ED: This is the first guest post of the Work Industries blog. Our guest writer is Kiley Turner, who attended the Book Expo Canada conference in Toronto, June 8th and 9th, 2006. Kiley’s bio can be found at the end of the post.

Conferences can be among the dullest events out there. But once in a while, a conference comes together in a way that is truly exciting—reinforcing ideas you might have been contemplating, jumpstarting thoughts that were percolating, and introducing new ideas that stimulate your whole outlook. I attended such a conference earlier this month in Toronto. It was called Writers to Readers: Linking the Content Creators to the End Users, and it was organized by Humber’s School of Creative & Performing Arts.

I am not a techie, and I tend to steer clear of Web talk in general, simply because I feel so dumb compared to my peers in this regard. But I work in the publishing industry as a consultant, and I’ve known for a while that I had to find a way to get more comfortable in the world of the Web, since it is drastically affecting the way content is produced, distributed, and consumed. Every business has been affected by the Web, and publishing is no exception.

I entered the conference sessions tentatively, poised to feel like an imposter as I knew the Web was a focal point of the conference. Luckily for me, the brilliant Michael Cader (founder and publisher of publishersmarketplace.com) was the first speaker, and despite his command of Web business concepts and strategies, he initially had trouble making his presentation flow from his computer to the presentation screen. What an icebreaker! His jokes and self-deprecation put me at ease, and gave me the right frame of mind to perk my ears attentively to the rest of his speech. And to the next presenter’s speech. And the next. And what do you know? I soaked it up. The speakers had fascinating insights, and they communicated them in a way that I could understand, be excited by, and absorb.

What’s more, I was not the only attendee who was so engrossed and eager to learn in the various sessions of the conference. It seemed like everyone was getting things they needed, though the things they valued might not have been the same as mine, if you know what I mean. At one point in a breakout discussion session led by the spunky, congenial, and damn-smart Carol Fitzgerald (co-founder and president of The Book Report Network, among other ventures), a woman beside me stood up to speak only to say to Carol (for all of us), “You are AMAZING!” That’s the sort of vibe that pulsed throughout the day of sessions.

Kevin Smokler (author of Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times, and a leading thinker on Web culture) was another standout speaker; he sprinkled humour throughout his presentations, loosening up the audience and really making his points stick.

As you can see, I could go on and on. But instead, I’ll just say that the conference gave me great ideas, and perhaps more importantly (and not coincidentally), confidence. I will never be a techie, but I do now feel excited to weave the Web into my thinking, my strategies, and my world. Perhaps that was the main thing I took away: you don’t have to be a techie to use the Web to your advantage, and to have fun doing it.

What follows are the rough notes I took from Micheal Cader’s and Kevin Smokler’s morning presentations. I didn’t take notes when attending Carol Fitzgerald’s session for writers and other creators, but I will be following up on her through research and attention to her sites from now on.

The notes will be particularly relevant to those involved in the publishing industry, but their essence also applies to anyone else marketing on the Web.

Of course (as if I need to tell you!) my notes are subjective—I paraphrase and sometimes interpret what was actually said. To really delve into what Kevin and Michael have to say, read their work and track them through the Web.

Finally, this is my first-ever blog post! Whoo-hoo! (You gotta start somewhere …).

k.

Rough Notes on Writers to Readers Sessions

Speaker: Michael Cader

• Of the success of his trade media-targeted Publishers’ Lunch — he doesn’t pretend to be objective — it’s his opinion, and obviously people are interested in this as demonstrated by the site’s popularity. He says, “There’s nothing like someone you trust telling you to check this or that out.” [i.e., COMPELLING].
• Most publishers’ websites are catalogues—not geared to the electronic world.
• Challenge: How to take what you do in print and represent it well online—which may involve some transforming and definitely different thinking.
• The objective is CONTENT MASTERY—think about content, not just books. Most publishers just focus on THE BOOK.
• We have to think of what else we know that we can tell readers—move out of the covers of the book. [k: think laterally—think of all the associations that might be interesting—if you have a book about salmon fishing, put salmon recipes up on your site! Put a Guinness Book of World Record’s stat on the biggest salmon ever measured … Put a link to a great short story about fishing, etc. Not to mention an excerpt from the book, and every review you can find.]
• Publishers just keep repeating same two-paragraph marketing copy up beside a picture of the book jacket.
• Think of the Web as a platform for everything neat you have to say—unlock the expertise in your publishing house.
• When you think about publishing an author, think about how many readers he/she can bring in—expect this of your author.
• At the same time, publishers need to develop their own platforms.
• USE the Web itself to sell—and to develop community.
• We’re in Web 2.0, for anyone who hasn’t heard.
• Web is EVERYTHING—though it’s still mostly based on reading.
• Information wants to MOVE (RSS).
• Publishers need to create feeds, and also bring in other info to their sites.
• Content is PARTICIPATORY, both in its creation and its consumption.
• Blogs are “Printing Press of the Modern Age.”
• The Web is a place of ENGAGEMENT with your market.
• Voices of authority are now individuals, not institutions. This informs the VOICE you need for talking online (conversational).
• Grab bloggers’ stuff and feature it—provide comments fields.
• You want your website to say EVERYTHING—express your passion.
• Create a VIRAL effect. The link is the currency of the Web.
• If you send a press release, provide the link. Put your source material up there (e.g., pre-sales material).
• [k: My business, Turner-Riggs Workspace, is constructing a new website, so we don’t have a link just now, but I’ll post it when we do. In the meantime, it is sort of disconcerting to see Turner-Riggs in black and not blue! Not for long.]

Speaker: Kevin Smokler

• Branding is the creation of an immediate emotional association in the reader’s mind re: a book or author.
• Trust, consistency, and belonging—these are key to successful branding. Trust is the most important of the three.
• Branding is not top-down. Rather, it involves EMPOWERING readers to belong and participate. You HAVE to let conversation happen—conversation infuses the brand.
• You [publisher] have to be the locus of branding through your website. This is not necessarily expensive, but it does take time.
• Branding is not soul-less. It is where we are in today’s publishing world. Branding now is holistic—it is also a reinvention of our industry.
• This is a challenge, but also an opportunity.
• We are living in a time where PEOPLE—consumers, are in charge of what they do.
• Consumers have large appetites and little time—“culture debt.” 100,000,000 cultural distractions.
• This is the time of the “curatorial me”—participating, interacting, judging, engaging.
• “We are about 10 years away from consumers having their own printing presses.” [k: like a fax machine …?].
• There are vast options for consumers, and little trust—almost an automatic distrust of institutions.
• Strong branding in the 21st century will focus on building trust, provoking engagement, creating efficiencies (i.e., cross-platforming).
• Don’t think about an IDEAL reader—know that the real reader is busy, overbooked, distracted.
• Too many publishers think this way: “Buy my book and/or go away!” NO! This creates a high barrier of entry.
• ENABLE READERS. ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT.
• CREATE MANY DOORS TO ENGAGEMENT—MULTIPLE POINTS OF ACCESS.
• Maybe the reader needs a little snippet/sample to convince them to buy. You have to create ON-RAMPS to the book itself.
• Reader must be able to enter door of their choice—don’t just offer them the front door.
• The book is just the beginning. We’re in the content-culture-information-ideas business.
• You can’t tell people they have to buy a book THIS way. Have to play a new game.

Categories of Branding

[k: Smokler is speaking of various possibilities here for branding handles]:

Author brands

Non-fiction:

• Author is an expert or maybe a very interesting person (this is the platform)—market the author.

Fiction:

• Author has a track record
• The book is auto-biographical (e.g., a personal account of abuse)—turn author into spokesperson. Create links to subject matter.
• Author speaks well on own behalf—let him/her shine.
• Author is disgustingly gorgeous—get him/her out there to strut!

Book-centric brands

• Fiction: “This is a great book—buy it” is NOT branding. Who are you to say so? [k: He must be thinking of the multiple access points again as contrast].
• Non-fiction: IDEA is king—sprinkle it all over the place—check out FREAKOMICS website (lots of different doors).

Re: Acquisition strategies

• Take the long view—build stars (like Old Hollywood). What is the author’s personae? Invest in careers, not just books. And allow author to have his/her own platform [website].

Re: Publicity

• Think big and small. Branding is about REACH.
• Think about email lists, write about upcoming events—think like politicians do. Get your event on www.upcoming.org. Very important.
• TRACK your readers (mailing lists, fan letters).
• Re: Publishers being so busy already, Kevin addresses how to resource this work: “Who will do this stuff? Maybe IT, or online marketing department, but ideally DIRECTOR OF READER RELATIONS.”
• Publishers/authors have to keep fans on the hook—don’t ignore them between books.
• Today, content is divorced from its packaging.
• Everyone is both a producer and a branding agency.
• WITH CHANGE COMES OPPORTUNITY.
• Kevin recommends checking out these two websites/services that can really help publishers in their marketing: Pub Sub and Upcoming.org.
• James (THE James of Work Industries fame) says to also look at Google Alerts and Technorati.

Kiley Turner is a writer, editor, and creative director whose projects span print, Web, and mixed media. Current and recent work includes research design and interpretation, editorial direction, branding, marketing collateral development, art direction, and editing. Her writing portfolio includes features, copywriting, Web content, press releases, newsletters, and white papers. She is a partner in Turner-Riggs Workspace, a creative strategy consultancy based in Vancouver.