Livres Canada Books Consulting Opportunity

11/08/2010

Livres Canada Books is seeking a consultant with knowledge of sales rights and the digital environment to author a research paper on the topic of digital rights and export as they relate to Canadian publishers.  In addition to knowledge of the opportunities and challenges of exporting digital books, the consultant will bring knowledge of the key players and systems in the Canadian book industry and have excellent communications skills.

Deadline for applicants: November 16, 2010

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Exporting Digital Books:  a guide to best practices for Canadian publishers

Canadian publishers recognize the critical significance of digitization to the future of book publishing in Canada.  In export, new technologies are rapidly changing the way publishers do business.  Each international market has its own mechanisms for buying and selling digital content, as well as specific standards, formats and devices.  Canadian export publishers require a “one stop” resource for obtaining information about selling digital books in specific markets. Livres Canada Books seeks to produce a best practices guide that offers world-class market intelligence related to digital publishing and export.  The best practices guide should:

- Focus on export markets that are traditionally strong for Canadian publishers, and where there are currently significant sales of digital books.  These markets include the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

- Identify new and emerging markets that present opportunity for Canadian publishers exporting their digital books.

- Compile information about formats, standards, devices and (where applicable) software often used in these markets.

- Identify new advances in technology that exist in these markets.

- Discuss options for maintaining, selling or licensing rights, particularly as related to digital books.

- Make recommendations regarding digital formats and rights strategy that will assist Canadian publishers with eBook creation and (if warranted) with the process of converting print books to eBooks. These recommendations should ultimately help Canadian publishers to maximize opportunities to sell digital books in international markets. 

- Provide an annex of resources for Canadian publishers exporting digital books.

DESCRIPTION AND TIMELINE

Exporting Digital Books:  a guide to best practices for Canadian publishers can be broken down into three distinct project areas:

Market Intelligence
Includes a market snapshot for each of the traditional markets mentioned above (US, UK, France).  The market snapshot should include, at a minimum, volume sales for digital books in the areas of trade, scholarly and children’s publishing (where available); formats used and traded within the market; e-reading devices available to and used within the market; bibliographic standards adopted and advances in technology that affect the sale of digital books within the market.  This section will also identify new and emerging markets of interest to both English- and French-language publishers in Canada.  It is understood that new market profiles will be less developed than those of traditional trading partners.

Sales Rights
Includes a discussion of the options available to Canadian export publishers concerning sales rights.  The discussion of sales rights should present, at a minimum, three ways of handling sales rights—maintaining, selling and licensing – as well as the pros and cons to each approach.  Pros and cons should be discussed with a view to the sales and marketing of titles, and should include information that is relevant to trade, scholarly and children’s publishing.

Recommendations and resources
Provides general recommendations regarding the creation of digital books and the conversion of p to e with respect to format and delivery.  These recommendations should ultimately help Canadian publishers chart a course for creating and selling eBooks that will maximize their ability to sell digital books and digital rights to international markets.

Create an annex of resources that will aid Canadian publishers in developing a digital export strategy.  This will comprise a series of links (with descriptions) that can be updated over time.

The consultant will report to the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at Livres Canada Books. 
A final report will be expected by January 31, 2011.

Applicants should send a proposal with fee expectations by e-mail to:
Tricia McCraney
Coordinator, Communications and Marketing
Livres Canada Books
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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About Livres Canada Books
Livres Canada Books is a not-for-profit book industry association that helps develop and increase Canadian publishers’ sales in international markets by providing market intelligence as well as financial, promotional and logistical support.