Publishing in the Digital Age

This course was formerly known as The Digital Publisher

Many in the publishing industry are currently faced with the challenge of making a transition from print into digital. The practice of delivering a quality digital product presents a number of key new aspects that can seem a demanding and daunting prospect.

This practical course is led by a number of tutors, each specialising in different aspects of digital publishing. It is intended to cover all the phases of creating a digital product, from initial conception and planning through to launch. New business models and various software options will be discussed. Project management processes and production issues will also be covered so that delegates will have an awareness of all the steps involved in the development of digital products and can ensure that their teams contain the right mix of skills to gain a competitive advantage.

At the end of the course delegates will look at how to implement what they have learned over the three days into their current role.

Programme

Day One

• Strategic Overview
  • What is strategy?
  • How is technology changing the world of content?
  • Implications for content industries
  • Generation X versus Y – content consumption differences
  • File sharing sites
  • Where is all this taking content industries?
  • Overview of opportunities for growth and steps needed to facilitate change
• Business Planning and Financial Investment Appraisals
  • Financial context of companies
  • How products are costed, including the differences between print and digital
  • How investment appraisals for new platforms (as opposed to new products) may be evaluated
  • Case study of successful and unsuccessful projects
• Various Outputs and New Standalone Channels
  • Overview of content management and digital asset management
  • Overview of various digital outputs and digital standalone channels
  • Legacy issues that publishing companies currently face
  • Group discussion on various technologies available for output
  • Production issues
  • Overview ofXMLcreation and conversion of legacy content toXML
  • Monetising websites in practice
  • Digital versus print production issues
• Group Exercise – ideas for new digital products that don't exist yet

Day Two

• Commissioning and Editing in the Digital Environment
  • Elements of writing and editing for the web – differences between the two, clarity, conciseness and scanability
  • Use of the web and web forms, using a CMS (where writers need to input their text via a web form) and using Microsoft Word for web writing
  • Commissioning good web copy – specific needs for this copy, style and tone, and common content and layout issues that will impact authors
  • Usability, testing and accessibility
  • Commissioning and editing in the digital environment
  • Editing PDFs, and other copy-editing and proofreading issues in a digital environment
  • Practical exercises
• Copyright and Digital Licensing Issues
  • Copyright issues in the digital environment – new challenges and opportunities
  • Generation X versus generation Y – what is the difference in the way that each consume content and is file sharing here for good?
  • File sharing sites – a threat or a chance to find new dynamic revenue streams?
  • Examination of the various lawsuits around the world against file sharing site operators
  • Implications of the government's 'three strikes and you're out' legislation
  • How to find new digital licensing channels and revenue streams
  • The key terms that should always appear in digital licensing agreements
  • Practical group examination of a digital licensing agreement
  • Case study

Day Three

• Digital Project Management
  • Specifying requirements
  • Project roles and responsibilities
  • Planning and scheduling
  • Managing quality
  • Managing risk
  • Dealing with change
  • Progressing projects – approval cycles and monitoring of performance
  • Case Study 1 – digital project management example
  • Case Study 2 – e-books
  • Practical group work looking at real life project management documentation
• Selling and Marketing Digital Products
  • What to consider at product development stage
  • The importance of product delivery
  • Getting evaluation methods right
  • Pricing and payment options
  • Marketing approaches
  • Selling tactics and conversion
  • Customer retention and sustainability
  • Getting customers to evaluate digital products, and the role of promotions, discounts and incentives in customers' purchase decisions
  • Face to face with the customer – selling digital products effectively
  • Sustaining and maintaining sales
  • Practical exercise on writing marketing plans and campaigns
• Summary of the course – 'how will you implement tomorrow what you've learned over the past three days?'

Who will benefit from this course?

The course will be of interest to publishers and senior managers who are involved with transforming their businesses in today's new digital economies. It will have particular relevance to those managing new digital teams or who are involved in commissioning, production, business growth and product development.

Your tutor

This course will be led by 12 expert tutors, co-ordinated by Jon White. Jon is a freelance digital publishing specialist who has been working in the field since the mid-1990s. After a spell at Penguin working on the DK and Rough Guides brands, Jon joined Macmillan Education. In his role as Digital Publishing Director he oversaw MacEd's digital publishing operations and also ran new digital business development initiatives.