THE E-BOOK EXPLOSION: WHY THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY NEEDS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATORS

Once the world of publishing existed in a small, but concentrated bubble located in New York City. Aspiring authors approached the large publishing houses with fear, trepidation, and the illusive dream of publishing a bestseller. They considered themselves among the elite if they received any response at all, even in the form of the dreaded rejection letter.

Fast forward to 2014, where authors are turning to self-publishing and independent publishers to realize their dreams. They are releasing e-books before the print version hits the market, if they choose to release in print. They are hiring editors and book designers. They are sending their manuscripts to technology engineers who convert their content to various digital formats, because there is no industry standard. The large publishing houses are scrambling to create departments or outsource backlists of printed books for digital conversion. Chaos reigns.

This webinar will include a brief history and explanation of the rapid changes in digital publishing and the new demands. The focus of the session will be on core skills technical communicators can exploit to meet these demands and how technical communicators can position themselves as service providers. The material will be discussed in the context of the presenter’s own research and experience in publishing.