Delivering What Readers Really Want: Innovations in Books Today
Everywhere you look, people are expecting interactive experiences in today’s world, and the book market is absolutely no exception. The industry has seen rapid advancements in digital technologies that can help publishers innovate in entirely new ways. To highlight these technological advancements and explore how you can capitalize on them, Canon Solutions America is offering a replay of its sponsored webinar, Book Publishers: It’s About Innovation! presented by Printing Impressions and Book Business magazines.
“Technology is changing how content is created, formatted, designed, and stored.”
Barb Pellow, Group Director of InfoTrends/Keypoint Intelligence, kicks off the webinar by highlighting the importance of innovation. “Technology is changing how content is created, formatted, designed, and stored,” she explains. “As a result, we are beginning to see new ways to embed channels into publications. These changes are touching virtually every participant in the publishing industry, including authors, publishers, service providers, printers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, e-tailers, and consumers. The important thing to remember is that all consumers are seeking a more interactive experience, whether it’s in print or online. Industry players must find a way to meet these expectations if they hope to be successful in today’s evolving market.”
How can publishers compete in this ever-changing industry?
“Business as usual simply isn’t good enough anymore,” Pellow cautions. “You must also resist the urge to compete for the moment. The future is all about delivering an incredibly engaging and interactive experience that the reader will remember.”
Whether you’re a publisher of trade books, educational materials or other content, this webinar will provide valuable insights on key technology trends. Following Pellow’s lead, two industry trailblazers—Dominique Raccah, Publisher and CEO at Sourcebooks, and George Balolong, Marketing Manager at Amerchip—share how they are using technology to forever change the book publishing market.
Leaving a promising career at advertising giant Leo Burnett, Dominque Raccah cashed in her retirement savings in 1987 and launched a publishing house from her upstairs bedroom in Naperville, IL. Since then, Raccah’s vision has grown into one of the most innovative book companies in the world. From the beginning of its existence, the company focused on technological innovations. The firm began combining books with audio before becoming an early adopter of e-books and mobile apps, and more recently expanding into web-based interactivity. Raccah elaborates, “We started having breakthroughs in innovation when we began focusing on our readers and the overall customer experience. We start with the customer experience and then work toward technology rather than the other way around.” Raccah also highlights the benefits of “the lean startup model” and discusses how these strategies have enabled her company to grow. She also shares specific examples of innovation through projects like Put Me in the Story, which is now the #1 personalized children’s book site in the United States.
“Start with the customer experience and then work toward technology rather than the other way around.”
Following Raccah’s insights on how to drive growth and innovation by keeping up with customers’ expectations, George Balolong describes how Americhip is bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds in the book market. During the webinar, Balolong provides an overview of Americhip and its capabilities, and also explains why publishers need to “multisensorize.” Leveraging audio, LEDs, dimensional paper engineering, materials, webkeys, and Video in Print™ and Mobile in Print™ technologies, Americhip has set out to help today’s publishers create buzz, engage readers, enhance recall, create memorable experiences, communicate with readers, and generate increased ROI. Balolong shares some specific examples of these multisensory customer experiences and provides tips for others that are interested in creating similar experiences. He states, “Much advancement has been made with technology and paper engineering in today’s market. There is so much that can be done with a simple printed piece of paper, and sometimes the only limit is your creative imagination!”
This webinar provides a compelling message about the multitude of technologies in today’s market and explores how book publishers can leverage them for greater success. Innovation is at the heart of today’s book printing market, and keeping the customer experience at the forefront of your innovation strategy can be a key to success. Book printers and book readers alike will surely take interest in this exciting webinar replay.
BOOK PUBLISHERS: IT’S ABOUT INNOVATION! WEBINAR
1:01:15 video