Dealing With Disruption ─ Lessons from the Publishing Industry

Publishing today requires a presence in local and global markets, and successful publishers can be more effective in reaching both by employing current technology at all stages of the publishing process. Finding the most efficient and profitable business models has become more challenging (and more rewarding) by the same advancements in technology. Michael Ross provides a roadmap to the essential aspects of the international publishing industry, from how to develop content that can be easily adapted to other cultures, to establishing relationships and negotiating licensing and co-publishing contracts. With a discussion of the critical innovations in the industry and through case studies from all stages in the publishing process, the book provides insights into the maturing of digital publishing and the challenges and opportunities provided by new technologies. Many publishing models have emerged over the last 15 years, and technology has made the mechanics of publishing in general, and web publishing in particular, easier. Thus, the role of the professional publisher is being challenged, and issues of quality and trust are now competing with easy access to information. Publishing, in all forms, can be viewed as a conspicuous bellwether for any business that must make strategic and tactical adjustments quickly to innovate and grow. Ross applies principles from both consumer and educational publishing to explore publishing's ongoing 'sea change' and its implications for other industries.

Michael Ross is the Senior Vice President & Education General Manager at Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., where he heads up the sales and marketing activities in North America and the UK/EMEA. Prior to joining Britannica in 2002, he held executive positions at other publishing companies; he began his publishing career as an editor for Time-Life Books where he spent three years at their Tokyo Bureau. Michael has worked in all areas of publishing, including editorial, technology, product development, sales and marketing. Michael has been inducted into Printmedia's Production Executives' Hall of Fame and AEP's Educational Publishing Hall of Fame. He has a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota; an M.A. from Brandeis University; and a certificate from Stanford University's Advanced Management College.