Upcoming O’Reilly TOC Publishing Conference Explores Technology, Social and Structural Change

An information and session-packed fourth annual O’Reilly Tools of Change Conference will launch on Monday morning, February 22 at the NY Marriott Marquis and run through mid-afternoon, Thursday February 24.

Focused on the latest in both the structural as well as technological changes transforming the publishing industry, more then 120 presenters at 75 events (not counting evening round tables) will share expertise, insights and forecasts with an attendance that is sure to exceed last year’s 1,000 or so who filled the conference. More than forty exhibitors will focus on content management, software and distribution services.

TOC is the third in the string of industry conferences this season – Media Bistro’s eBook Summit in December, FW’s Digital Book World in January, TOC coming up, and Napco’s Publishing Business Conference and Expo in March. Each of these events is providing a different perspective with which they examine the needs of industry professionals. TOC’s unique framework rests in O’Reilly’s grounding in book publishing and in content technology and its links to product development and marketing strategies.

The timing couldn’t be better as publishers juggle the pricing, product development, marketplace and management uncertainties fueled by developments such as the introduction of Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s capitulation to agency pricing of eBooks (at least for the time being), the as yet unresolved Google Book settlement with the Author’s Guide and AAP (not speak of Google’s expected entries into new forms of bookselling), Baker and Taylor’s Blio and Hearst’s Skiff publication format and media friendly readers, The Expresso Machine turtle in the race with the POD tortoise and Jane Friedman’s “born media” business model – to name just a few.

To deal with professional issues surrounding these developments, the Monday conference begins with a four-track warm-up of three and a half-hour, ninety-minute ad two hour in-depth sessions that delve into the practical aspects of eBook formatting, selling in mobil markets, copyright, building author pages, digital media and social networking. A rapid succession of five short keynotes start the first 90 minutes of Day 2 with various aspects of the eBook revolution by industry experts, culminating in Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post speaking on the theme “Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing.”

The balance of most of the conference splits into six tracks dealing with such themes as the mobile web, revolving business models in publishing, rethinking how to do the "job" of a book, emerging standards for content delivery, discovery, and distribution, tools and techniques for a digital-centric workflow, financial modeling for digital products, and understanding the impact of free content on paid sales.

This year, for the first time, TOC will try an “ignite” event Tuesday afternoon – a series of “high energy” five minute plenary session product presentations. Each evening, also, TOC will provide meeting rooms for attendee-originated round tables. End of the day receptions, the exhibit hall and open atrium luncheons provide lots of opportunity for networking. More than most, TOC organizes itself around encouraging attendee participation, real time social networking, on the floor and on line.

Tim O’Reilly’s own appearances at this event can hardly be discounted as among the high points in their own right. Tuesday evening he will conduct a one hour interview with Ray Kurzwell, a pioneer developer of successful reading technology companies and devices who also created the Blio e-Reader being marketed by Baker and Taylor. Thursday at 2:30 PM O’Reilly will also deliver the closing keynote.

Speaking for myself I’m looking forward to an information and inspiration -packed marathon. For further info go to www.toccon.com.

Eugene G.Schwartz, Editor at Large, February 8, 2010