Digital Book 2011 Program

Welcome (located in Special Events Hall) 

Publishers Roundtable

Execs discuss agency and other recent events. Are enhanced eBooks a fad, a niche, or the future? Is it print vs. digital or print+digital?

Networking break (located in Special Events Hall) 

EPUB 3 First Look

EPUB 3 is the next major revision of the key IDPF standard, supporting video, audio, scripting, MathML, enhanced layout, global language support, accessibility and metadata enhancements, and more. This session provides a “Cook’s Tour” of EPUB 3 including demos of working examples.

Update on eReading Devices & Apps

What’s working now for consumers and in education, and what’s on the horizon.

Transforming the Business of Publishing

As digital grows to 50% or more of revenue for most publishers over the next 4+ years, a profound reshaping of the economics of publishers and the entire publishing value chain is inevitable. Hear from publishers and others about how they are planning operationally to change and thrive in the digital future.

Networking Break (located in Special Events Hall)

Conversion and Production: Report From the Front

Part 1: Wrangling the backlist: XML & PDF to EPUB conversion, and other thorny issues with scalable and cost-effective management of making legacy content available digitally.

Part 2: Beyond ‘vanilla’ digitization: scalable complex, interactive, and enhanced EPUB production.

The Future of Digital Reading and the Business of Digital Publishing

Interactivity and rich-media enhanced eBooks are increasingly expected. Social reading and transmedia “storytelling” are emerging trends. Borders between books and periodicals are breaking down as content gets liberated from the constraints of traditional packagings. What are the business implications?

eBook Production Jumpstart

Hands-on case study - from content in Word/InDesign to an eBook in multi-channel distribution on Kindle, B&N, Apple iBooks, and other stores and aggregator channels.

Distribution Update

Hear about and from the aggregators and solutions providers enabling distribution of eBooks In North America and globally, with a focus on how you can maximize discovery and reach scalably and efficiently.

The Future of EPUB

EPUB 3 is a major release packed with critical new functionality. And, the IDPF is already planning future work on this key global standard. This interactive session will start with deeper dive into the technologies underlying EPUB 3.0, and also proivde a preview of areas of focus for future development. Attendees will be encouraged to give feedback on priorities and help brainstorm new ideas.

Findings from BISG's Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education and Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading (10:45-11:15)

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has recently completed two landmark surveys of consumer attitudes concerning e-books, e-readers, and other digital content products. This timely session will summarize the findings and discuss implications for your business.

Social/Direct Marketing Case Studies (11:15-12:00)

Publishers and authors are increasingly pursuing deeper relationships with readers. Digital publishing and social networking enable new approaches yet marketing and/or selling directly in parallel with traditional channel-based sales creates significant challenges. Leading practitioners will provide insights into critical success factors from discovery to delivery.