Workflow

The Gilbane Group, a division of Outsell, Inc., and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) today announced a strategic partnership to help members of the book industry community succeed through innovative uses of technology. Together, Gilbane and BISG will provide market-centric research and actionable guidance for book industry professionals—from publishers to wholesalers—seeking to profit from the “digital revolution.”

At one time, many book publishers printed their own books. Then they discovered that the cost of maintaining a printing enterprise was less cost-effective than buying book printing and binding from commercial printers. Over the decades, they dabbled in (photo) typesetting and desktop publishing, and enlisted legions of part-time workers. At some moment in time, most books in production in New York City are on the subway, as industry freelancers carry manuscripts and artwork back and forth.

The Publishing Business Conference & Expo (PBC) today announced a roster of speakers for the 2010 show, highlighted by top executives from publishing companies including HarperCollins, Oxford University Press, Springer Science + Business Media, Pearson and DailyLit

Global research and advisory firm mediaIDEAS and NAPCO, publishers of Publishing Executive and Book Business magazines announced today the first TH(ink) E-readers 2010 Summit

At a time when consumers expect an instantaneous flow of information, and technological advances have facilitated expedited workflows, more and more book publishers are choosing to “crash” books—that is, produce a book from manuscript to final product on an abbreviated schedule, sometimes in just a matter of weeks. Yes, weeks. Many times, a crashed book is tied into a headline-grabbing event—think Michael Jackson’s untimely death, or Sarah Palin’s vice presidential nomination—where capitalizing on the momentum of that event in the public consciousness is critical to the title’s success.

The Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), Topeka, Kan., recently received the Gold Ink Awards’ “People’s Choice Award” for its 2009 Membership Directory

Smart book production and manufacturing departments routinely evaluate their workflows and look for new and creative ways to streamline their processes, with a keen eye toward trimming both time and costs. Today, as the book publishing industry finds itself struggling in the same challenging economic environment as the rest of the United States, working efficiently is even more critical to preserving the bottom line.

When Shona Burns first entered college, she was unsure of what she wanted to study. “I started out doing a business studies degree,” she recalls. “I was bored rigid. … I had met a couple of fellow students who were getting a publishing degree and found what they were talking about a lot more interesting than what I was doing myself.”

Widely regarded as the print industry’s most prestigious event, the 2009 Gold Ink Awards received more than 1,000 entries across 45 competitive categories, including Book Covers, Book Jackets, Books (Fine Editions), Softcover Books, Hardcover Books, Children’s Books, Fine Art Lithography, Cookbooks, to name a few. In all, 132 entries were selected for Gold, Silver or Bronze honors.

It can’t have escaped the attention of anyone in the book business that we’re working through the toughest trading conditions that any of us have experienced. In the course of just a few months, we have become accustomed to a flood of bad news from our industry—declining book sales in most outlets, significant job losses, traditional sales channels shrinking and consolidating, and consumer confidence at an all-time low. If you add into the picture declining literacy skills and the apparently irresistible attraction of other types of media, it’s tempting to succumb to persistent pessimism and certainly to abandon the view that comforted many for so long—that we work in a recession-proof industry.