Booknet Canada

Striking a balance between books, games, and community. Keith Fretz of Scholastic US explores three main components of a successful transmedia property: attracting and retaining interest with gamification, using usage data to inform the evolution of your product, and building and maintaining a vibrant community. Presentation slides: http://www.slideshare.net/booknetcanada/transmedia-success-striking-a-balance-between-books-games-and-community-tech-forum-2015-keith-fretz Presented by Keith Fretz (Scholastic US) at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum

As more and more publishing houses bring in talented digital employees there’s a likely clash of cultures on the horizon. How can publishers with their rich history work alongside technologists and their history of “disrupting” everything? A sometimes humorous, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately optimistic look at the future of the people behind the books. Presentation slides are available at: https://dvs.atavist.com/tech-forum-2015 Presented by Derrick Schultz (Atavist) at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum

Drawing on their extensive history with the middle school market, Melanie Jeffs from Orca Book Publishers will examine how engagement, not only with customers but with staff and authors, can inform content generation as well as lead to successful marketing strategies that result in increased print and digital sales. Slides are available at http://www.slideshare.net/booknetcanada/engaging-everyone-a-case-study-from-orca-book-publishers-tech-forum-2015-melanie-jeffs Presented by Melanie Jeffs (Orca Book Publishers) at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum

BookNet Canada conducts regular market research and consumer research, giving you a detailed picture of the Canadian book market and Canadian book buyers. In this session, Noah Genner will present some of BookNet's recent research, including not-yet-released stats. Presented by Noah Genner at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 Presentation slides available at: http://www.slideshare.net/booknetcanada/new-at-booknet-canada-research-tech-forum-2015-noah-genner booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum

Is there a difference between readers who mainly purchase heavily discounted ebooks versus those who pay full price? How about readers who purchase an ebook as soon as it's available, compared to readers who wait until the ebook price drops in correspondence with the trade paper release? What about readers who make spontaneous purchases, like Daily Deals? In this presentation, Kobo Director of Merchandising Nathan Maharaj weighs in on what Kobo has learned about the relationship between price points and reading habits. He'll also touch on other factors affecting reader engagement, such as season, country, and genre. Get ready for data-driven decision-making at its best! Presented by Nathan Maharaj (Kobo) at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum

Many publishers are interested in bundling ebooks and print books, but don't know where to start. Will ebook bundling erode traditional ebook sales? Which price points are most likely to attract readers to bundle their books? Can ebook bundling be used as a discoverability strategy? And, what are the different options available to publishers who want to start offering print and ebook bundles? Mary Alice Elcock of BitLit will present answers to these questions and more, along with further insights into the book bundling market. Presented by Mary Alice Elcock (BitLit) at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum

Concerns about ebooks “killing” publishing are just the latest in a centuries-long tradition of worrying unnecessarily about the end of reading. The rise of ebooks and, not by coincidence, big data, will be good for reading, writing, publishing, and bookselling, or at least for the people who learn to embrace them. Everyone else is right to be worried. Kevin Ashton draws on his experience as a bookseller, author, marketer, and leader of the “Internet of Things,” to provide guidance and reassurance to help you survive the coming Ebookalypse. Presented by Kevin Ashton (How to Fly a Horse) at Tech Forum 2015 / BookNet Canada / March 12, 2015 booknetcanada.ca/technology-forum