Image – Getty: PinkyPills
By Publishing Perspectives Staff
Free Registration Is Open for the September 19 Online Event
The Frankfurt-based digital book distributor Bookwire has been in a strong expansionist phase that has continued for much of this year. It has widened its presence in Spanish-language markets along with activities in France and Italy, and deepened offering in audio product development,which has included Brazilian, Spanish-language, and English-language components. As early as June 2022, Bookwire was offering clients AI narration for audiobooks, among other services.
In July of this year, the company reported its new partnership with the United States distributor Independent Publishers Group (IPG), which gave the German company access to IPG’s digital and print distribution services, helping Bookwire to advance a push into the States’ market that was formalized with the announced opening of a US subsidiary in March 2023, shortly after the announcement of a partnership with the California-based publisher Podium.
In the context of this growth, the upcoming iteration of Bookwire’s “All About” digital event series, All About Digital Distribution, is aimed at the US market and set to begin on September 19 at 2 p.m. CDT (9 p.m. CEST in Germany, at 8 p.m. BST in the United Kingdom, and at 19:00 GMT).
All About Digital Distribution on Thursday, September 19, is now available for registration here, and there’s no cost for participating in this three-hour presentation.
Image: Bookwire
Speaker Highlights in the September 19 Program
2 p.m. CDT / 19:00 GMT
Welcome
- Bookwire’s London-based vice-president for audio Videl Bar-Kar and the company’s general manager for the United States, Brittyne Lewis, are to open the program on Thursday, and that combination of the company’s audio lead and US country contact is a good guide to what Bookwire wants the online event to present to its audience: audio and US distribution.
2:15 p.m. CDT / 19:15 GMT
Navigating the Future: Emerging Trends in Distribution
- Bar-Kar and Lewis continue from their welcoming remarks into this part of the event, presenting ways that “innovative strategies and technologies are revolutionizing content delivery and consumption … to enhance your reach and impact in the digital distribution landscape.”
2:45 p.m. CDT / 19:45 GMT
Harnessing the Audio Boom: Mastering Ownership and Distribution Strategies
- Anne Fonteneau, chief sales officer with Blackstone Publishing, joins Bar-Kar and Lewis to discuss “challenges, solutions, and best practices to maximize reach and revenue” in the audio market.
3:25 p.m. CDT / 20:25 GMT
The Big Picture: Reflections on Past, Present, and Future
- Circana’s Kristen McLean and Brenna Connor speak with the Book Industry Study Group’s (BISG) Brian O’Leary. McLean, formerly the book-sector industry analyst lead for Circana, now is executive director in business development and Connor is the book-sector industry lead for the company. O’Leary has been the executive director of BISG since 2016. In this conversation, the three are expected to touch on “format shifts, the rising influence of younger consumers, and the content areas driving market growth,” and to talk about issues including “emerging technologies, market saturation, and digital consumers’ demands.”
3:55 p.m. CDT / 20:55 GMT
Channel Partner Perspectives, Building Successful Distribution Networks
- Steve Potash, the founding president and CEO of the library distributor OverDrive, is to talk about “proven strategies, common pitfalls, and real-world success stories” to support a participant’s “partnership game.”
4:25 p.m. CDT / 21:25 GMT
Audiobook Production: Insights To Optimize and Scale Your Audiobook Program
- Brad Hill, associate publisher at HarperCollins’ HarperAudio, joins Bar-Kar for a conversation on “effective strategies to stay ahead in the rapidly growing audiobook market and take your offerings to the next level of success.”
Past ‘All About’ Events from Bookwire
Publishing Perspectives readers know that Bookwire’s presentations under the “All About” banner have been produced over several years as online promotional events in multiple languages and with various topical emphases.
Beginning in February 2020 and running through the upcoming September 19 “All About Digital Distribution,” Bookwire has offered seven of these events, reporting that they’ve been seen, in total, by 3,698 people (prior to the coming Thursday event), engaging with them online from 45 international markets.
More from Publishing Perspectives on distribution is here, more on digital publishing is here, more on ebooks is here, more on audiobooks is here, more on the German market is here, and more on the United States Market is here.