Two more additions have been announced to the best-ever line-up of keynote speakers to headline the sixth-annual Digital Book World. Data scientist in residence at tech venture capital firm Accel Partners Hilary Mason will speak on “Smart Data: A Look at Data—Big and Small—For Publishing,” bringing an expert’s perspective on using data to drive key publishing decisions and investments. And additional diversity will be provided by keynoter Joe Pulizzi, author and organizer of the biggest content marketing event in the world, Content Marketing World, explaining the extent to which book publishers can capitalize on — and learn from — the hot “content marketing” trend.
Mason and Pulizzi join an amazing roster that already includes a candid onstage conversation between Kindle executive Russ Grandinetti and Mike Shatzkin and Michael Cader; executives from two major publishing companies on the rise, Brian Murray of HarperCollins and Linda Zecher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (part of this year’s extension further into educational publishing); author Walter Isaacson following the release of his new book The Innovators (which emphasizes the importance of collaboration), speaking on transformation and the digital revolution, and author and media columnist Ken Auletta; plus author and digital innovator Seth Godin with an original and thought-provoking view on “what’s possible and what’s important” for a variety of players in the publishing value chain.
Our biggest DBW conference is well worth attending for the two days of keynotes alone, but beyond that we’ll have dozens of panels (with well over 100 speakers in all), including many interesting topics and people you don’t usually see on stage. A panel on Trade Publishers Remaking Themselves includes the dynamic 25-year-old leader of Lonely Planet Daniel Houghton, and Lucas Wittmann from newly-launching Regan Arts (itself part of a rebuilding Phaidon). A different look at innovative publishers features executives from the fast-growing start-up publishers Entangled and Georgia McBride Media Group.
Program tracks include a major focus on Marketing (including case studies from the big new player Next Big Book, and data on price promotions) and a set of panels on changes across the landscape of Educational Publishing, and other timely panels include a look at major changes in the Copyright Act under consideration by Congress and a couple of Blue Sky panels on remaking the business.
With four months to go the agenda is still in formation but you can already see what will make DBW 6 a must-attend event. So clear your schedule for January 13 through 15, and go ahead and take advantage of the major savings available by registering a little early. The best price lasts only until October 6. As always, the very best deal on individual tickets — whether you buy a 2-day DBW ticket and or a 3-day all access pass — is through this registration page with discounts for Publishers Lunch readers.
The event kicks off with the return of our major event for children’s publishers, Publishers Launch Kids. We’ll share more details on that program shortly, and you can see some of the speakers already signed on here. On the same registration page listed above, you can buy tickets for PL Kids alone, or include it with your all access pass.