Digital Solutions in India: A Publishers Weekly Report
/Unfolding the Next Chapter in Digital Content Proposition
Publishers Weekly released its Digital Solutions in India report this week and it's no surprise that the big observations are
perpetual innovation and transformation are imperative
competitive advantages are, at best, fleeting
Continuous value creation and higher engagement—at lower cost and faster speed and with improved quality—is the key to business longevity.
These are the concepts that drive all aspects of our organization. The full report is available here and following are just some of our highlights:
Digital and Classroom Learning
Waseem Andrabi, senior director of global content services at Cenveo Publisher Services, says that “adaptive technology is set to become a transformative force as educators increasingly see it as an ally rather than an adversary. Virtual reality in education is the other juggernaut poised to take off in 2016. Whether it is taking a virtual trip near the North Pole to learn more about the aurora borealis or a visit to the chemical plant to witness a specific manufacturing process, virtual reality is going to make the educational experience truly ‘immersive.’ ”
Meanwhile, gamification will continue to gather momentum, and social learning is going to be the next big thing.
Building Accessibility and Efficacy in Education
Education specialists have raised issues and contributed ideas and innovations that will eventually have a broad impact across all publishing sectors, and accessibility is a hot topic. “EPub for Accessibility project, formerly known as EduPub, is an important part of this, and accessibility is no longer just about text-to-speech or audio access, but also to support alternate learning modes,” Andrabi says. “With this comes open annotation, or W3C specification, for personal accessibility on all Web-based technologies, as well as accessibility certification and testing. Publishers are realizing that it makes good business sense to offer content in as many ways as possible, including making it accessible.”
The Publisher's Office and The Design Studio
The creation of the Publisher’s Office has provided Cenveo and its clients with a unique opportunity and increased flexibility to interact and collaborate. “We provide a combination of process, automation, validation, and ongoing technical support for production and management of books, journals, and digital projects. In essence, we become an integrated extension of a publisher’s team,” marketing director Marianne Calilhanna says, adding that Cenveo’s end-to-end project management for pre-K–12, higher education, and STM publishers has grown tremendously in the past year.
More publishers have turned to the Design Studio to turn ideas into assets, whether they are simple concepts for art or entirely new digital products. “At the same time, Cenveo Publisher Suite, with tools such as Smart Edit and Smart Proof, is more popular than ever. One of our major journal clients has installed Cenveo Publisher Suite for its internal staff use, and that implementation has resulted in a formal training program, documentation, as well as a stronger product,” Calilhanna says. “This is a classic case where a larger and diverse user base further improves the software.”
Lunch & Learn: Discussing Hot Topics Over the Midday Meal
Then, there is the Lunch & Learn initiative, through which Calilhanna and her team bring together members of the publishing community to discuss important industry topics over lunch. “No sales pitches and no PowerPoint presentations here,” Calilhanna says. “This is lunch with passionate conversation on intricate and important topics that shape our industry. So far, we have talked about MathML, new journal publication models, and creative workflows. It has brought together leaders from the STM and educational publishing industry to network and learn from each other.” Two white papers, on NIMAS and MathML standards, respectively, were the results of this initiative, and are available from Cenveo’s website.
Customer Service
Increasingly, publishers are recognizing that “cheap is dear” and that great customer service is not only important to produce quality work but also makes the process enjoyable, Calilhanna says. “The proliferation of offshore vendors has brought pricing models down,” she adds. “While initially attractive, publishers are finding that thoughtfulness and editorial quality have been slipping away. With so much technology integrated into publishers’ workflows, it is easy to forget that human QA ensures premium editorial and production services. And this is why Cenveo, despite our technology-based processes, remains focused on hiring the best people to serve our clients.”
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