Hey, Book Publishers! Evolve or Get Out of the Way

May 15, 2012 Blog, Featured No Comments

Book publishers are an endangered species. That’s right. The producers of textbooks, romance novels, and cookbooks aren’t long for this world. Their likely extinction is both predictable and preventable. Even if they put up a good fight, it’s unlikely they’ll survive in their current form for one reason: They are slow to evolve. Case in point: Just over two years ago, while book publishers were busy conducting business as usual, an outsider invaded the industry and reshaped it in the publishers’ image. The invading force was Apple, a fierce predator Read the full article…

Everyone Into “The Content Pool”: An Interview With Alan J. Porter

February 13, 2012 Blog, Featured No Comments

In this interview with Alan Porter, Senior Digital Publishing Consultant for PTC, we discuss his new book, The Content Pool, which explores the most important hidden asset in your company, your content. We have a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Financial Officer; why don’t we have Chief Content Officer? TCW (The Content Wrangler): Hi Alan, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. AJP (Alan J. Porter): Thanks, it’s always a pleasure to be involved with The Read the full article…

iBooks 2 and iBooks Author: One Week Later, What We’ve Learned — An Executive Round Table with McGraw-Hill, Digital Book World, and Aptara

January 23, 2012 Blog No Comments

Yet again Apple stopped us in our tracks. We awaited each word with bated breath during last Thursday’s unveiling of iBooks2, iBooks Author, and iTunes U. Now what? After a week of social media frenzy, water cooler chatter, thoughtful analysis, and technical digging, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned. Join us Thursday, January 26 for a live round table discussion with McGraw-Hill – one of Apple’s education partners; Digital Book World – the publishing industry’s premier digital publishing forum; and Aptara – trusted digital solutions partner to the Read the full article…

eBook Creation Service Aims To Make Publishing Quality eBooks Easier

December 29, 2011 Blog, Featured 10 Comments

eBooks are making a big dent in the publishing industry. There’s no doubt about that. They’re convenient, and can be downloaded on an increasing variety of mobile devices. In order to “strike while the iron is hot”, many organizations are rushing to get their existing content converted to eBook formats (there’s more than one). But doing so is oftentimes more complicated — and expensive — than many imagine. It’s easy to make costly mistakes — errors that can impact the usability (and sales) of digital publications. Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL) Read the full article…

The Phenomenal Rise of eBooks; Downloadable Books Now Outsell Hardbacks and Paperbacks Combined

December 28, 2011 Blog, Featured No Comments

The publishing industry is reluctant to give out detailed sales figures on eBook sales, but David Roth-Ey from publisher HarperCollins said: “The electronic market is really booming. We are seeing 600% growth year on year in eBooks. That is in a frankly stagnant book selling market.” On Amazon since April 2011, 242 Kindle eBooks have been sold for every 100 hardcover books, SkyNews HD reports.

Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, On Adobe Technical Communication Software, Silos Busting, And Convergence

December 27, 2011 Blog, Featured No Comments

At the Adobe Technical Communication Enterprise Summit in Boston this past October, I was asked to comment on the future of technical communication, trends in the publishing industry, the importance of Adobe software tools for technical communicators, and related topics. In this short video montage, I discuss the move to eBooks and enhanced, interactive content. I also point out the biggest challenge (as I see it) facing Adobe as they seek to serve the changing needs of the technical communication industry — departmental silos. I suggest a “convergence” of Adobe Read the full article…

[Webinar] Creating eBooks: Understanding the Opportunities, Challenges, Devices, and Standards

December 7, 2011 Blog 1 Comment

eBooks are a hot topic. And, there’s reason to be excited. First, there’s the overwhelming success of the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad (and the tablet computing market it helped to spawn). But that’s not all. Sales of eBooks are skyrocketing. And, apps for reading eBooks on smart phones like the Apple iPhone and Android powered-devices are downloaded more often than many other types of apps, further fueling the excitement. Meanwhile, some school districts are getting rid of old school textbooks altogether, replacing them with eBooks and equipping students with Read the full article…

Dirty Little Secrets of the Book Publishing Industry…Or Why You Shouldn’t Invest In Book Publishers Who Waste Your Investment Dollars By Avoiding Change

September 22, 2011 Blog No Comments

by Scott Abel, Content Strategist, The Content Wrangler If you’re an investor, you should know this dirty little secret. Most book publishers are wasting your investment dollars. That’s right. They’re burning through your cash at record pace, in a desperate attempt to keep pace with changing user expectations they didn’t have the foresight to plan for. They are throwing your money at problems that can be solved by making some changes to the way publishing companies work, something many seem unwilling or unable to do. And, they’re happy you don’t Read the full article…

Replay of “What’s Next? Socially-Enabled User Assistance, Interactive Documentation, and Location-Aware Help” with Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler

July 28, 2011 Blog 1 Comment

Here’s an on-demand recording of my recent webinar, “What’s Next? Socially-Enabled User Assistance, Interactive Documentation, and Location-Aware Help”, sponsored by MindTouch. During this fast-paced presentation, I use a story metaphor — kind of a history of documentation — to help attendees understand how businesses big and small are leveraging the power of the crowd to create exceptional socially-enabled customer assistance experiences, engaging interactive/enhanced digital content, useful mobile device apps, and powerful location-aware help. After the webinar, I answered questions from the audience that are documented here. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo Read the full article…

Noz Urbina Interviews Ann Rockley About Content Integration

April 15, 2011 Blog No Comments

Intelligent content guru (and the “Mother of Content Management”) Ann Rockley will be one of the featured presenters at Congility 2011, May 24-26 in Gatwick, UK. The theme of this year’s event is Content Integration: Leveraging Standards to Improve Customer Experience. Content strategist Noz Urbina talks to Ann about the need for content standards and a content strategy in order to create positive customer experiences.

Web Content 2011: Going Mobile – June 6-7, Chicago

February 22, 2011 Blog 1 Comment

In the world of online content, mobile is the new black! Since the advent of the iPhone, iPad, and a host of other devices, the technology community has become focused on mobility: mobile platforms, mobile applications and mobile tools. Within five years 50% of all Web traffic will come through mobile devices and more users will access the internet via mobile devices than desktops. Join me — and national content experts, marketers, strategists, developers and other industry thinkers — June 6th and 7th in sunny Chicago at Web Content 2011. Read the full article…

There’s More to eBooks Than Words

July 12, 2010 Uncategorized 9 Comments

By Alan J. Porter “It’s all about the content.” This simple, yet insightful, comment by leading publishing consultant, Ann Rockley, during a recent webinar on “Exactly What Not to do When Making the Move from Print Publishing to New Media,” (listen to the recorded webinar) made me think about the many discussions I’ve had, and the many articles I’ve read, about the so-called digital publishing revolution. I came to the realization that most of us are missing one vital component of this new opportunity. It seems that no matter how Read the full article…

How A Taste Of Kindle Reader For Blackberry Made Me Hunger For More (And More, And More)

March 17, 2010 Blog 4 Comments

by Maxwell Hoffmann, Desktop Publishing, Localization, Globalization and Sales Training Veteran A few weeks ago I got a Tweet that sent me straight to downloads-ville. A “free” Kindle Reader app for my Blackberry! As a used-book store addicted Baby Boomer who color codes all of his hard copy books with highlighter pens, might I be the perfect guinea pig for this latest content delivery platform? Could an old school guy like me get used to reading literature or technical manuals in chunks smaller than 3×5 cards? The answer surprised even Read the full article…

Valentine: The Digital, Device-Independent Comic Available Via Wireless In 14 Languages

February 8, 2010 Blog No Comments

By Alex de Campi Imagine a graphic novel series, released every month simultaneously in 14 languages and across all major wireless platforms (Kindle, EPUB, Android, iPhone), hopefully soon via the web and, eventually, in collected print editions. Every month, you pay 99 cents and get 70-75 screens of action, adventure and suspense. In its first fortnight after launch, in the difficult final weeks of December and with no marketing and without all our distributors yet on stream, the first episode had 5,000 downloads — of which English was in the Read the full article…