Publishing Models Transforming the Book
By the end of 2011 it is projected that E-books will account for a quarter of frontlist book sales. Bricks and mortar stores are fighting for a fraction of the retail business. Publishers are being more selective about—and paying less money for—the books they acquire. In short, the publishing industry is changing dramatically. With change comes opportunity and everyone from legacy publishing houses to entrepreneurial individuals are creating new business models that locate talent and package content in new ways. Is the book dead? No—it’s being re-imagined and redefined by these very people.
Presenters
Brian Altounian is the CEO and President of WOWIO, Inc. His background includes business development, finance, operations and administration, and he has applied his skills to a variety of start-ups, Fortune 100 companies, and public and private organizations. Over the past 23 years, Mr. Altounian has worked extensively in the entertainment industry with a successful consulting practice, advising companies in the areas of finance, administration, operations and business development. Most recently, he was President and COO of Platinum Studios, a comic-based entertainment company, where he oversaw the expansion of both traditional and digital distribution, as well as the private capital financing raise of over $10MM and the company's launch to the public market. During Mr. Altounian's tenure at Platinum Studios, the company saw the development, production and release of several of its properties including DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT, which he co-produced, and the major motion picture, COWBOYS & ALIENS.
Mr. Altounian has served as Executive Producer of a number of films, including the documentary, LOST IN WOONSOCKET and the independent feature, AUDREY. He has worked on numerous television series including The National Geographic Television Specials for NBC, various television series' for Nickelodeon the Disney Channel and countless other national documentary series for PBS Affiliate, WQED in Pittsburgh. Mr. Altounian also serves as Producer on a number of WOWIO-owned properties currently in development, including the adaptation of the Spacedog Entertainment comic-book HELEN KILLER.
In 2007, Mr. Altounian founded the non-profit organization, Lost and Found in America; he also sits on the Board of Managers of the Hollywood YMCA. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA. He lives with his wife and three children in Los Angeles.
Jefferson Rabb is a web and mobile designer/developer with over a decade's experience in the publishing world. He co-founded The Atavist in 2010, and currently functions as Creative Director and CTO. Prior to this, Jeff had been a freelance designer/developer, creating websites, games, and more for books and authors including Haruki Murakami, The Da Vinci Code, The Snakehead, Alexander McCall Smith, and Joshua Ferris.
Molly Barton started her career in editorial before moving to digital publishing and business development. She joined Penguin Group in 2004. Today she is Global Digital Director and leads Penguin’s digital business relationships with Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobo and others. She also leads Penguin’s efforts to publish digital-first books, apps, enhanced eBooks and eSpecials (digital essays and short stories). Molly is President of new publishing venture Book Country that features an online community where fiction writers can refine their work, as well as a self-publishing platform for print books and ebooks. She previously held editorial and marketing roles at Viking Books and Oxford University Press.
Rachel Deahl covers the book business for industry trade magazine Publishers Weekly. She writes about, among other topics, rights, trends, and bookselling. Her weekly column, Deals, collects notable book deals of the week. On Twitter she's @DeahlsDeals.
Swanna MacNair is the Founding Partner of Creative Conduit, LLC. Her background is in the publishing and film industry.
Creative Conduit is a new breed of Intellectual Property Management/Consulting firm that partners with creatives, publishers, technologists, and media companies to evolve content into multi-experience stories and brands. Some of Creative Conduit’s clients include Funny or Die, Hyperion Books (Disney/ABC Television Group), Ahmet & Shana Zappa (writers/producers).
Creative Conduit also has a children’s interactive storytelling project for the iPad & iPhone in development with Shreveport, Louisiana based Developers, Twin Engines Lab (THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MORRIS LESSMORE.
Before founding Creative Conduit, MacNair worked as a Literary Agent and Head of Film and TV Development and Packaging at New York based boutique Agency, Fletcher & Company. While at Fletcher & Company, MacNair packaged, developed and sold projects across multiple platforms, including major Publishers, Film and Television Studios. Clients included Nick Cannon and Pulitzer-prize winning author and journalist Keith Spera.
Prior to moving to New York, MacNair lived in Los Angeles and work in the film industry for over a decade. Most recently, MacNair was Vice President of Production and Development at Misher Films, Kevn Misher's production company based at Paramount Pictures. Before Misher Films, MacNair was Creative Executive for New Line Cinema. During her tenure in Hollywood, MacNair acquired or worked on many literary film adaptations including, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's “Love in the Time of Cholera” (New Line Cinema), best-selling book “He's Just Not That Into You” (New Line Cinema), Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” (Paramount), and “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy directed by Peter Jackson (New Line Cinema).
Sunday, March 11
