To Blog or Not to Blog

Joe W. e-mailed me the slide deck for his general session keynote today. I am excited about the content that he will be delivering as I think it will cause many publishers to think differently about how they are utilizing blogs to reach the consumer. Joe is going to be discussing both in-house blogging as well as author blogging and the benefits and potential pitfalls of both. He will also address what it takes to create a successful blog (he should know).

With lots of real examples inserted throghout Joe will talk about the idea of providing free content through blogs in order to generate sales of the actual book. This should be very interesting as we all seek to navigate the waters of new content platforms and how to create strategies to utilize those platforms and still sell books!

Additionally, I talked with D'Wayne (our Events Director) today. He made a visit to the Lombard Westin yesterday and did a thorough walkthrough. This was the first time we have been able to see the finished property, as you will recall that this property is brand new. Everything appears to be in order, although looking at registration #'s for some of the sessions, it appears that we might have to use some of the hotels larger rooms for a couple of the sessions as we are seeing healthy registration. Which brings me to the question...have you registered?

Keeping Track - Technology

Sorry for the silence on this blog of late, it is no way indicative of a lack of activity, quite the opposite! This is crunch time for us as we head down the home stretch. What has been so incredible for this year's program is the ownership each of our Track Leaders have taken on. Just this week I had two different TL's working independently of ECPA to market their Track's sessions to individuals in their peer communities, very exciting. Registrations continue to pile in at a much faster rate than in previous years.

Additionally, the Technology Track, which was the only Track with presenters to still be announced has been filled up. Here is a run down on the last two sessions for you:

Session 2
Speaker: David Prentice - Account Executive, Lightning Source Inc.
Session Title: On-Demand Book Manufacturing: Amazing Opportunities. Proven Solutions.
Session Description:
If you have unanswered questions about digital printing benefits and technologies, you are not alone. Many publishers remain unsure about the capabilities of on-demand manufacturing, and in turn, which titles are best suited for digital and/or offset printing. Through a case study approach, learn how small, medium and large publishing houses have integrated on-demand technology and strategies into their traditional publishing programs to absolutely publish smarter. Hear detail on how John Wiley & Sons, Oxford University Press, Xulon and others have leveraged on demand technologies to grow their businesses, keep more books in print and capitalize on the long tail. David Prentice, Lightning Source sales executive will provide you with an up-close-and-personal look at what digital on-demand printing has to offer, and detail the benefits that can be achieved when incorporating on-demand solutions into traditional publishing programs.

Session 5
Speaker: Daniel F. Wilkinson - VP Business Development - 1SYNC
Session Title: TBD
Session Description:
The topic will be on sharing case studies on the benefits of data synchronization through the supply chain and some solutions that exist for making this simpler. More details are forthcoming as we literally have secured this speaker in the last 48 hours.

Pub 101 - Graduate Into Publishing Success

Ever wish you could go back in time and start your career all over again with all of the knowledge you have now? Personally, I can tell you that coming into an industry as complex as this one, the learning curve can be quite steep. It is for this reason that every year at Pub U we have a pre-event component on the Sunday prior called Pub 101. As I mentioned earlier, this year's Track Leader for Pub 101 is Steve Board, former owner of Harold Shaw Publishers.

One key difference between Pub 101 and the remaining Pub U program is that by and large the content for Pub 101 is curriculum driven. This means that if you are new to the industry you can be sure that the educational component of learning the key competencies of publishing will be conistently offered. Additionally, if you are in management and have some reports working for you that need to have that quality "ramp up" time, and you just cannot seem to carve the time out of your schedule to spend with them one on one; then you can send them to Pub 101 where they will learn from the individual and collective experiences from Christian publishing professionals in the areas of (listed with committed presenters):

- Content Development: Understanding the Editorial Department - Lyn Cryderman, Former Editor, Zondervan
- Product Packaging: Design and Production - Cindy Kiple (Art Director, InterVarsity Press & Anne Gerth (Director of Production & Dist. InterVarsity Press)
- Marketing and Sales: Knowing the Sales Channels, Your Customers, and Where They Shop - John Johnson, National Sales Director, Tyndale House Publishers
- Finance for Non-Financial Staff - Steve Board

In addition to this, they will hear about the mission and vision of publishing and an introductory overview of the industry. Talk about invaluable information for those who are new! You can find out more information regarding Pub 101 by clicking here.