HarperCollins

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

With nearly 50 educational conference sessions, the 2010 Publishing Business Conference & Expo (PBC) has something for every publishing executive.

"The Future of the Book: How to Stay in the Game," a webinar presented by Book Business and sponsored by HP, will be presented Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. EST. Moderated by Barb Pellow, group director, InfoTrends, the webinar will discuss the changes sweeping the book publishing industry, and what publishers and printers need to do to participate in this dynamic and evolving media world.

Unexpected Good News from Book Publishers' 3Q Reports

Vook, which recently introduced a new media product called a "vook" that blends text and video, has announced a partnership with HarperCollins imprint HarperStudio. Earlier this month, the Emeryville, Calif.-based company announced a similar partnership with Simon & Schuster to release four inaugural vooks.

Former HarperCollins President and CEO Jane Friedman has launched Open Road Integrated Media (ORIM) in partnership with film producer Jeffrey Sharp. Financed by Kohlberg Ventures, Open Road is a content marketing company that "places the e-book in the center of a multiplatform universe which includes film, video and other forms of digital entertainment." Friedman will serve as CEO, and Sharp as president.

While the Hispanic population in the United States is expected to expand to nearly 50 million by 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, current purchasing patterns indicate that this 16 percent of the nation may not buy books at the same rate as the remaining 84 percent.

"The market for digital books … has been roughly doubling every 18 months,” says Andrew Savikas, O’Reilly Media’s vice president of digital initiatives. “Follow that line out, and in less than a decade it’s 64 times the size it is now.”

Book Business magazine announces that special guest Jane Friedman, CEO, OpenRoad Integrated Media LLC and former CEO, HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide

I was somewhat surprised to learn, through our annual reader survey, that almost 50 percent of Book Business readers do not currently offer e-books. And, of those who do publish e-books, most offer e-books of 30 percent or less of their titles.