Lessons from the other side

Both professional and scholarly publishing made the transition to ebooks and digital content well ahead of the trade segment. So publishers that are active in non-trade areas had the opportunity to develop institutional knowledge and practices that give their trade divisions at least a theoretical advantage over companies that are trade-only.

A panel comprised of executives who have worked on the digital transition inside these companies will discuss specifically how internal knowledge transfers have benefited their trade efforts. This is a panel we are organizing for the first time at the Frankfurt conference because in so many countries in the world, publishers that straddle segments are far more common than they are in the English-speaking world. As ebooks increase in importance in the consumer marketplace across the globe, the lessons of these companies will increasingly be applicable by their counterparts in other markets.

Peter Balis
Director, Digital Business Development, John Wiley & Sons

Peter Balis is responsible for the account management, sales, distribution and business development of digital content for Wiley, which includes ebooks, enhanced products and mobile applications. Additionally, he is the co-chair of the AAP’s Digital Issues Working Group and teaches an advanced seminar at NYU’s Graduate Publishing Program.

Evan Schnittman
Global Managing Director of Sales & Marketing, Bloomsbury Publishing

Evan Schnittman is Managing Director Group Sales and Marketing, Print and Digital, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  He splits his time equally between Bloomsbury’s London and New York offices and is in charge of all sales, marketing, publicity, rights and technology across Bloomsbury’s group companies.

Evan is widely known in the industry as a thought leader – and is widely sought out to speak and write on the key issues facing content companies in a digital world.