Sterling Publishing Co.

Thousands of publishing executives from the book and magazine publishing industries will convene at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square, March 19-21, for the Publishing Business Conference & Expo—North America’s largest conference and expo of its kind.

The conference—produced by Publishing Executive and Book Business (industry-leading business)—features more than 40 sessions and nearly 100 speakers, including: David Carey, President, Hearst Magazines; Josh Tyrangiel, Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek; Josh Quittner, Editorial Director, Flipboard; David Carr, Columnist and Reporter, The New York Times; Deborah Forte, President, Scholastic Media; Marcus Leaver, President, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. (owned by Barnes & Noble); Michela O’Connor Abrams, President, Dwell Media (who is also the conference chair); Maureen McMahon, President/Publisher, Kaplan Publishing; Peter Meirs, VP, Production Technologies, Time Inc.; Matt Bean, AVP, Mobile, Social and Emerging Media, Rodale Inc.; and Christopher McKenzie, VP & Director, Institutional Sales, Americas & EMEA, Wiley InterScience Sales, Wiley.

Over the last few months, book publishing has been awash in a tsunami of e-book, e-reader, app and tablet-related news. There are two reasons for this deluge. One is that the consumer media views the rise of the e-book as a perfect storm, the convergence of shiny new thing (gadgets!) and massive cultural paradigm shift ("PRINT IS DEAD!" they shout). The other reason is that, well, there is a gadget- and e-book-related sea change afoot. A little tremor in the cold, digital depths of the publishing ocean has manifested on shore as an e-book tidal wave.

Publishing Executive and Book Business magazines—producers of the Publishing Business Conference & Expo—have announced that Maxim CEO Joe Mangione and Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. President Marcus Leaver will each deliver a keynote address as part of the kick-off events …

Planning is underway for the 2012 Publishing Business Conference & Expo, March 19-21, at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square.

The Publishing Business Conference staff is thrilled to announce a dynamic keynote address by Marcus Leaver, president, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. (a Barnes & Noble company) about his perspective on shifts in the industry and moving forward into a profitable future in publishing.

Read on for highlights of sessions and topics you can expect to see addressed this year.

In a time of significant flux in the industry, publishing executives are faced with more pressure than ever to examine their businesses and make decisions that will lead them to a profitable future. Book Business checked in with the leaders of publishing companies of various sizes and scopes—from Scholastic to Springer to Merriam-Webster to Triple Crown—to find out what their best business decisions of the year have been.

Publishers rely on the Internet or classified ads to spread the word about new positions, but how can you guarantee you will attract people with the best or even relevant skill sets? Furthermore, the more important question may be: Exactly what skill sets should you be looking for in today’s constantly changing publishing environment? Beyond the obvious characteristics any publisher would want in a new hire—intelligence, loyalty, enthusiasm, writing and editing skills, an eye for layout, business and marketing savvy, and so forth, publishers may wonder if they should expand the perimeter of the required skill set to prepare for embracing the multimedia

For many publishers, managing inventory is a method of trial and error. While computers can analyze sales data, deciding how many books to print at the outset and when to reprint is often based on instinct and knowledge gained from having been around the block in the industry. Some executives, however, rely on both computers and know-how to keep more precise tabs on their inventory. As one expert told Book Business, inventory management is not an art or a science, but a mix of both. Here are 10 tips that offer the best of both worlds. 1. Capture your sales data and analyze

You would think it was one of the best kept secrets in the publishing business. … It's not that publishers don't repackage and remarket returns and unsold inventory. It's that they don't want the consumer to know. "This is a secret because no one wants to talk about it. It is recycling at its best," says David Dunn, chairman of Dunn & Co., in Clifton, Mass., a self-proclaimed "book hospital" that repairs books and repurposes hardcover returns. If the public perceives such books as "recycled," the publishers would have a perception problem, and the consumer may reconsider the purchase. Traditionally, publishers deplete unsold inventory through discount

No region in the world is safe from piracy. That's the conclusion of Patricia Judd, executive director of international copyright enforcement and trade policy at the Association of American Publishers (AAP) in Washington, D.C. "Piracy is a worldwide phenomenon," Judd says. The AAP estimates losses to its members of more than $600 million a year in about 67 markets across the globe. As more book publishers explore their offshore book manufacturing options, foreign book manufacturers are boosting efforts to lure American publishers. It's all in the name of lowering costs. But does this offshore manufacturing activity put publishers at an increased risk of

More than 100 executives from the book publishing industry made their way across New York City on the eve of Jan. 11, through a particularly heavy downpour, to Café St. Barts to examine offshore printing at a monthly meeting of The Bookbinders' Guild of New York. "With so much work moving offshore," as the meeting flyer had announced, the meeting organizers felt the subject was an essential one to address. And, despite the cold wind and rain, the topic lured in attendees. "Attendance was about 120—larger than most of our meetings," says Marvin Dunkiel, program director for the guild and sales director