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Unexpected Good News from Book Publishers' 3Q Reports

The Web is an ever-changing animal. Keeping that in mind, the most successful online marketing executives must think in the future tense: coming up with inventive, original ideas to help publishers stay ahead of the game. Jeff Yamaguchi, associate director of online marketing for Random House Inc. division The Doubleday Publishing Group, is one such innovator, and he fills us in on a little secret—that the future tense is not enough. In June, Yamaguchi launched Doubleday’s newly revamped Web site, which uses a WordPress platform to simulate the look and usability of a blog while maintaining Doubleday’s integrity and standards as a

Make friends everywhere you can. Sure, it’s simple advice your mother probably gave you, but this and other pointers given during an hour-long look into the world of book publishing partnerships at the Book Business Conference and Expo helped shine a light on the increasing importance of collaboration throughout the industry. Merriam-Webster President and Publisher John Morse took the reigns of the afternoon session that included Tad Crawford, Allworth Press’ president and publisher, and David Borgenicht, president and publisher of Quirk Books. The panel launched into a step-by-step breakdown or how to care for and feed partnerships. From working with cell phone companies to

The staff of Zagat Survey LLC consisted of just Tim and Nina Zagat when the pair first set off in 1979 to compile restaurant reviews contributed by their friends to help create the first of their popular restaurant guides. The book series since has become virtually synonymous with dining, and the staff consists of 110 full-time employees, plus local editors in more than 70 cities around the globe. Tim Zagat, the CEO of Zagat Survey, faces the same challenges that other publishers do as his company prepares to face the opportunities and challenges that digital content delivery creates. What are the biggest challenges you

Many a truth is spoken in jest. That's certainly the case with an old but insightful publishing industry tale. It goes something like this: A publisher's print buyer and printer's salesperson are having lunch. The print buyer says, "What can your printing plant do for me?" To which the salesperson replies, "We can give you the best price, the utmost in quality, and the fastest service. Pick any two." Buyers and printers build relationships. They work together to produce quality products at fair prices in a reasonable time span. Buyers naturally remain with printers who serve them well over the years. But times are changing. Needs are

Every day, 100 million Internet users conduct more than 200 million information searches at Web sites like Yahoo!, yet traditional books have almost no presence in this new information exchange. A new e-property, the sBook can change this imbalance while creating an entirely new subscription revenue source for publishers. Quality online information Today, 97 percent of Internet users visit the Web to search for some bit of information. Log on to AOL or another ISP (Internet Service Provider), type in a few keywords and get a list of several dozen possible Web sites that may or may not contain the information you're seeking. If the goal

We asked publishers: "What is your take on the future of e-books? What impact do you think they'll have on book publishing within a couple of years and on the way your company produces books?" John Calvano, editorial operations manager, Time Inc. Home Entertainment, New York City: "Of course, issues such as e-books and our company's impending merger with AOL create an 'open book' with regards to the digital asset of our content. Barring technological hurdles at present, our largely pictorial products are not as well suited for an e-book format as they are for a larger color screen. "They feasibly could be