Predicting the Future of Education Publishing

In what segment of the book industry do you think we will see the greatest disruption in the coming years?
I believe all book segments will continue to see interesting changes in how the content is developed, produced, and distributed to the end users. My personal view is that these changes will be more profound in the nonfiction segment. Within the education space, it is very hard to find standalone textbooks anymore and most of them are either customized or bundled with platform-based products like Wiley Plus. My daughter is a freshman this year and when I paid a visit to the campus bookstore, almost all of her books are bundled with digital components. Ultimately, that is where the students get the best value where they can take advantage of powerful interactive online content while still having the comfort of reading from printed books. At least in my daughter's case, the winners were print and digital bundles which she uses in all of her classes.

Where do you see the biggest revenue-generating opportunities for book publishers in the future?
Publishers need to think beyond content only and move rapidly to providing solutions to their customers. I feel the biggest opportunities are in the area of solutions and services including areas such as career placement, improve student readiness, retention, improve graduation rates, and certification and on the job training.

Are you optimistic about the future of the book industry?
Speaking from my educational publishing experiences, I'm very excited and optimistic about our transformation from a content provider to education solutions provider. The shape of the book as we know it currently will change but the need for great content and technology is not changing. As long as publishers and authors continue to work hard in providing market leading and relevant content/solutions, the book industry will continue to be a great source of content for consumers.