subset of digital publishing. Whether content is prepared for access online, for print on demand (POD), or for enhanced eBooks and apps, if it isn't profitable it's not a viable business opportunity. As the Gilbane Group's study highlights, a successful shift to digital requires a thorough strategy, with smart technology at its crux. With over 20 years of publishing innovation and a pure content technology focus, Aptara is proud to be helping the world's largest publishers make the transition to digital efficient, scalable, and profitable."
