Best of BTB: Europe’s E-books Challenge

Let’s face it, says Rüdiger Wischenbart, not one prediction about the future direction of eBooks has been proven right, no matter where you look around the world. According to the Vienna-based publishing consultant and author of the annual Global eBook Report, the...

Best Practices, Big Worries In PubWest Survey

The recent PubWest Best Practices Survey asked association members to share details on what works best for them in sales, marketing and distribution. In a discussion with CCC’s Chris Kenneally, PubWest executives Kent Watson and Zoe Katherine (Katie) Burke shared highlights that reflect the dynamic, if agitated business environment.

Votes Tallied for Best 2016 Political Books

Much is made of television debates and social media for their influence on voters, but even in the election of 2016, books remain critical. Those willing to read more than 140 characters are rewarded with insights and analysis beyond sound bites and gotcha moments gone viral. Publishers Weekly’s annual Spring Announcements – coming in the December 21 issue – lists the titles that get the editors’ votes.

Prep School for K-12 Student Assessment

The K-12 student assessment market is constantly evolving. In recent years, states have faced the emergence of next generation assessments, computer-based and computer-adaptive testing, Common Core State Standards, new assessment models and more. But what developments...

The Numbers Game With Books

“Natural language processing,” “machine-based metadata” – these aren’t phrases that we’re thrown around in editorial meetings or at publishers’ sales conferences until very recently. Behind the IT world jargon, though, is a fairly basic drive to improve “discoverability” in a book world of millions of available titles.

Stocks No Place For Books

The stock market is no place to be if you’re in the bookselling business. This week, one listed company vanished from the trading roster, and another saw its share price fall as fast as a dropped copy of War & Peace. The nation’s largest bookselling chain Barnes...

Open Access Success Stories

Research goes on as ever in the lab and in the field. But researchers in today’s Open Access environment have a lot more than only science to think about. For help, OA authors turn to publishers for services that enable discoverability and expand public understanding. This support builds lasting relationships with valued contributors.

Publishing Innovation The Lean Six Sigma Way

Measurement and analysis: These are fundamental activities in the laboratory. Together, they help to guide researchers toward discoveries and innovation. As elements in the Lean Six Sigma management doctrine, measurement and analysis help identify deficiencies in a...

PW’s Publishing Person of the Year

Literary figures as disparate as Germaine Greer and Hunter S. Thompson, Bret Easton Ellis and Margaret Thatcher, appear together on his publishing resume. Now, Sonny Mehta, editor-in-chief of Alfred A Knopf and chairman of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, can add...