Preparing for the Industry’s Future

Woll noted that these kinds of marketing and distribution possibilities, “open up competition to a level that we haven’t really seen before.”

Sessions Cover the Full Scope of Publishing
Other sessions—such as “Major Retail Trends Publishers Need to Know”; “Tips for Cutting Book Manufacturing Costs”; “Becoming More Nimble, Shortening the Content Production Cycle”; and “Digital Strategies: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck”—addressed everything from manufacturing to marketing and digital publishing strategies.

Kim Catalano, senior vice president of operations for Galaxy Press, who attended the “Digital Strategies” session, said, “[This was] an excellent seminar. Very informative and very stabilizing for me as a publishing [executive] diving into the digital world. I [now] know what to do.”

The conference closed on Wednesday with two intensive, half-day seminars. One, on search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for publishers, was presented by a full panel of leading SEO experts, including Michael Dubb, Time Inc. Interactive; Michael Guzzi, Merriam- Webster Inc.; Aaron Kahlow, BusinessOnLine; Dan Roberts, Hearst Digital Media Group; Adam Sherk, Defi ne Search Strategies; and Rob Yoegel, North American Publishing Co. The other session was led by Publishing Executive columnist and design guru Jan V. White and editorial and design expert Robin Sherman, and explored ways publishers can increase readership by establishing a meaningful information architecture and making content presentation lure readers and keep them engaged.

“Jan White is a publishing icon!” said attendee Brent Jacobs, director, publications production, American Speech- Language-Hearing Association, which publishes books about communication.

Another attendee, Rick Queary, senior buyer at Thomson Tax and Accounting, noted, “Jan White should be heard by anyone and everyone involved in publishing!”

Queary’s colleague at Thomson Tax and Accounting, Linda Lusk, manager of purchasing, attended the SEO intensive. “[It was] interesting, factual, [offered] new ideas, [and featured] excellent speakers who were excited about the subject,” she said. “I thought this subject was going to be boring. … It was absolutely not!”