News
Publishers Lunch Founder Cader and Leading Consultant Shatzkin Form Publishers Launch Conferences
For Release Tuesday, March 22
Contact: Jess Johns at The Idealogical Company
jjohns@idealog.com, or info@publisherslaunch.com
Publishers Lunch Founder Cader and Leading Consultant Shatzkin Form Publishers Launch Conferences
Two book publishing veterans well known for explaining, analyzing and chronicling digital change in the industry, Michael Cader and Mike Shatzkin, have formed a partnership to produce educational events worldwide under the banner of Publishers Launch Conferences. Working in conjunction with some of the world’s best-known publishing fairs and professional organizations, Publishers Launch Conferences expects to convene up to eight events in four cities over the next year. The Copyright Clearance Center and Constellation from the Perseus Books Group have signed on as Global Sponsors, supporting the entire year of events.
The first event, “eBooks Go Global,” will be held in conjunction with BookExpo America at the Javits Center in New York. Among the first full-day educational events focused on international visitors to BEA and those who do business with them (along with export sales and rights professionals), “eBooks Go Global” will highlight lessons learned during the rapid ebook growth in the US and how international publishers can maximize the opportunities as the big North American ebook players expand worldwide and each territory nurtures its own competitive offerings.
The second event follows quickly in June, as Publishers Launch Conferences pairs with The Publishers Association, the leading trade organization serving book, journal and electronic publishers in the UK, for a full-day show in London on June 21 focused on the special opportunities and challenges for British publishers in the world English-language ebook market.
Digital Book World and F+W Media serve as a primary producing partner for Publishers Launch. Mike Shatzkin has been programming chair for the Digital Book World Conference since its inception, and Michael Cader’s Publishers Lunch is its original presenting sponsor. Both will continue to partner closely with the Digital Book World team on programming and promotion of the event and broader community under the Publishers Launch banner. Publishers Launch events will be added to the growing Digital Book World annual conference, as well as other F+W Media-owned events, including the inaugural StoryWorld Conference taking place in San Francisco in late October.
In yet another important partnership, Publishers Launch Conferences will work with the Frankfurt Book Fair to convene two separate events, a full-day conference on the Monday before the trade exhibits and a focused half-day show on Tuesday. Additional freestanding PLC events in New York will be announced shortly.
Cader, the creator of Publishers Lunch and Publishers Marketplace, the largest-circulation publication and the largest-membership community in publishing worldwide, explains that this new venture is part of a natural expansion of his coverage of (and participation in) the digital transition, under the new Publishers Launch brand.
“Mike Shatzkin and I have worked together informally ever since I was a last-minute panelist at a conference he organized in London 10 years ago. We’ve spent the last two years collaborating happily on building the Digital Book World conferences,” Cader says, “but the digital transition poses challenges and opportunities so big and so fast-moving that it requires frequent exploration.”
Shatzkin, Founder & CEO of The Idea Logical Company, consultants to publishers and their trading partners, and author of the popular Shatzkin Files blog, explained the focus common to Publishers Launch Conferences. “We both see major global opportunities for publishers and booksellers in all languages, regardless of the adoption of digital platforms so far in any particular country. One part of what we’re doing is to help English-language publishers capitalize on these growth markets, and another part is to help others get the greatest value they can from what US and UK publishers have already learned.”
Global Sponsors will consult with the Publishers Launch team on the programming and provide marketing support for all of the conferences slated through January 2012. The Copyright Clearance Center is a not-for-profit organization and leading provider of rights licensing solutions based in Danvers, MA. Constellation is the industry-leading digital service from the Perseus Books Group, and more sponsoring companies are on the way. According to Cader, “Our Global Sponsors are an important part of our effort, and we are pleased they are bringing their considerable promotional support, expertise, analytic support and broad relationships with publishers and partners to Publishers Launch.”
“CCC is honored to be a charter sponsor of the Publishers Launch program,” said Diane Pierson, VP Marketing at Copyright Clearance Center. “We are pleased to engage with publishers in this forum to discuss practical solutions to monetizing rights in a globalized, digital age.”
“We have always been big admirers of the innovative business and insightful journalism of Michael Cader’s Publishers Lunch, and how consistently ahead of the curve Mike Shatzkin has been at Idea Logical,” said David Steinberger, CEO of the Perseus Books Group. “Having seen their success with Digital Book World, we feel privileged to partner with Publishers Launch as a Global Sponsor and help publishers successfully navigate this fast moving, transformational industry environment.”
By convening regular events, developing a network of supporting data and information, and further extending the already-frequent conversations the organizers have with the publishers and other companies creating digital change, Publishers Launch Conferences will develop curricular materials, contacts, and program themes. Shatzkin says, “We think about the special challenges publishers face because of digital change and try to give them data, case histories, and smart, articulate people to help them address them. We believe that doing this at scale, and globally, we’ll do a better job at every stop.”
And Cader adds, “Our partnerships are very important. Digital Book World gave us the tools to organize a conference council of industry professionals and make great use of them. The Publishers Association in the UK helped us organize three days of intense meetings in London that shaped our show immeasurably. We’ll get the same kind of help, talking to our audience in advance, from our partners at Frankfurt.”
The initial web address of the venture is at publisherslaunch.com. Relevant content will be posted regularly, and information about speakers, prices, and additional sponsors will be available soon.
Contact: info@publisherslaunch.com
