We all know that publishing must become increasingly consumer-centric, but few of us really know how to make that happen. B2C marketing has become a priority for publishers but there is a lot more to becoming a consumer-centric business. While publishers have traditionally considered themselves taste-makers, if not gate-keepers, that dynamic needs to change as consumers are becoming an increasingly active participant in the retail environment. Consumers have a more powerful voice and the expectation to be heard. This is influencing many industries, and a market-driven approach is proving to be critical to the success of companies across industries. This is why, this year, I’ve focused the Technology Forum programming on B2C thinking. This is a vague term that covers a lot of ground as you can see from the programming confirmed so far.
Publishing Career Tips
S Is for Sesame, That's Good Enough for Me!
Well, tickle me Elmo! In case you missed it, we’ve confirmed Mindy Brooks, Director of Research and Education at the Sesame Workshop, to talk about How to Reach and Teach Preschoolers with Digital Books at the BNC Technology Forum 2012.
How to Use the Numbers: Lessons from Tech Forum West
When I moderated a panel at our Tech Forum West in Vancouver last week called “Using The Numbers to Optimize Your Sales Strategy,” I got to sit down with three data nerds who work in the industry and discuss what publishing houses—sales departments, in particular—do with those precious sales numbers.
2020 Media Futures at Tech Forum West: Reboot the Book
Breaking the Page without Hurting the Reader
Enhanced books are truly amazing. It seems like everyday a new kind of enhancement is announced or shown off. Videos and images can be embedded or made to pop up, text can be hyperlinked, music can be played, table of contents and indexes can be reinvented and repurposed. But while it’s fascinating to see what can be done, we need to ask ourselves should it be done. Developers can build just about anything, because they’re such a talented bunch, but that doesn’t mean the reader wants it in their e-book.
This is why it seemed like a good time to devote one of our conferences to enhancements and apps. Tech Forum West will do just that this fall.
We’re Taking the Show on the Road: Tech Forum West
Data: Pushing It Out Is One Thing, but You Also Need to Get It Back
Who’s Attending Technology Forum 2011?
Our registration list continues to grow. People from all across Canada and part of the US are coming to Toronto for BookNet Canada’s fifth annual Technology Forum. Our attendees will be a diverse group of professionals from trade and academic publishers, consulting companies, booksellers, organizations and service suppliers.
Check out our growing list of attendees…
This Week's BNC Tech Forum 2010 Video: Michael Tamblyn
The hits just keep on coming! This week you can view Michael Tamblyn, VP Content, Sales and Merchandising at Kobo, in his session “Lessons Learned from Shortcovers and Kobo: A Year in the What and How of Selling eBooks.” Lots of requests for this one. Michael talks frankly about what worked and what didn’t the past year at Kobo, and gives a sneak peek at the Kobo reader. Enjoy!
