Tools of Change 2011

Given unlimited free time and resources, the average industry professional could quite easily spend the first part of each year on a book industry conference and trade show tour. It would be a whirlwind from Digital Book World in January through to BEA and the IDPF conference at the end of May. Among the many not-to-be missed events, O’Reilly’s Tools of Change for Publishing conference (TOC) continues to stand out. As an established industry networking-thinking-dreaming affair, it offers a full range of workshops, presentations, roundtables and social events for your book publishing pleasure.

Held in February each year, TOC just wrapped up its fifth session. Highlights from this year, where the program focused on industry evolution (and on the way reading in particular is evolving), include Kevin Kelly’s keynote address on the topic of creating value in a world where free is a valid price point; Brian O’Leary’s discussion of a new publishing model that puts context first; Laura Baldwin of O’Reilly Media’s presentation (with Phil Olilla from Ingram Content Group) on new ways of managing inventory and last, but certainly not least, Margaret Atwood’s view of the ‘Publishing Pie,’ accompanied by cheese sandwiches.

These are just a few of the presentations that I found interesting. Overall, the takeaway was that the evolution of the book is not new or radical; books themselves have already changed.  Publishers need to look at and work from the intersection of readers and reading if they are to be successful moving forward.

Slides from TOC 2011 are available here. If you’ve never been to the conference, we highly recommend it.

Tricia McCraney | 03/04/2011 |

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