Tools of Change Conference
Books aren't just books anymore. Books are multi-dimensional, and increasingly, not even in traditional book format. Different types of media are escaping their usual containers, and it is context, rather than just content, that is beginning to drive successful publishing. Brian O'Leary discusses the damage caused by a continued reliance on the 'container model,' in light of how much the Internet is changing all content. He also shares how to effectively use context.
Curation is the key to information overload. Qualitatively sorting and choosing information is something Steve Rosenbaum believes that book publishers are uniquely positioned to provide in the future of publishing. To illustrate his case, Rosenbaum shares his experience creating a video project of September 11, 2001. For him, creating a documentary and a book, Rosenbaum presents curation as a bridge between technological and human perspectives.
People like free, especially when it comes to apps. Ben Lorica, a Senior Analyst at O'Reilly Media, Inc., summarizes the popularity and economic trends of apps for both iPhones and iPads. He also presents statistics on how long apps stay popular, what makes them popular, and why price might not be a major factor after all.
Everyone knows that books have been a cornerstone in our society for millenia. But according to Kevin Kelly, we're moving away from them at a rapid pace. Through a mix of powerful trends, Kelly takes a look into the future. What he finds are more tough questions. He predicts a questionable future for producers everywhere. He also offers a few ideas that may drive the market to services in what Kelly calls our new vizuality.
Author Margaret Atwood, creator of fictional dystopias, speaks on the plight of the author in the face of changes to the publishing industry today. She takes it down to first principles, in a partly historic, partly autobiographical way, how the "publishing pie" is divided. She warns the publishing industry against eliminating the author's piece of the pie in their mad rush to an electronic publishing future.
Ray Kurzweil has spent most of his life imagining what the future might be like, and then inventing it. In this keynote from 2010, Kurzweil shares his vision of the future with Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media. The interview begins with a discussion about the Blio, the future of digital publishing, and finally the Singularity. This interview precedes the September 2010 release of the Blio, a TTS-enabled, full-color, web-enabled eReader.
What is a Transmedia Producer? Although this new role was recently recognized by the Producer's Guild of America, many people are unaware of it. Jeff Gomez explains how a Transmedia Production works, weaving in examples from Avatar and other projects, he introduces the audience to a new creative phenomenon in our culture. Transmedia story telling is the process of conveying storylines to a mass audience through the artful, well-planned use of multiple media platforms.
Ramy Habeeb of Kotobarabia hopes to generate interest in the Arab publishing industry, an emerging market. He believes it is incipient and thus ripe for new entrants. While he believes it will mature, it needs improvements in the areas of distribution, censorship and preservation. He discusses how e-publishing can be one of the most valuable tools in its development.
eReaders are big. And so is social media. How about an eReader platform with a social component. Copia is an eReading platform, a book store and a means to connect to people with similar reading tastes. You can choose the books you want to read, and discuss them with others on Copia. It's like a book club without the real-life commitment. In this presentation, Anthony Antolino explains this new foray into online social marketing from DMC, the company that popularized the digital watch and the hand-held calculator.
Contrary to digital media, monographs are becoming financially nonviable to produce and maintain. Frances Pinter, Publisher at Bloomsbury Academic, argues that the only way to rescue monographs is to publish them under a Creative Commons license, provide open access, and charge customers for print-on-demand services. Will this be a sustainable business model? Pinter takes a critical position on several alternative strategies and plays devil's advocate on her own proposal.
