O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference 2009 Call for Participation

Call closed midnight 08/25/2008 EDT.

O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference 2009 Call for Participation is now open and we invite you to join the conversation. Submit your proposal by August 25, 2008

Are you a(n):

• Book publisher trying new digital creation, production, and distribution methods and models?
• Publisher successfully (and profitably) repurposing content across multiple media, including books, ebooks, the Web, mobile, and video?
• New business built around paid content?
• Author blogging and promoting your book (with or without help from your publisher)?
• Author who’s going it alone without a publisher, using print-on-demand or ebooks to reach readers?
• Publishing business that has figured out how to become (or remain) profitable in a digital world?
• Technologist at a publishing company driving new digital initiatives?
• Publishing technologist building a new digital workflow?
• Technology company with something new to offer in publishing technology?
• Manager who’s successfully helped their editorial, production, or sales staff migrate to digital publishing?
• Developer or vendor working on collaborative/distributed authoring/editing tools?
• Company serving publishers looking for a platform to launch/announce a new product?
• Entrepreneurial publisher or publishing technology company?
• Publishing services or technology vendor looking to connect with decision makers?
• Library finding new ways to connect readers to the content and knowledge they care about?
• Person, organization, or business that cares about books and can articulate your vision for their future?
• If so, you are invited to submit a proposal now to speak at the TOC Conference.

Some of the topics we plan to include in the 2009 conference program are:

• Managing the human side of change and innovation
• Case studies of successful (or unsuccessful!) new publishing initiatives
• Case studies from implementing lessons learned at a previous TOC Conference)
• Riding the wave instead of fighting the tide—using file-sharing sites to increase sales
• Strategies and tactics for incorporating Print-on-Demand into a supply chain
• Moving beyond books: selling merchandise, community, experience, and other scarce goods in a world of "free"
• Strategies and tactics for incorporating ebooks into your publishing program
• Tools and challenges for an efficient all-digital workflow
• Revising your P&L’s for the economics of digital publishing
• Understanding and responding to the changing retail landscape
• Using the web to find and promote the original people behind "user-generated content" – authors
• Best practices for working with Amazon, Google, and other big internet players
• How to capture and analyze web metrics of interest to publishers
• Best new practices and tools for working with and supporting authors during editorial, production and/or marketing phases
• Systems and devices for displaying digital copy (demos welcome)
• How devices like the Kindle, the Sony Reader, and the iPhone are changing reading and publishing
• Business models for delivering and/or receiving material via new devices
• New copyright clearing, assertion, and determination mechanisms
• XML, EPUB, RDF, and other TLA’s (three-letter acronyms) decoded and explained
• Using open-source tools to assemble a digital publishing workflow

Proposals will be considered for the following types of presentations:

• 45 minute conference session or panel discussion
• 3 hour tutorial (these extended classes give participants hands-on, practical, in-depth guidance in using new technologies that are critical for publishing)
• 5-10 minute Lightning Demo (this series of rapid-fire presentations provide insight into new technologies and projects that interest publishers)

You’ll be asked to include the following information for your proposal:

• Proposed title
• Overview and extended descriptions of the presentation: main idea, sub topics, conclusion
• Suggested track
• Speaker(s): expertise and summary biography

A limited number of speaking opportunities are also available through conference sponsorship. Contact Sharon Cordesse at (707) 827-7065 or scordesse@oreilly.com for more information.

Tips for Submitting a Proposal

Help us understand why your presentation is the right one for TOC.

• Be authentic! Your peers need real-world scenarios they can use. Please submit original presentation ideas that focus on knowledge transfer, with engaging and relevant examples.
• Include as much detail about the planned presentation as possible. The more we know about what you plan to present and why it matters, the better.
• Be thorough! If you are proposing a panel tell us who else would be on it. If you are going to have a release let us know. If you feel this is something that hasn’t been covered at TOC before, let us know.
• Keep it free of marketing
• Keep the audience in mind: they’re forward-minded, professional, and already pretty smart
• Clearly identify the level of the talk: is it for beginners to the topic, or for gurus? What knowledge should people have when they come to the presentation?
• Give it a simple and straightforward title or name – fancy and clever titles or descriptions make it harder for people (committee and attendees) to figure out what you’re really talking about
• Limit the scope of the talk: Pick a useful aspect, or a particular technique, or walk through a simple program

Important Dates

• The submission deadline for all proposals is August 25.
• Registration opens in October 2008.

Submit a proposal

Silver Sponsors

Sponsorship Opportunities

For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the conference, contact Sharon Cordesse at scordesse@oreilly.com

Download the TOC Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus

Media Partner Opportunities

For information on trade opportunities with O'Reilly conferences, or contact mediapartners@ oreilly.com

Press and Media

For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings at maureen@oreilly.com

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